REVISION and EDITING

Revision is painful and time-consuming, but it will make your writing stronger and better, if you choose to make the effort. SIMPLE EDITING will NOT raise your grade very much; REAL revision MIGHT.  Generally speaking, a person of intelligence usually gets out of an assignment about what he is willing to put into it. There are very few “natural” writers, fewer still with talent, but talent alone will not make you a “good” writer.

Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.

Stephen King

The following paragraphs are from student papers and contain representative errors common to all first essays. PLEASE PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO HOW ONE MIGHT SOLVE THESE ERRORS WITH EDITING AND/OR REVISION.

The following paragraph has serious editing errors; however, despite the sentence fragment and lack of exact or varied wording, the paragraph is basically fluent. 

        As young adults our generation will face many struggles, challenges, and obstacles. As we become adults we will be forced to face the many obstacles we've watched our parents and elders deal with our entire lives. Facing struggles such as obtaining a degree, keeping good credit and maintaining it, maintaining healthy relationships, and finding a stable well-paying job. You will have to learn how to balance all of the struggles of your adult life to become a more independent, successful, and well-rounded adult.

The following paragraphs needs work on exact wording, some revision, and basic editing:

         Life has its ups and downs, but it's all in the way you look at it. Growing up I was very optimistic about life, but as I got older and realized there were challenges, it changed the way I viewed at life. Change, illness and loss are three things that changed my outlook on things, causing me to look at events in a more pessimistic way; and because of the events that have taken place I know this is something I need to work on.

The two following opening paragraphs need serious REVISION as well as editing:

          Like most people living from the states, I've lived in this country my whole life, and have never even ventured into another country. This county is all I know, and being such a large and patriotic country, is all the love this country gets truly deserved? It varies, depending the view being used.

      

         Every generation faces its own unique and challenging problems. Generations of the past had world wars, The Great Depression, and other unique challenges. Today our generation faces unforeseen problems by our ancestors. Today, society has to conquer problems like a forever changing job market, technology, advancements, and problems caused by generations before us.

Body Paragraph developed with generalization—NO specific examples; awkward, confusing sentences; errors in exact wording. 

Lately, police officers have been in headline news for some really negative situations. When I think of a police officer, I imagine someone keeping the streets of America safe. Shooting young teens has come to something repetitive in this profession. Most recently two young African American males have had their lives taking away by a police officer. I always place myself in someone else’s shoes when looking at their situation. I feel the pain of the family and the loss dealt with. I really believe the streets of America have never really been safe. Through the civil rights movement to September 11, 2001, as a country we still strong but as a unit we are slacking.