Chapter 4 Drafting and Revising

In Chapter 4 Drafting and Revising, the process of composing various drafts as well as the steps of revising along with tools and checklists are discussed. When writing a first draft, it is important to get ideas down without worrying too much about grammar or word choice, similar to when one is freewriting, as this is only the first step to writing and these primary thoughts can be improved throughout the revision process. In addition, the chapter includes many tips for a first draft such as taking small breaks and leaving time to revise the writing. One significant thing to remember is that revision will take place throughout the writing as it is not an ending point but rather a process which can always help writing improve. Revisions can be made to almost all aspects of writing such as word choice, sentence structure, organization, and even ideas. For example, ideas may later be viewed to not fully support the thesis and can be removed or later in the revision process better ideas can be thought up and added into the essay. Furthermore, several instances of advice as well as options of revision such as through peers, instructors, or self-critique are provided throughout this chapter to ensure the best process of revision is achieved. The chapter utilizes student Laura Bobnak's essay to walk readers through the drafting and revising stages and exemplify how the process should go.

I found this chapter to be particularly helpful as I observed many new tips and methods of drafting and revising my essays. Additionally, I found Laura Bobnak's first, second, and final draft to be useful because it helped walk through both the revision and draft process step-by-step. For one, the idea that students should revise on hard copy rather than computer is a new one to me. I never realized that where you revise your work could greatly affect how well your paper is revised. Also, the revision advice stood out to me because it reminded me how important it is to reread through the essay several times as in previous essays I have been known to sometimes lose focus within the essay or repeat phrases too often. I also believe looking at an essay with fresh eyes is extremely constructive because rereading can become tedious and writing can start to look the same causing students to lose their focus. In terms of different revision strategies, I believe talking with the instructor is the most beneficial for me because instructors have practice with revisions and they can objectively provide feedback which I think allows me to grow most as a writer.