I Pray Before I Write (Writer's Prayer)

 

My Personal Note on the Importance of Editing & Revising

 

I feel that editing and revising are two different occurrences and should be done in two different steps.  Unfortunately, most of my students think they can be done in one step and need to be taught that it is two steps.  Many of them feel that they are the same thing.  Thankfully, after the lesson on editing and revising, they change their minds.

In the past, I felt that it didn’t matter which order you performed these steps in, but now, I beginning to change my thinking.  Revising should be done first, then editing.  Editing should be the last thing you do before you publish your work.

You must look at your work to make sure it looks (editing) as good as it sounds (revising).

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Why is Editing and Revising so Important?

 When writing; editing and revising are important.  They improve how your writing looks and sounds. 

Editing looks at how the writing looks.  Do you have errors in your writing?  Did you use the right words?  Are your sentences appropriate?  How do the words look as you read them on the page?  “During editing, the paper is fine-tuned for specific content, as well as organization and style at the paragraph and sentence level.”

Revising looks at how the writing sounds.  Is it readable by the audience that will be reading it?  Did you get your message across?  Does it make sense?  Are you objective?  Is your writing clear?  Is your content relevant?  “During revising, the rough draft is evaluated for the larger issues of general content, organization, and tone, by adding, deleting, and organizing information as necessary” (http://www.butte.edu/departments/cas/tipsheets/style_purpose_strategy/revising_editing.html).

Most people complete these two steps at once, but, your writing will be better if you do this in two separate steps.  Yes, it creates more work, but it greatly improves your writing.  And that’s your ultimate goal, to make your writing better.

When editing and revising, here’s an image to help you edit and revise:

(http://library.defiance.edu/writingprocess/revisingetc)

It’s important to remember, that whenever you revise and make changes, you need to go back and edit your revised work.

Remember, editing checks how your writing looks and revising checks how your writing sounds.  You need make sure that your writing looks good and sounds good.  Errors can cause people to stop reading your work and disrespect you as a writer.

I Pray Before I Write (Writer's Prayer)

 

My Personal Note on Outlining

 

I am a big believer in outlining.  I outline almost every document that I write.  I have had an outline that was over 20 pages long.  It was for a novel that I was writing.  I went back and reviewed my outline, only to find out that I had not been following the outline.  That was okay.  It happens like that sometimes.

Outlining, mapping a piece of writing, or drawing a diagram of a document is a great way to keep on task.  It may not be a formal outline, but even having a list will help you stay on track.

One thing I recommend when doing an outline for a research paper is to place quotes or a numbering system for your quotes in your outline.  This will prevent you from having to search for your quotes once you start writing your paper.

A last thought about outlines…  It can help you break up your writing (long essays in particular) into sections.  By breaking up a long essay into smaller sections, it will make the writing seem less fearful.

Outlining – Yes, I’m Talking about Outlining

 Outlining helps you organize your writing.  It creates a structure for your writing.  It is a great way to begin writing.  It will help you have a clear and logical order to your writing.  It will also help you when you begin to revise your work.

When outlining, you can use sentences or phrases.  Be sure you develop a method of outlining that works for you.  You can use a formal system, that is typewritten with an ordered numbering system, or an informal system, that is handwritten.  You could even start with an informal outline and turn it into a formal outline.

Here are some important things to remember when outlining:

Your purpose – you must remember what you are writing and why you are writing it.  This is key to creating an effective outline, and ultimately writing a brilliant piece of work.

The key points – you must be sure to include the important things that you want to talk about.  This is the meat of your writing project.  If you do not have enough key points your work will not be as good as it could be.

The supporting details – you must add details to your writing to support what you are saying or to explain what you are writing.  Having enough details will help your reader understand what you are writing more, and it will enhance your work.  Adding these to the outline can be helpful, although there may be times when a supporting detail will pop into your head as you are writing.  Be sure to make a note on your outline to remind yourself that you added something that was not in your original outline.

A terrific introduction – you must grab your reader’s attention from the beginning.  Having a well-written introduction is valuable.  This takes some time to learn, but it is a good skill to learn and practice.

An excellent conclusion – you must end your writing for your reader.  You cannot leave your readers hanging.  Having an upset or confused reader is horrible.  You want to leave your reader with some closure.

Use your outline as you write – you must write from your outline.  Why create an outline and not use it?  It will keep you on track and help you stay organized as you write.

Be flexible – you must be willing to be open to changes as you write.  Sometimes as you begin to write from your outline, you can have a creative flash that may cause you to stray from your outline.  That is okay.  There are times when this will produce some excellent writing.  Go with it, but do not get to far off track.

