Editing and Revisin (Step Three)

Revising is the ongoing process of improving the content of your writing. It is not a one step stage in the writing process. It often involves us going back and forth between drafting. Writing can be improved by deleting or adding of content in your piece of writing. Some examples of revising are: adding similes or metaphors, adding a strong introduction, adding strong verbs, or changing words to make images more specific. Editing is the process of correcting spelling and grammar in your writing piece. This occurs after the revision process has been completed and right before you publish your piece.

            When I sit down to review what people have said about my writing during peer review, I sort of get overwhelmed. I get overwhelmed because I like to take into consideration what people have critiqued about my work and use it to help me with my final draft. It is overwhelming sometimes when there are major changes that I have to take into consideration. The process of revising for me starts with working paragraph by paragraph. I review each paragraph either by adding something, deleting something, fixing grammar mistakes, or just leaving it alone. Once I have finished going through each paragraph, I then re read the whole paper to see if I like what I have done with the paper so far. I usually print out that “final” draft and then read it all over again. By doing this, I can look to see if I want to change anything else again before it becomes my actual final draft. I also like to have some of my friends read this “final” draft again for me just so that I can get some opinions.

            Always remember to revise your work, it is one of the most important steps in the writing process. Our writing is never perfect and there are always ways in which we can improve it. Have others read your writing because we do not always catch mistakes in our own writing, we always think it is “perfect.”