Editing or Revising...which do you like better and why? Share as a writer first, but then if you want to add more as a future teacher, think about how you would package/sell this to your future students! :-)
I like editing better than revising. I think I am pretty good at grammar and other things editing wise, but revising is harder for me. After I write something, it's hard for me to think of a different way that I could phrase it, rather than just fixing the grammar mistakes. I am used to writing research papers and not being creative with my writing, which I think is why I am not good at thinking about it in a different way. I did enjoy reading everyone's memoirs though, which was part of the revising process. I think that would be a good thing to do with kids, to get other people to read it. It helped me a lot to get other peoples' opinions, since I was having a hard time coming up with my own ideas.
For me Krista, I am just the opposite. It's easier for me to phrase my sentences in another way instead of correcting for grammar. This has always been something I have struggled with so it's interesting that you think editing is easier. I agree that getting myself to look outside the box to revise another piece can be challenging! But that's all the more reason to do this with students! :-)
I definitely agree that sharing papers with all students helps both revising and editing seem less intimidating for students and more focused to let other people read your work. If a student does not feel capable of revising or editing their own work, sharing work can definitely help them out. I also love sharing papers in the early stages of paper writing in order for a student to gather more ideas for their paper. It can provide time for a student to change their paper topic by presenting other papers to them early on in the process.
I think one of my strongest areas in writing is voice, so when I get a chance to revise someones paper, I feel like that is one thing I am able to truly help contribute to someone else's work. I like to share my work, however, I prefer to read it aloud. I feel like when I read it, I am better able to show my voice and the audience can relate to it better.
I enjoy reading other people's memoirs as well because I will like something in someone else's paper and be inspired to do something like it in my own way A lot of my creative ideas are inspired by other people's creative ideas so I am a big fan of sharing the creativity to get everyone excited about their own work.
Krista, before this project I had a difficult time revising as well. I still find it hard to revise my own papers, but I have found it easier to revise other people's papers. I've liked this project because other people in class can read my paper and revise it for me. I'm too stuck on what I'm trying to say when I'm revising it myself, but when someone else does it I feel like they aren't as attached and can change things much easier than I could.
I agree with Emma as I also get a greater amount of creativity and motivation by reading different pieces by different authors. I do read a lot as I believe that it helps me in developing my ideas into something more profound. A lot of your memoirs influenced my ideas on how to write my own, and well I find both, revising and editing helpful in improving my own, as well as someone else's writing skills.
I tend to revise and edit at the same time so doing these two strategies seperately was extremely difficult for me. When we were revising in class, I had to restrain myself from fixing grammatical errors. I just inherently fix people's grammar all the time since I started working in the writing lab this year. For my students, I would give them a choice. If the want to only revise, that's fine with me. If a student is more comfortable with editing, him or her focus on it then. If any students are like me and multitask when looking through a paper, I won't take the option away, but I might not present it to them first.
I usually revise and edit at the same time as well! So I agree with you that it was hard to ignore grammar when we were revising. I think it depends on what grade they are in to give them a choice about which one they do. If they are still learning grammar, I definitely think they need to edit. I would probably do revising and editing at the same time because I feel like that's easier and would take less class time if it was limited.
I also do them both t the same time which makes me wonder if that is just how I was taught. I thought that separating the two was very beneficial but also difficult for me because I am so use to doing them simultaneously. One thing I have noticed is that by doing this in a classroom, students are better able to understand their personal strengths and weaknesses.
I think that it would be great to allow both but not emphasize both at once. It is a great way to differentiate student assignments to allow a student that is capable of doing both to do so but focus on one at a time to make sure everyone feels able to complete either editing or revising in the class time allotted.
I have the same problem as well. I tend to want to do both steps at the same time so that I can save myself the time of looking at the paper many times. I love the idea of letting the students have the choice of doing both at the same time, or doing one step at a time, whichever is easier for them.
You don't really need to restrain yourself, if you see a really bad grammar error (e.g. three in a list without a comma) then tell them, just in case no one else catches it later.
