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Revision is the Heart of the Matter

1/18/2012

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    Revision is what writers do.  It is at the very core of writing a text of any kind.  Oh, there are a few occasions where a writer seems to spill perfect words in perfect places onto a blank page and there is nothing to change – like the way my grandma made her apple pie with a delicious cookie crust.  Grandma didn’t need a recipe; instead she created her masterpiece every day, using the “feel” of the pie dough and adding a pinch of this and that.  But the truth of the matter is this: writers only stop revising because there is a deadline to meet!

    I remember when Rose and I were finishing up Nonfiction Mentor Texts. I kept bringing more books to add to our final chapter. Rose had to tell me: “Enough!  I am not adding one more book to the Treasure Chest!” Rose knew it was time to polish what we had and not continue to add to it.  While adding to a piece of writing is one way to revise, there are many other possibilities. Here are some suggestions:

Ø      Reread to discover the “inside story.”

Ø      Write a different ending.

Ø      Write the piece in a different tense.

Ø      Use a multigenre approach.

Ø      Write in the third person instead of the first person.

Ø      Write for a different audience.

Ø      Find your center of gravity and begin there.

Ø      Write the piece in a different format (a poem, letter, or feature article).

Ø      Try to collaborate with a peer who is writing on the same theme or subject.

Ø      Move words, phrase, sentences, or even whole paragraphs to a different location if it improves the piece.

Ø      Substitute: find nouns and verbs that are weak and replace them with stronger ones!
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    Lynne loves to write in the early morning hours, especially in warm weather when she can sit outside on the patio.  After a walk with her three Welsh Corgis, her mind is cleared and her spirit is inspired by the choir of birds in nearby bushes and trrees. 

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