LibGuides: ENGL 1007 Course Guide: Strengthening Your Writing Practice

Strategies for Revision

Revision
Peer Review

As the UNC Chapel Hill Writing Center has argued, true revision goes far beyond just grammatical fixes: "Revision literally means to 'see again,' to look at something from a fresh, critical perspective." This makes it a more challenging but ultimately more fulfilling process, one that can transform your expressive and communicative power.

Nobody is expected to be able to revise effectively without practice and time. Linked below are several resources to help you develop your revision practices.

Many writers find it helpful to develop a network for revision -- finding others that might provide advice, guidance, and simply a new perspective to help you "see again" in your writing. Use ENGL 1007 as an opportunity to develop these practices, and consider making an appointment with or dropping in to the Writing Center.

"Revising Drafts"
Guidance from UNC Chapel Hill about what revision is and ideas for making the most out of the process.
"Revising Efficiently & Effectively"
A brief handout from Yale University that describes a process for moving progressively from the big picture of revision to narrower details.
UConn Writing Center
While the Writing Center is an excellent resource at any stage of the writing process, many find it particularly valuable as an opportunity to received individualized feedback during revision.

Offering peer review can be a frustrating experience. But as with any other part of the composition process, it takes practice to become an effective reviewer. Bill Hart-Davidson's "describe-evaluate-suggest" framework can help focus our attention: by first communicating what we are encountering as readers rather than immediately making edits, we can provide a valuable perspective that a writer may not be able to access about their own writing. Following our description, our evaluations and suggestions for how to address them can follow.

"Engaging in Peer Review"
Guide from Writing@CSU that provides more detailed suggestions for participating in peer review, as both a reviewer and a writer.

Reflective Writing

Reflective writing is a critically important part of the process for continuing your development as a writer and thinker. In class, you will be tasked with assignments that ask you to write directly about your own processes at different stages, such as invention, composition, and revision. In addition to these assignments, it is valuable to build reflective practices for writing situations beyond ENGL 1007 -- below are some resources to help you cultivate this habit for lifelong learning and development.

"Reflective Writing Guide"
A series of suggestions for approaching various reflective writing assignments from Cornell University.
"Reflective Writing: A Basic Introduction"
University of Portsmouth resource describing the structure and language of reflective writing.