When we were revising in class I had a difficult time keeping myself from editing as well. I like revising a paper much better after I've gotten rid of grammatical errors. I find it so much easier to change structure and word choice when the paper is error free.
I never really thought about this, Emma, but I think I do the same thing. It's just natural to kind of do everything at once. I wonder if it would be helpful to pair students who are naturally better at revising with students who are naturally better with editing...
Now that i think of it i too has some difficulties when we split up revising and editing. I never really thought about it until we were asked to blog about our writing experience. There were many things that i did not notice about myself while writing until i took a step back and looked. my style of editing/revising is one of them.
I like revising a lot more than editing. Editing is not my strong point. Although I really enjoy writing, I think that I've always known I'm not the best editor. I think in order to improve I would have to know more rule of grammar and truly have practiced them. Revising, on the other hand, was a lot more easier because I am able to fix sentences and the voice of my piece. I really enjoy the creativity aspect of it. For my student, I will emphasis the importance of both and we will certainly practice them both but I think I will spend time on teaching them to truly edit because I didn't feel as though we truly spent a lot of time on it growing up.
I think that everyone can relate to not knowing every single grammar rule. I think that everyone can continue learning grammar rules (especially me). There are a lot of rules and a lot to remember while editing a paper. I think that it is always great to emphasize both to the class. I wish you luck teaching and emphasizing both in the classroom to your students.
I think it's really interesting how everyone has such different views about each one and which one they like better. Would you be lenient with your grading if you knew your students preferred one over the other and were less confident in certain areas? Or do you think you would be harder on them to make sure they learned it?
I don't think I prefer editing over revising or vice versa because I am used to practicing them both simultaneously when I read through a paper. I tend to pick up on the more basic grammar mistakes when I read someone's paper, but I know I do not find every single one- I can't remember them all.
I totally get what you mean about editing. In middle school I didn't learn a lot about grammar so I wasn't the best editor. Once I got into high school though, the rules of grammar were drilled into me. After that I became a lot better at editing. Knowing grammatical rules and being able to spot errors is half the battle.
I think editing is "boring" to a lot of students. I remember in 8th grade I took an entire class on grammar and editing. Everyone thought it was so boring, but I secretly enjoyed the organization of it. Writing has never been an organized thing for me, so having a type of order to it was exciting... like a puzzle trying to fit all of the pieces together. As teachers, we definitely have to remember student differences in things like this.
I kind of like it both, but if I would have to choose between revising and editing, I would definitely go for revising. I am not sure if it's because I find it way easier to revise, or maybe because I constantly live in fear of grammar... I simply find revising more enjoyable versus editing that represents a greater challenge for me.
I like revising more than editing my papers; however, I prefer editing other peoples' papers. I do not like revising someone else's paper because they may write a phrase a certain way in order to get a point across. I do not want to ever diminish someone's work by just not understanding the meaning the first time I read it. I would rather just edit and look for grammatical mistakes. It is hard for me to edit my own papers because if I made the mistake, then most likely I do not understand that grammatical rule. I need someone else to spot it for me.
I totally agree with this! It's hard for me to revise, but it's even harder for me to revise someone else's paper. I feel much better just editing and fixing the grammatical errors, rather than changing their words around. Do you think you would have students go through the revising process with other students' papers or just revise their own and edit others?
I agree with this Meredith! Honestly, I actually think revising my own can be a little difficult once you get past a certain point in your draft. Sometimes I like to revise other peoples work because I feel like perhaps I bring a different perspective that might really help them. However, it is hard to find a balance and not come across as diminishing their work. I just wish I was better at grammar, then I might be a stronger editor.
I am with you Meredith, I do not edit my own papers very well. I think I get so used to reading my own paper, I don't see the errors in it. Also, you shouldn't be afraid to write down any advice you have about revision. Some people may ignore it, but there are people who would appreciate the feedback; I know I like getting feedback on my papers.
