- Brock Dethier wrote, “…For most of us revision is the only road to success.” Dethier means that a first draft is never the final draft. If you try to make your draft perfect on the first try, your thoughts will flow less smoothly. The piece, “Shitty First Drafts” talks about how having a messy first draft is perfectly okay. The revision process goes a long way in improvement. People can always improve and once you accept constructive criticism, it will help your writing be successful.
- Dethier uses the metaphor of fixing a car to think about revision. I think of revision similar to playing tennis. You begin with your shots all over the place and there is room for improvement. With the help and constructive criticism of your tennis peers and instructors, your form will become better. With more and more practice, you will begin to see huge improvements in your form and playing abilities. Once you win your first match, you feel content knowing that all the practice that you have done has paid off. This is similar to writing because after lots of revision, you will finally feel content with the end result of your writing.
- Donald Murray stated in “Revising Your Own Manuscripts”, “A piece of writing is never finished.” I agree with Murray’s statement because after experiencing success, you can still improve. If you leave your computer for a little while and then come back, you may see something in your writing that you have not seen before. No matter how much revision you do, it is always helpful to look at other perspectives to improve. This is similar to the tennis metaphor I mentioned earlier. Even after you win your first match, another coach may spot something wrong with the way you are playing. The coach may suggest a different way of holding the racket or hitting the ball at a different point of contact than you are used to, but it may help you even more in the long run.
Identity, Rhetoric & Propaganda in the "Fake News" Era
ENG 2100: JMWA f18 Baruch College
