Why revise? Drafts are not the end
The first version of anything you write is a draft. Drafts are meant to be rough. Revising means looking again at the big things: the idea, the order and the missing parts. It is different from proofreading, which fixes small mistakes like spelling and commas at the very end.
Order of work: draft, revise, proofread.
Checking purpose
Before you change anything, ask three questions:
- Purpose: what do I want this writing to do? (explain, persuade, ask, tell a story)
- Reader: who will read it, and what do they already know?
- Fit: does every part help the purpose? Mark parts that do not.
Then revise with three moves: cut what does not help, move parts into a clearer order, and add what is missing (evidence, an example, a link word, a closing line).
Read it aloud. Your ear finds the places that are wrong.
Asking for feedback
Feedback is what a reader tells you about your writing. Choose someone who is honest and kind: a friend, a parent or a teacher.
Ask clear questions:
- "What was the main point you got?"
- "Where did you get confused?"
- "What would you add or cut?"
Your job is to listen and write notes. Do not argue or explain at that moment. If the reader did not get it, the writing needs to change, not the reader.
Using feedback: keep, fix, skip
Sort each note into one of three boxes:
- Keep: praise that tells you what works. Do not change it.
- Fix: unclear or missing parts. Change them first.
- Skip: a note that does not fit your purpose. Skip only after thinking twice. If two readers say the same, do not skip it.
Then revise again and, if you can, show it to the reader once more.
Try it
Write 5 lines about your day. Ask a friend: "What was clear? What was confusing?" Sort the notes into keep, fix, skip. Rewrite once. Compare the first and second versions.
Key formulas and definitions
- Cycle = Draft, Feedback, Revise (repeat)
- Revise moves = Cut, Move, Add
- Feedback sort = Keep, Fix, Skip
- Key term, revise: look again at ideas, order and missing parts
- Key term, proofread: fix small mistakes like spelling at the end
Worked examples
1. Your purpose is to invite the class to a cleanup. Which line of your draft should be cut? (a) Date and time (b) "Nobody ever helps and it is so unfair" (c) What to bring
(b). It is angry and does not help the purpose of inviting people. Keep the date, time and what to bring.
2. A reader says "I did not understand why the library hour is needed". How do you use this note?
It goes in the "fix" box. Add a reason and an example: "Students read more when they have a fixed time. In our class only 4 of 30 visit the library."
3. Two readers say your essay ending is weak. One says "make it longer". Which note do you take and how?
Both readers point to a weak ending, so do not skip it. Do not simply make it longer. Instead, finish with a sentence that repeats your main point in new words.
Common mistakes
- Fixing spelling first and never looking at the idea and order.
- Arguing with the reader instead of listening to the note.
- Skipping every note that is hard to hear.
- Doing one revision and stopping. Good writing usually goes round more than once.