I completely agree with you about not being able to see the errors in your own paper. When I edit a paper before turning it in; I have to have some time between finishing it and editing it; otherwise I just can't see the errors or problems in my paper. That's when it is great to have people you trust who will be honest with you about how good your paper actually is and how you can make it better. Those people are the ones who will make you a better writer!
Very interesting difference you note here, Meredith, and I agree with you. Revising is difficult, which is why I really enjoy the PQP format... We, as readers and reviewers are not necessarily "revising," but questioning and providing suggestions. This was so much easier for me than having no format by which to revise.
I will rarely find any errors in my own papers. I guess I am used to my own writing style and I am also very very very bad with the grammar, so I usually let others revise and edit my papers. I actually find it extremely helpful. I used to spend months on editing my poems or short stories as I felt like every week another mistake would emerge. However, I do not find as hard revising and editing someone else's work. As I already mentioned somewhere above, I actually find it very helpful in developing my own ideas. It motivates me, inspires me, and helps me improve my writing.
I completely agree with you! I would much rather revise my paper than edit it. But at the same time I would rather edit someone else's than revise it. I find it hard to think of ways others could revise their own work, especially someone's memoir because I am not them and did not experience it. However I am completely okay with editing others' papers.
Meredith, i could not agree more. Editing is my strong suit and i do not really enjoy revising other peoples work for the same reasons as you described. In the other direction i do not really like when others revise MY papers, if i write something a certain way, i want the reader to see that specific descriptor through my lens. I push for the editing more than anything because of my weakness of grammar.
Honestly, I prefer both editing and revising to writing that first draft. Pounding out the story is difficult for me, therefore I much prefer combing through it to fix it and tweak it. If I had to choose between editing and revising, I would have to say editing is my favorite. Grammar has always been easy for me, and I was that weird kid who liked diagramming sentences in school. I like to get down to the mechanics and grammar because it is easier for me than rephrasing and rewriting. Since I am a tutor for a literature class and spend a lot of my time looking at other student's papers, I have a lot of experience helping others with papers. I actually prefer to look at someone else's paper rather than my own since I can look at their's with unbiased eyes.
I have been helping people with their papers since high school. In my dual credit English class we peer edited every essay. After the first few papers, it became apparent to the class who was good at writing papers and giving good advice- I was one of the good ones. I just had control of the ability to look at a paper in a new way and could give useful advice and feedback to my peers. It was good practice for my days as a writing lab tutor and for my experiences in different English/writing classes.
I am quite surprised to read that it is hard for you to write. You are such a strong writer. I am always amazed when I hear your ideas and your papers. It is awesome that you love editing though! I totally agree that it is better for me to look at someone else's paper rather than my own.
I am the complete opposite. I can pound out a first draft with ease for the most part. I tend to struggle with the more narrowing down of my story with revising/editing.
I love revision, especailly when the piece I am writing is as, well, crazy as the piece I am writing is. I do not like people telling me about puncuation "errors" when they are done that way for a reason. However, that's niether here nor there, I mostly love revision because of the oppurunity for growth in the message and strength of the writing.
I like revising too because it allows for growth in the piece. I find it hard to revise my own papers though, I would much rather have another person read over and fix things about my paper. Do you like it better when you revise your own paper or when others do it for you?
I understand what you're saying about revising. I just have a hard time figuring out what parts I should change, and what parts I should keep. With editing, its clear what to do, so I tend to like that more.
Well if revised good, you will know what parts you should change, and what parts you should keep within your paper. Yes, editing is kind of more straightforward, but revision is also a chance for you to look critically at what you have written to see if it’s really worth saying, if it says what you wanted to say, and if a reader will understand what you’re saying. And well then it is up to you if you want to make those suggested changes or not. :)
I'm very tempted to say that I like editing more than revising, but since we've started this memoir project I've come to like them equally. I enjoy editing because I can find grammatical errors quickly and I like all writing to be grammatically correct. It's just something that comes naturally too me. When reading over other people's papers, I like to revise. Rewording sentences and helping create stronger word choice are two things I find myself to be pretty good at. So to answer the question completely, I don't prefer one over the other! As a future teacher I plan on putting a lot of emphasis on revising, since I never got that in school. Editing was also way more important than revising my previous classes, but I want my students to know that both revising and editing are equally important.
