Writing is a process. It is never perfect after the first attempt. The best part about writing is that there is time to go back and revise and edit the writing before it is submitted.
Revising is the first step to improving a first draft. It is best to allow some time to pass between finishing the first draft and beginning the revising process. This allows the author to look at the draft with fresh eyes and, hopefully, more objectively.
What to look for:
- confusing sentences
- unclear connections between ideas
- sentences that don’t connect to the controlling idea
- lack of support for the controlling idea
How to revise:
Start with the controlling idea. Is it clearly stated in the topic sentence of the paragraph or thethesis statment of the essay? It should be easy to identify and be contained in one sentence.
Next, look at all your sentences in the paragraph and then all the paragraphs in the essay. Does each sentence (or paragraph) support the controlling idea? It should add something meaningful and new to the idea.
- If it is repetative it should be deleted.
- If there are gaps in the logic between sentences or paragraphs then more information is needed to support the controlling idea.
Third, does your paragraph or essay say what you want it to say. Is the idea in your mind represented by the thoughts on the page?
- If the answer is no, then revise the controlling idea or rewrite the sentences to explain the idea you have in your mind.
- If the answer is no, do you like the message the writing gives to the reader? It might be different from your original thought, but it might be just as powerful or meaningful to you now that you’ve written those thoughts down.
- Repeat the above steps until the answer is yes.
If the answer is yes, then it’s finally time to give your paper to someone else for their feedback. This is a valuable and worthwhile step in the revising process.