Revising Your Writing
When we're ready to share our writing with others, it is important to take time to re-read what we have written to make sure that our message is clear and our spelling, grammar, punctuation, and capitalization are polished. The word re-vision means to "look again."
Once a piece has been revised and major changes have been made, successful writers then edit or polish their writing to make certain that readers won't be confused or distracted by unintentional errors.
Revising: Reading as a Reader
After setting your piece of writing down for a short time, pick it up again, and reflect on the following questions from the perspective of an interested reader:
- Is my purpose for writing clear?
- Have I considered the questions and concerns of my audience?
- Have I written in the form and style appropriate for this genre of writing? For example, does my book review look and read like a book review?
- Have I included sufficient examples and supporting details?
Revising: Reading as a Writer
From the perspective of a skilled writer, consider the following:
- Does my introduction or lead succeed in grabbing the reader's attention?
- Does my conclusion successfully bring my writing to a close?
- Do my paragraphs flow from one to the other well?
- Have I organized my ideas in a way that makes sense to the reader?
Editing: Reading as an Editor
After revising, try one of these proofreading techniques to polish your writing:
- Read your writing aloud to catch run-on sentences, over-used words, spelling errors, and typos.
- Read backwards. Start with the last sentence of your piece and read one sentence at a time from the end to the beginning.
- By focusing on one sentence at a time, you'll notice ways to improve your writing more easily than reading quickly through your draft from start to finish.
- Share your writing with a family member or friend.
Simple revision chceklists to try!
* Writing revision quizzes
*http://www.readwritethink.org/parent-afterschool-resources/tips-howtos/revise-edit-30116.html