I think it's a good idea to make sure your students know that editing and revising are both important. I agree with you that, in my previous classes, editing was always focused on more than revising. Maybe that's why I am not as good at revising now. I think the pair revising was really helpful and you gave some good suggestions for my paper that I wouldn't have thought of myself.
I think that this is an excellent approach as a teacher! Both strategies are key to creating a strong paper, and students should learn how to be proficient at both. I also love that you plan on utilizing both revising and editing; my high school experience did not emphasize revising very much so I never became good at it until college.
I am kind of the same way, while I enjoy editing, I also find it fun to revise. My only problem is that if I can't figure out exactly what I want to revise it can frustrate me, while with editing it is easier to know what to fix.
I enjoy editing more than revising. When I write a rough draft I tend to not care about editing whatsoever, so when I go back through, the editing mistakes are easier to find and fix. With revising it is harder for me to pick apart certain parts of the content itself. I may like a certain part of my paper, but I just may not be able to find the right words to have it all fit together, and that can become frustrating.
I agree with you; revising is hard to do with your own paper. I get attached to certain sentences or word choices, and it's hard to think of a better way to word them when I already think that they are fine the way they are. That is where peer editing comes in, it's so helpful to have others point out what is and is not working in my story.
I think it's interesting how the combination of editing and revising can really make a paper what it is. Sometimes little things, like certain punctuation or capitalization, can make huge differences in what a piece says to a reader. Sometimes the right grammar, paired with the right words, can make a text less frustrating to revise/edit.
During my editing process i tend to find my errors a lot faster after my first draft because i too write a VERY ROUGH first draft. i just like to get my thoughts onto the paper so i can then arrange them how i would like later on.
To me editing and revising is almost as hard as the brainstorming aspect of writing. i have trouble finding my mistakes and fixing them. i like the revising stages more often then not because that is the area that i need the most work usually. In my classroom i will be pushing the importance of proper grammar.i really enjoy getting others opinions on my writing because most of the time those readers don't know me or my style so its an unbiased look into my piece.
I could sell the idea of editing and revising by showing what would happen to big ad agencies if they didnt use proper grammar, what the ads might look like, i would try to tie the importance of "fixing" to real life.
Revising is soooo much easier for me. It comes more naturally, although this has not always been the case. I used to HATE revising, and I viewed it as a writer's greatest sin. I have always been a strong believer that great writing comes from the heart. I saw revising like a sort of photo-shop for pieces of writing; since I am a believer, also, in natural beauty, I saw any type of revision as a mistake. And then I had classes with Anne-Marie Thompson and Wayne Zade. They changed my writing life forever. Now I believe that a piece of writing may never be "finished." Sometimes, it is the reader who finishes it, simply by reading it and inserting his or her own views. Since a lot of my writing takes on unconventional grammar and mechanics, I often get stumped by editing.
If I am expected to revise my own document, but all I do is a quick edit job, that means I have made specific surface changes to correct obvious mistakes, and well nothing else but that, which makes it kind of sound easier than revising. However, editing is extremely difficult for me, especially when done in English as I am an international student and English is not my first language (I am still learning it). By contrast, revision calls for big-picture, global changes, that is, I am actually expected to change what I say. Editing is something like rearranging the room and moving your furniture around, while revising is something like getting rid of some old furniture and adding some brand new one :D
I like editing better than revising. I think I am pretty good at grammar and other things editing wise, but revising is harder for me. After I write something, it's hard for me to think of a different way that I could phrase it, rather than just fixing the grammar mistakes. I am used to writing research papers and not being creative with my writing, which I think is why I am not good at thinking about it in a different way. I did enjoy reading everyone's memoirs though, which was part of the revising process. I think that would be a good thing to do with kids, to get other people to read it. It helped me a lot to get other peoples' opinions, since I was having a hard time coming up with my own ideas.
