Hello, Writer!
This is An
Experiment
Once you have words
on paper,
It’s time to have fun
with revision.
What is revision?
Look at the word “revision” again.
What do you see?
Using the columns below, make a list
RE
· VISIO
N
List any other words you think
of that begin re
List any word you think of when
you see the word vision.
Time to “look again” at your piece of
writing.
Imagine it with fresh eyes!
What will you discover?
Here are some helpful things to keep
in mind about revision
Two ways of looking
Globally
Locally
The Big Picture
The Little Picture
Globally
The Big Picture






What is the overall effect of
the piece?
How is it organized and
structured?
How does its tone serve the
piece?
Where is the reader
captured?
Where might the reader lose
interest or get lost?
Consider pacing: Are there
places to speed up or slow
down?
Locally
The Little Picture




Do specific sentences create
clarity or confusion?
Are there sentences that can
be combined?
Are there sentences that can
be shortened?
How are specific transitions
serving the piece?
…AND THREE APPROACHES
ADD
SOMETHING
TAKE AWAY
SOMETHING
MOVE THINGS
AROUND
+Information
-Tangents
Find
+Powerful
-Confusing
buried in the piece
Images
+Sensory details
+New ideas
+Transitions
+Clarifying words
+Quotes
+Dialogue
ideas
-“little” words
-Stuff the writer
needed to get started
but the reader doesn’t
-Things that just don’t
sound right
a new opening
Recombine
sentences and ideas
Move
around
paragraphs
It takes guts, to
- slice
- expand
- remake
your precious piece of writing.
Having extra copies of your writing means you can always go back to what
you had before. This makes you brave!
You’ll need scissors and tape to conduct
the next three revisions experiments.
1)
FIRST
Read your piece out loud
LISTEN TO IT CAREFULLY
And then,
+ ADD
LOOK AT YOUR PIECE GLOBALLY. TRY
THIS:




When reading your piece look for
new openings for fresh ideas—
places where you can add more
sensory detail and/or dialogue.
When you hear that place mark it.
Take your scissors and slice your
piece open right there.
Tape a new, clean sheet of paper
and begin writing once again,
adding things you want the reader
to see, hear, smell or taste.
Do this to at least three different
points in your paper.
LOOK AT YOUR PIECE LOCALLY. TRY THIS:

Look at the first sentences of every
paragraph.

Consider adding transitions words
such as: for example; next; finally;
then; in the first places; on the other
hand etc…

Mark your changes by using the
^symbol and writing the words you
want to add above it. So when you
get back to the computer, you’ll
know what to do
Or,
SUBTRACT
LOOK AT YOU PIECE GLOBALLY. TRY THIS:




Make a commitment to reducing
your piece by at least one
paragraph.
When reading the piece out loud,
locate the paragraph(s) you think
your reader doesn’t really need.
Read your piece without that
section. If the piece still makes
sense, cross it out or better yet,
cut it out with scissors.
At that point ,tape your piece
together and go on.
Look at your piece locally. Try this:
 Choose the most 50 powerful
words in your piece and write them
down on a clean piece of paper.
 Create a poem, using only those
words.
 Consider what new meanings you
find in your piece by reducing it so
drastically.
 How does understanding the
“essence” of your writing, influence
your thinking about what your piece
is saying?
Or,
REARRANGE
LOOK AT YOUR PIECE GLOBALLY. TRY
THIS:





Takes scissors and tape, making
thee last paragraph of your piece
your first.
Make the first paragraph your last.
After rereading it, ask yourself
how it sounds.
What other changes will you have
to make so that your writing still
makes sense?
As the next step, try telling your
story backwards instead of
forward. What new and exciting
things happens when you do this?
Look at your piece locally. Try this:





Find a new opening for your piece
by finding the most powerful
image, point of action or sentence
in your writing.
Cut the sentence out at tape it to
the top of your paper.
Consider what other changes you
will have to make in your piece to
start at this most powerful place.
What does the reader gain or lose
if you start here? Do what you can
to this change “work”.
Next, look for ideas that can be
combined into one sentence. Or
single sentences that can be better
understood as separate thoughts.
Revise these sentences.
So, what happened?
On a separate sheet of paper respond the
following question:
How did your ideas about your piece of writing-it’s shape, order, pace, or quality– change
because of your revision experiments?
ACTION
P LAN
What changes will you keep in your final draft?
Use a separate sheet of paper to plan your
next steps for revising your piece.
The end