Revision and Editing

REvision... We know that the prefix re- means "again". Piero suggested that revision must mean, "to see again". He is exactly right! When writers revise their pieces, they look at them through different lenses. Some questions we may ask ourselves during revision are:

• What parts will my reader enjoy? Where does the writing sound good and give a clear picture of what was happening?
• Are there any places where the reader may get confused? Where do I lose focus?
• Have I left out actions, details, and dialogue the reader needs in order to follow my story?
• Where might I include more thoughts and feelings to make my intentions clear to the reader?

We revise our drafts so that our audience gets the best read possible! One way we learned to revise was by looking closely at the arc of our story. We ask ourselves, "What am I really trying to say?"

Here, two writers help each other make revisions. Notice that she isn't just listening to what her peer is suggesting, she is actually making changes to her piece! 

The difference between revising and editing, is that editing focuses on our conventions. As writers, we rely on editing checklists. It could be a checklist on paper, or a checklist in our minds! Each item on the checklist reminds us of a "lens" we could use as we reread our drafts. We should reread our drafts at least SIX times! Some lenses we use when rereading our drafts could be:

• clarity: "Would my story make sense to a stranger?"
• punctuation: "Do I have complete sentences? Did I end my sentences with punctuation? Did I punctuate all my dialogue correctly?"
• spelling: "Have I tried to correct the words I circled because I felt they were misspelled?"
• paragraphs: "Is there a new paragraph for each big event in my story? Did I change paragraphs when a new person is speaking?"

Editing checklists are like self-help books! They serve as our personalized coaches, giving us a to-do list for our draft before it goes to be published. Editing is important because it is your last chance to make your writing perfect! 

Writers, what changes have you made to your narratives during the revision process? What do you notice as you edit your narrative? Has your partner given you any great advice during writing peer conferences that you could share with us?