ReplyDeleteFor me Krista, I am just the opposite. It's easier for me to phrase my sentences in another way instead of correcting for grammar. This has always been something I have struggled with so it's interesting that you think editing is easier. I agree that getting myself to look outside the box to revise another piece can be challenging! But that's all the more reason to do this with students! :-)
DeleteI definitely agree that sharing papers with all students helps both revising and editing seem less intimidating for students and more focused to let other people read your work. If a student does not feel capable of revising or editing their own work, sharing work can definitely help them out. I also love sharing papers in the early stages of paper writing in order for a student to gather more ideas for their paper. It can provide time for a student to change their paper topic by presenting other papers to them early on in the process.
DeleteI think one of my strongest areas in writing is voice, so when I get a chance to revise someones paper, I feel like that is one thing I am able to truly help contribute to someone else's work. I like to share my work, however, I prefer to read it aloud. I feel like when I read it, I am better able to show my voice and the audience can relate to it better.
DeleteI enjoy reading other people's memoirs as well because I will like something in someone else's paper and be inspired to do something like it in my own way A lot of my creative ideas are inspired by other people's creative ideas so I am a big fan of sharing the creativity to get everyone excited about their own work.
DeleteI try and contribute a sense of persepctive to other peoples' works. e.g. how would this look for so-and-so's perspective
DeleteKrista, before this project I had a difficult time revising as well. I still find it hard to revise my own papers, but I have found it easier to revise other people's papers. I've liked this project because other people in class can read my paper and revise it for me. I'm too stuck on what I'm trying to say when I'm revising it myself, but when someone else does it I feel like they aren't as attached and can change things much easier than I could.
DeleteI agree with Emma as I also get a greater amount of creativity and motivation by reading different pieces by different authors. I do read a lot as I believe that it helps me in developing my ideas into something more profound. A lot of your memoirs influenced my ideas on how to write my own, and well I find both, revising and editing helpful in improving my own, as well as someone else's writing skills.
DeleteI tend to revise and edit at the same time so doing these two strategies seperately was extremely difficult for me. When we were revising in class, I had to restrain myself from fixing grammatical errors. I just inherently fix people's grammar all the time since I started working in the writing lab this year. For my students, I would give them a choice. If the want to only revise, that's fine with me. If a student is more comfortable with editing, him or her focus on it then. If any students are like me and multitask when looking through a paper, I won't take the option away, but I might not present it to them first.
ReplyDeleteI usually revise and edit at the same time as well! So I agree with you that it was hard to ignore grammar when we were revising. I think it depends on what grade they are in to give them a choice about which one they do. If they are still learning grammar, I definitely think they need to edit. I would probably do revising and editing at the same time because I feel like that's easier and would take less class time if it was limited.
DeleteI also do them both t the same time which makes me wonder if that is just how I was taught. I thought that separating the two was very beneficial but also difficult for me because I am so use to doing them simultaneously. One thing I have noticed is that by doing this in a classroom, students are better able to understand their personal strengths and weaknesses.
DeleteI think that it would be great to allow both but not emphasize both at once. It is a great way to differentiate student assignments to allow a student that is capable of doing both to do so but focus on one at a time to make sure everyone feels able to complete either editing or revising in the class time allotted.
DeleteI have the same problem as well. I tend to want to do both steps at the same time so that I can save myself the time of looking at the paper many times. I love the idea of letting the students have the choice of doing both at the same time, or doing one step at a time, whichever is easier for them.
DeleteYou don't really need to restrain yourself, if you see a really bad grammar error (e.g. three in a list without a comma) then tell them, just in case no one else catches it later.
DeleteWhen we were revising in class I had a difficult time keeping myself from editing as well. I like revising a paper much better after I've gotten rid of grammatical errors. I find it so much easier to change structure and word choice when the paper is error free.