Review your outline after writing – you must review look at your outline after you write.  You may be inspired to deviate from your outline every now and then.  It is vital that you go back and review your outline to see if you left any important things out if you did have creative flashes while writing.

Remember, outlining will help you avoid getting stuck when writing, keep you on task, and help you stay organized.  So…

My Personal Note on the Writing Process

 I tell my students… “You engage in the Writing Process every time you send a text, but you do not realize it.”

1. Pre-Writing: You think about the message you want to send, and who you want to send it to.

2. Writing: You write out the text.

3. Editing & Revising: You look at the text to see if it says all you want it to say.

4. Publishing: You send the text.

As an English professor, I feel that this is the best skill I can teach my students.  To break the writing down into smaller steps.  It will make writing easier.  I go through the steps in class for each assignment, but I don not tell them that it is a step in the writing process.  I may have to start doing this.

Most of my students appreciate being taught the process.  It often lets them know that they do not have to do everything in one step…  writing is a process.  If I can get my students to learn that one thing… I feel like I have overcome a great obstacle.

I Pray Before I Write (Writer's Prayer)

 

The Importance of the Writing Process

 

The Writing Process is important to every writer, no matter the level they are at in their writing endeavors.

It helps you plan your work, write it, edit and revise it, then ultimately publish it.  Research has shown that people, specifically children become better writers when they use the writing process. This is discussed in an article entitled, “A Classroom Investigation of the Growth of Metacognitive Awareness in Kindergarten Children through the Writing Process” by Geralyn M. Jacobs.

Using the writing process:

• Helps writers build confidence in their writing
• Provides structure and organization, especially if the writer feels lost or doubtful
• Promotes independence and self-direction
• Helps writers think about their writing
• Helps writers improve their writing
• Helps writers share their work

The steps are: Pre-Writing, Writing, Editing, Revising, & Publishing.  Each step is important when completing a writing project.  The process is recursive, which means you may have to revisit a step that you have already completed.  But, that is okay.  It is a process.

https://blogs.longwood.edu/postonsn/investigating-a-writing-rule/

Let’s look at each step.

Pre-Writing is thinking about what you are writing.  This is the first step you should take when writing.  It could be thinking, taking notes, brainstorming, and gathering information.  A crucial phase in pre-writing is to create an outline or writing map for your project.  This is important because it helps you see what you are going to write and gives you a road map that can keep you on task.

Writing is sometimes called Drafting.  During this stage, you write.  You take what you gathered in the pre-writing step and put it on paper.  This is where your idea comes to life.  It is writer-centered.  It is important that you do not edit or revise during this step.  That can be hard, but you must WRITE during the writing stage.

Revising is making sure your writing sounds good.  Revising is reader-centered.  This is where you think about your audience.  You make sure your words are right, your sentences are concise and accurate, and your ideas are clear.

Editing is where you check to see how your writing looks.  You check for errors such as grammar, mechanics, and spelling.  This stage is important because it makes sure your work is correct.  Always edit before publishing.  And, always edit after you have added to your work after revision.

Publishing is where you share your writing.  You can either submit it for a class, ask a friend to read it, or post it online on your social media.  This is a crucial step because it allows you to see the finished product, as well as share your work with others.

The writing process makes writing easier.

I Pray Before I Write (Writer's Prayer)

 

The Writing Process

 Since I am an English professor, I decided to explore The Writing Process.  It is one of the most important skills, tools, ideas I can teach my students.

https://k12.thoughtfullearning.com/FAQ/what-are-steps-writing-process

As a writer, it is the most important skill, tool, and idea I use.

Join me in discovering or rediscovering The Writing Process.  (Note: They may be written out of order.)

The Importance of the Writing Process - https://ddbgracefulwriter.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-importance-of-writing-process.html

Pre-Writing

Brainstorming

Outlining - Yes, I'm Talking about Outlining - https://ddbgracefulwriter.blogspot.com/2021/02/outlining-yes-im-talking-about-outlining.html

Writing

Revising

Editing

Why is Editing and Revising so Important? - https://ddbgracefulwriter.blogspot.com/2021/02/why-is-editing-and-revising-so-important.html

Publishing

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See my thoughts...

My Personal Note on the Writing Process

https://ddbgracefulwriter.blogspot.com/2021/02/my-personal-note-on-writing-process.html

My Personal Note on Outlining

https://ddbgracefulwriter.blogspot.com/2021/02/my-personal-note-on-outlining.html

My Personal Note on the Importance of Editing & Revising

https://ddbgracefulwriter.blogspot.com/2021/02/my-personal-note-on-importance-of.html

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