Week 5 - Revision: 'My Pencils Outlast My Erasers"
Most of my time writing is really re-writing.” — Joyce Carol Oats “That’s the magic of revisions – every cut is necessary, and every cut hurts, but something new always grows.” — Kelly Barnhill
I have rewritten—often several times—every word I have ever published. My pencils outlast their erasers. |
By the time I am nearing the end of a story, the first part will have been reread and altered and corrected at least one hundred and fifty times. I am suspicious of both facility and speed. Good writing is essentially rewriting. I am positive of this.” — Roald Dahl
Writing and rewriting are a constant search for what it is one is saying. -- John Updike "Writing is largely a matter of application and hard work, of writing and rewriting endlessly, until you are satisfied that you have said what you want to say as clearly and simply as possible. For me, that usually means many, many revisions.” -- Rachel Carson
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Overview
The quotations here are meant to inspire you--and to remind you that revision is actually a good thing.
This week we are having 30-minute individual conferences in my office or through a videoconference tool called Zoom. I hope our conference will be productive for you, and I urge you to start revising as soon as possible after our meeting while your ideas are fresh.
This week we are having 30-minute individual conferences in my office or through a videoconference tool called Zoom. I hope our conference will be productive for you, and I urge you to start revising as soon as possible after our meeting while your ideas are fresh.
Resources
1. Watch this short video, “The Writer’s Guide: Revision” (https://youtu.be/oPFUzifp7s4) -- which is about revision in other situations besides writing.
2. Read and watch this ELI Review tutorial on revision: http://elireview.com/content/students/revision/ The whole tutorial is excellent, but you might especially like Part IV on Growth Mindset and Grit. The ELI site focuses on peer review, which we will do in the next paper. For this paper, your feedback is from me.
2. Read and watch this ELI Review tutorial on revision: http://elireview.com/content/students/revision/ The whole tutorial is excellent, but you might especially like Part IV on Growth Mindset and Grit. The ELI site focuses on peer review, which we will do in the next paper. For this paper, your feedback is from me.
Activities
- Online only: Participate in a check-in Tuesday discussion in Bb.
- Sign up for a conference through the Doodle Poll sent as a Blackboard announcement. If you cannot find a time that will work for you, please contact me and we'll work something out.
- Submit a "Best for Now" revision of your demonstrative argument for a grade to the Blackboard dropbox. Include a cover memo to me as before, explaining the context and what you have done to revise.