DeleteI never really thought about this, Emma, but I think I do the same thing. It's just natural to kind of do everything at once. I wonder if it would be helpful to pair students who are naturally better at revising with students who are naturally better with editing...
DeleteNow that i think of it i too has some difficulties when we split up revising and editing. I never really thought about it until we were asked to blog about our writing experience. There were many things that i did not notice about myself while writing until i took a step back and looked. my style of editing/revising is one of them.
DeleteI like revising a lot more than editing. Editing is not my strong point. Although I really enjoy writing, I think that I've always known I'm not the best editor. I think in order to improve I would have to know more rule of grammar and truly have practiced them. Revising, on the other hand, was a lot more easier because I am able to fix sentences and the voice of my piece. I really enjoy the creativity aspect of it. For my student, I will emphasis the importance of both and we will certainly practice them both but I think I will spend time on teaching them to truly edit because I didn't feel as though we truly spent a lot of time on it growing up.
ReplyDeleteI think that everyone can relate to not knowing every single grammar rule. I think that everyone can continue learning grammar rules (especially me). There are a lot of rules and a lot to remember while editing a paper. I think that it is always great to emphasize both to the class. I wish you luck teaching and emphasizing both in the classroom to your students.
DeleteI think it's really interesting how everyone has such different views about each one and which one they like better. Would you be lenient with your grading if you knew your students preferred one over the other and were less confident in certain areas? Or do you think you would be harder on them to make sure they learned it?
DeleteI don't think I prefer editing over revising or vice versa because I am used to practicing them both simultaneously when I read through a paper. I tend to pick up on the more basic grammar mistakes when I read someone's paper, but I know I do not find every single one- I can't remember them all.
DeleteI totally get what you mean about editing. In middle school I didn't learn a lot about grammar so I wasn't the best editor. Once I got into high school though, the rules of grammar were drilled into me. After that I became a lot better at editing. Knowing grammatical rules and being able to spot errors is half the battle.
DeleteI think editing is "boring" to a lot of students. I remember in 8th grade I took an entire class on grammar and editing. Everyone thought it was so boring, but I secretly enjoyed the organization of it. Writing has never been an organized thing for me, so having a type of order to it was exciting... like a puzzle trying to fit all of the pieces together. As teachers, we definitely have to remember student differences in things like this.
DeleteI kind of like it both, but if I would have to choose between revising and editing, I would definitely go for revising. I am not sure if it's because I find it way easier to revise, or maybe because I constantly live in fear of grammar... I simply find revising more enjoyable versus editing that represents a greater challenge for me.
DeleteI like revising more than editing my papers; however, I prefer editing other peoples' papers. I do not like revising someone else's paper because they may write a phrase a certain way in order to get a point across. I do not want to ever diminish someone's work by just not understanding the meaning the first time I read it. I would rather just edit and look for grammatical mistakes. It is hard for me to edit my own papers because if I made the mistake, then most likely I do not understand that grammatical rule. I need someone else to spot it for me.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with this! It's hard for me to revise, but it's even harder for me to revise someone else's paper. I feel much better just editing and fixing the grammatical errors, rather than changing their words around. Do you think you would have students go through the revising process with other students' papers or just revise their own and edit others?
DeleteI agree with this Meredith! Honestly, I actually think revising my own can be a little difficult once you get past a certain point in your draft. Sometimes I like to revise other peoples work because I feel like perhaps I bring a different perspective that might really help them. However, it is hard to find a balance and not come across as diminishing their work. I just wish I was better at grammar, then I might be a stronger editor.
DeleteI am with you Meredith, I do not edit my own papers very well. I think I get so used to reading my own paper, I don't see the errors in it. Also, you shouldn't be afraid to write down any advice you have about revision. Some people may ignore it, but there are people who would appreciate the feedback; I know I like getting feedback on my papers.
DeleteI dislike editing more, because some people use grammar to their advantage (e.g. comma placed somewhere for emphasis).
