REVISION GUIDE
Use this guide to revise your writing.
Ask Yourself
Tips
Revision Techniques
1. Does my opening grab
readers’ attention?
Underline interesting or
surprising statements.
Add an attention-getting
statement.
2. Are events in an order
that makes sense? Do
transitions connect
paragraphs and make the
sequence of events clear?
Number the events in the
narrative.
Check that they are in the
correct order.
Underline transitional words
and phrases.
Rearrange events in the order
in which they occurred, if
necessary.
Add transitions to link events
and make connections
between paragraphs.
3. Is dialogue relevant to
the purpose?
Note any dialogue that seems
unnecessary.
Add dialogue that reveals
character and advances the
action.
4. Do vivid sensory details
make the experience
seem real?
Highlight vivid, specific, and
sensory details.
Add more sensory details.
Delete irrelevant details.
5. Have I included my
thoughts and feelings?
Put a check mark next to
statements of feelings or
thoughts.
Add specific details about
feelings and thoughts, if
necessary.
6. Does my conclusion reveal
why the experience was
meaningful to me?
Underline the statement
about why the experience was
meaningful.
Add a statement that explains
why the experience was
important.
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Write a Personal Narrative