1. Reading and editing prose

2. Map your journey for revision and editing 3. Start with an idea Brainstorm Research Read and take notes Create an outline based on initial ideas and notes Write a working introduction to center my ideas Refer to notes and develop a rough outline or idea map Begin working on content Panic and reread notes Go back to writing and finish draft Leave it for a few days Read it and panic again On to draft 2 Throughout it all, there is a lot of meandering, walking away from the computer in frustration, avoidance, and eventual settling down to write. 4. Find your power by learning from your mistakes 5. Always remember, no one gets it right the first time. While youre writing, what makes you sweat? What makes you doubt yourself as a writer? What are your grammar woes? What can you learn about yourself as a writer by being aware of your weaknesses? 6. Learn to read and revise your own writing 7. Step away and let your writing rest Look at your writing as a reader, not a writer Consider the big picture: Do you sentences flow? Are your thoughts clear? Does your research support your arguments? Are there any gaps in your reasoning? Read your work and consider its value from the point of view of your intended audience. 8. Create a plan to guide your revision Revise as you writein drafts 1. Read your work as a whole with an eye towards the big picture. Take notes and create pointers to refer to while editing. 2. Read it again with an eye towards the small stuff. Look for grammatical errors, awkward sentence construction, weak transitions, punctuation, and more. 3. Give it a final polish. Make your changes and save it as a new draft. Read it again to polish it upconsider word choice, rewrite your introduction and/or conclusion, refine your ideas. NOTE: Save each draft under a separate file name to avoid confusion and keep your work in order. 9. Open yourself to positive feedback 10. Letting another read our work can be difficult, but it a second pair of eyes allows us to see our work in a new light. Peer Review helps us get outside of our heads. Select your reader(s) with care A reader who is familiar with your style is best, but also one who is willing to give good, honest, and critical feedback. Critical feedback does NOT = criticism! Critical feedback seeks to empower and strengthen your writing. It does not tear down, belittle, or try to deny the writers voice, but serves to support and encourage better writing. 11. Knowing when to cut, rewrite, and re-imagine 12. Stay strong and dont fear cutting out words, sentences, paragraphs, and/or pages. Every word matters, but they dont all have to be part of your final draft. Reading and revising in drafts will help you decide what to keep and what to cut without becoming too attached. NOTE: Save the pieces that you snip in a separate file in case you want to reuse them. 13. Rewrite sentences, paragraphs, sections, or the entire essay as needed. Careful revision and review will help you make sense of what works and what doesnt. And working within an appropriate time frame will ensure that you have ample time to rework your draft to produce the best essay possible. 14. When to cut Is it relevant to my overall theme, subject, or argument? Does it serve a purpose other than padding? Does it send the reader on a tangent? When to rewrite Is there enough information to support the point? Is it relevant but missing something? Do the ideas need further development to get my point across? 15. Are we there yet? 16. If youre writing on a deadline, its important to know when to call it complete. Write within a timeframe to stay on target. When writing a class assignment (an essay or term paper), a good rule of thumb is to go through two rough drafts and a polish. Write the first, rough, working draft. Read and note global revisions (the big picture). Write and read through the second draft Get feedback from a fellow reader (if possible). Apply feedback and consider cuts and rewrites. Polish the third draft by making local revisions (the small stuff) and call it ready for submission unless your professor recommends further revision or allows for an essay to be resubmitted.