DeleteI completely agree with you about not being able to see the errors in your own paper. When I edit a paper before turning it in; I have to have some time between finishing it and editing it; otherwise I just can't see the errors or problems in my paper. That's when it is great to have people you trust who will be honest with you about how good your paper actually is and how you can make it better. Those people are the ones who will make you a better writer!
DeleteVery interesting difference you note here, Meredith, and I agree with you. Revising is difficult, which is why I really enjoy the PQP format... We, as readers and reviewers are not necessarily "revising," but questioning and providing suggestions. This was so much easier for me than having no format by which to revise.
DeleteI will rarely find any errors in my own papers. I guess I am used to my own writing style and I am also very very very bad with the grammar, so I usually let others revise and edit my papers. I actually find it extremely helpful. I used to spend months on editing my poems or short stories as I felt like every week another mistake would emerge. However, I do not find as hard revising and editing someone else's work. As I already mentioned somewhere above, I actually find it very helpful in developing my own ideas. It motivates me, inspires me, and helps me improve my writing.
DeleteI completely agree with you! I would much rather revise my paper than edit it. But at the same time I would rather edit someone else's than revise it. I find it hard to think of ways others could revise their own work, especially someone's memoir because I am not them and did not experience it. However I am completely okay with editing others' papers.
DeleteMeredith, i could not agree more. Editing is my strong suit and i do not really enjoy revising other peoples work for the same reasons as you described. In the other direction i do not really like when others revise MY papers, if i write something a certain way, i want the reader to see that specific descriptor through my lens. I push for the editing more than anything because of my weakness of grammar.
DeleteHonestly, I prefer both editing and revising to writing that first draft. Pounding out the story is difficult for me, therefore I much prefer combing through it to fix it and tweak it. If I had to choose between editing and revising, I would have to say editing is my favorite. Grammar has always been easy for me, and I was that weird kid who liked diagramming sentences in school. I like to get down to the mechanics and grammar because it is easier for me than rephrasing and rewriting. Since I am a tutor for a literature class and spend a lot of my time looking at other student's papers, I have a lot of experience helping others with papers. I actually prefer to look at someone else's paper rather than my own since I can look at their's with unbiased eyes.
ReplyDeleteI have been helping people with their papers since high school. In my dual credit English class we peer edited every essay. After the first few papers, it became apparent to the class who was good at writing papers and giving good advice- I was one of the good ones. I just had control of the ability to look at a paper in a new way and could give useful advice and feedback to my peers. It was good practice for my days as a writing lab tutor and for my experiences in different English/writing classes.
DeleteI am quite surprised to read that it is hard for you to write. You are such a strong writer. I am always amazed when I hear your ideas and your papers. It is awesome that you love editing though! I totally agree that it is better for me to look at someone else's paper rather than my own.
DeleteI am the complete opposite. I can pound out a first draft with ease for the most part. I tend to struggle with the more narrowing down of my story with revising/editing.
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ReplyDeleteI love revision, especailly when the piece I am writing is as, well, crazy as the piece I am writing is. I do not like people telling me about puncuation "errors" when they are done that way for a reason. However, that's niether here nor there, I mostly love revision because of the oppurunity for growth in the message and strength of the writing.
ReplyDeleteI like revising too because it allows for growth in the piece. I find it hard to revise my own papers though, I would much rather have another person read over and fix things about my paper. Do you like it better when you revise your own paper or when others do it for you?
DeleteI understand what you're saying about revising. I just have a hard time figuring out what parts I should change, and what parts I should keep. With editing, its clear what to do, so I tend to like that more.
