The first time I had written an essay in high school, I was nervous. I didn’t know whether my essay was good enough. I knew I had made a lot of mistakes, but I didn’t know how to change them. However, with the help of my teacher and my peers, I was able to make some revisions to my essay. In writing, it is important to read, re-read, and have someone else read the paper before turning in the final draft, especially in college. In fact, most of the well developed authors have to make revisions to their work. No matter who the writer may be, no one is perfect the first time. There are always changes or improvements needed on essays. A key process in writing that I learned was plan, write, edit and re-write. Revisions have helped me a lot not only in writing but in life as well.
Nora Ephron, the author of Revision and Life: Take it From the Top—Again, writes in a passage, “I suspect there is just so much you can teach college students about revision.” She first believed the process of editing any essay after the first draft is unnecessary. She writes, “When I was in college, I revised nothing. I wrote out my papers in longhand, typed them up and turned them in.” Her style of thinking was getting the essay over as soon as possible. However, realizing the mistake she had made, she later writes, “It would never have crossed my mind that what I had produced was only a first draft and that I had more work to do.” Writing is a process that takes time. Having done something once and looking over it, will definitely improve the quality of the work. Nora Ephron, realized that technology these days has significantly improved, and teachers and professors are no longer interested in longhand written essays. On top of that she now acknowledges the fact of revision in writing is essential.
I, at first, believed the same thing. In elementary, I was told to just sit down and write. This style of thinking brought me to high school. This is where I realized where I was going wrong. As I always remembered it, “Class the four parts of writing are, plan, edit, write and re-write.” Without editing and making revisions on the essay, the writer is decreasing his or her ability to write. After hearing suggestions and re-reading the essay, I found where my mistakes had been, and I was able to change them. On top of that, having the paper edited will teach the writer many things. This quarter, having my paper read by a well recognized writer, established me to make my paper better in all aspects. It taught me how to develop a well detailed introduction with an attention grabber, how to get rid of clutter, and know how to put the “I” and “They” say in my work. Without revising my essay, my work would be a complete mess.
Nora Ephron and I kind of had the same experience. We both, at first, thought revising was not necessary in writing. Nonetheless, we have learned from our mistakes. Having the paper read and revised gives the writer a feeling of security. It allows the writer to look over his or her work and see his or her mistakes before it is too late. This quarter of Writing 101, I had significantly seen the improvement of my work through revising my first draft. In fact, I realized that revising the essay once, still leaves room for error. With that in mind, I read all of my essays this quarter more than once. As some people put it, “Practice makes perfect.” In writing, I would say “Revising makes perfect.” This quarter I have learned how to revise effectively and use it to my own advantage.
The first essay, which I had trouble making changes to, went pretty good. After getting help and making the correct decisions, I ended up getting an A. Revising any essay only makes it better, although the writer has to acknowledge the fact where he or she has went wrong. People make revisions to their lives every day. Now more people, like Nora Ephron, are realizing the necessity of revision in the writing process. It is always wise to go back and check any work before it is completed. A good written essay is developed with well thought and patience. I have learned a lot from just revising my work before turning it in. It allows people to see their mistakes ahead of time. With revising my essays, I have become better writer every time I write.
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