reading response writing 150-200 words

INTRODUCTION

In other academic courses or career experiences, you've probably had to create written or multimedia projects. And you probably already have an established process--whether you realize it or not--for revising a project you've begun. Since this course is all about the creative process, though, it's worthwhile to look at the revision process to reflect on how we can/should work with creative projects that are already underway, like the stories/poems you're writing now.

 

WHAT TO DO

FIRST,  read the two documents linked at the bottom of this page. (NOTE: Once you open them in your pdf reader, you may need to rotate them in order to read them.) Both readings are about revision: What revision is, how it's different from editing, different strategies for using it in the writing process, and more.

SECOND,  post a message to the Re-Vision forum that addresses the following items: 

· Of the techniques and strategies described in the readings, which is most similar to how you typically revise academic and/or creative work? Which is the most different from how typically revise your academic/creative work? (Hopefully you're beginning to see academic and creative work as the same thing.)

· What about your own revision process does and does not tend to work well? What about revision do you enjoy and not enjoy?

· What might you take from the revision readings to enhance what already works for you, or address areas that you wish were more effective?

THIRD:  Post AT LEAST ONE response to a classmates' original message (you're strongly encouraged to respond to lots of classmates' posts). For your response, locate one classmate who presents a revision strategy that is new to you, or that you haven't practiced for a long time. Describe, in detail, how the original poster's revision strategy might be a good strategy for you, and why. Also try to describe when/how you might this new strategy in your work in this class, or in another class. BE DETAILED, thorough, insightful.

FOURTH,  be your own best educator! Be a true creator! Apply what you've learned to your own writing and revision process.

 

The following is one of my classmate’s work which you need to response:

In Revision chapter 23, I instantly noticed the technique of taking some time off before revision. I do, however, immediately check for simple grammar errors and mistakes. When it comes to content and structure, it is an absolute must for me that I review those elements later. I agree wholeheartedly with the idea that taking time off refreshes your eyes and mind. I honestly use this in academic work (papers, presentations), professional work (speeches and briefings), and even in creative work (though usually with drawing, I'm not much of a writer). The most alien technique to me is the transferring of my work onto a different medium and re-writing of entire drafts which focus on specific elements. This seems extremely tedious to me, and though I definitely see how it can absolutely improve the way I revise, I don't see myself using it any time soon. Perhaps this course will provide an opportunity to do so. 

 

My revision process beings immediately as I write. This might sound strange, but I've noticed that while I write I come upon ideas, claims, or descriptions that I think are excellent. More often than not, though, these minute epiphanies do not fit well with what I've written before, so I find myself revising past paragraphs to accommodate a piece of writing which I think is great. I do this for the entirety of my paper, but my revision does not end there. This part of my revision process is a double edged sword. It allows me to freely write and come up with great ideas without depending on an outline, but a sort of balancing act takes place between ideas. In my final revision, I have to make sure that the pieces of writing which I spontaneously come up with do not overshadow one another or distract from my original intention within the work. Despite this difficult task, I definitely think its the part of my revision that I do very well, especially when given enough time between revisions. The part of my revision which doesn't go well is simply improving my word economy. I tend to ramble, repeat redundant statements, or simply fail to use more "cost-efficient" words. This is difficult for me, as my writing is very easy for me to read. This is when I absolutely need an extra pair of eyes to look at my work in order to trim the fat. I really don't enjoy this part of revision, as it is a direct counter to the part I do enjoy: the spontaneous creation of well-written sentences and ideas. 

 

Based off these readings, I'm definitely going to try and incorporate multiple drafts into writing poetry. I think focusing on different elements is really innovative and an excellent way to practice creative writing. Even though I'll probably only thoroughly attempt this on short poems, It will still be a start and an improvement of my older habits.