DeleteWell if revised good, you will know what parts you should change, and what parts you should keep within your paper. Yes, editing is kind of more straightforward, but revision is also a chance for you to look critically at what you have written to see if it’s really worth saying, if it says what you wanted to say, and if a reader will understand what you’re saying. And well then it is up to you if you want to make those suggested changes or not. :)
DeleteI'm very tempted to say that I like editing more than revising, but since we've started this memoir project I've come to like them equally. I enjoy editing because I can find grammatical errors quickly and I like all writing to be grammatically correct. It's just something that comes naturally too me. When reading over other people's papers, I like to revise. Rewording sentences and helping create stronger word choice are two things I find myself to be pretty good at. So to answer the question completely, I don't prefer one over the other! As a future teacher I plan on putting a lot of emphasis on revising, since I never got that in school. Editing was also way more important than revising my previous classes, but I want my students to know that both revising and editing are equally important.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a good idea to make sure your students know that editing and revising are both important. I agree with you that, in my previous classes, editing was always focused on more than revising. Maybe that's why I am not as good at revising now. I think the pair revising was really helpful and you gave some good suggestions for my paper that I wouldn't have thought of myself.
DeleteI think that this is an excellent approach as a teacher! Both strategies are key to creating a strong paper, and students should learn how to be proficient at both. I also love that you plan on utilizing both revising and editing; my high school experience did not emphasize revising very much so I never became good at it until college.
DeleteI am kind of the same way, while I enjoy editing, I also find it fun to revise. My only problem is that if I can't figure out exactly what I want to revise it can frustrate me, while with editing it is easier to know what to fix.
DeleteI enjoy editing more than revising. When I write a rough draft I tend to not care about editing whatsoever, so when I go back through, the editing mistakes are easier to find and fix. With revising it is harder for me to pick apart certain parts of the content itself. I may like a certain part of my paper, but I just may not be able to find the right words to have it all fit together, and that can become frustrating.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you; revising is hard to do with your own paper. I get attached to certain sentences or word choices, and it's hard to think of a better way to word them when I already think that they are fine the way they are. That is where peer editing comes in, it's so helpful to have others point out what is and is not working in my story.
DeleteI think it's interesting how the combination of editing and revising can really make a paper what it is. Sometimes little things, like certain punctuation or capitalization, can make huge differences in what a piece says to a reader. Sometimes the right grammar, paired with the right words, can make a text less frustrating to revise/edit.
DeleteDuring my editing process i tend to find my errors a lot faster after my first draft because i too write a VERY ROUGH first draft. i just like to get my thoughts onto the paper so i can then arrange them how i would like later on.
DeleteTo me editing and revising is almost as hard as the brainstorming aspect of writing. i have trouble finding my mistakes and fixing them. i like the revising stages more often then not because that is the area that i need the most work usually. In my classroom i will be pushing the importance of proper grammar.i really enjoy getting others opinions on my writing because most of the time those readers don't know me or my style so its an unbiased look into my piece.
ReplyDeleteI could sell the idea of editing and revising by showing what would happen to big ad agencies if they didnt use proper grammar, what the ads might look like, i would try to tie the importance of "fixing" to real life.
DeleteRevising is soooo much easier for me. It comes more naturally, although this has not always been the case. I used to HATE revising, and I viewed it as a writer's greatest sin. I have always been a strong believer that great writing comes from the heart. I saw revising like a sort of photo-shop for pieces of writing; since I am a believer, also, in natural beauty, I saw any type of revision as a mistake. And then I had classes with Anne-Marie Thompson and Wayne Zade. They changed my writing life forever. Now I believe that a piece of writing may never be "finished." Sometimes, it is the reader who finishes it, simply by reading it and inserting his or her own views. Since a lot of my writing takes on unconventional grammar and mechanics, I often get stumped by editing.
ReplyDeleteIf I am expected to revise my own document, but all I do is a quick edit job, that means I have made specific surface changes to correct obvious mistakes, and well nothing else but that, which makes it kind of sound easier than revising. However, editing is extremely difficult for me, especially when done in English as I am an international student and English is not my first language (I am still learning it). By contrast, revision calls for big-picture, global changes, that is, I am actually expected to change what I say. Editing is something like rearranging the room and moving your furniture around, while revising is something like getting rid of some old furniture and adding some brand new one :D
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