You did it! You submitted the first draft of your Research-Driven Writing Project. You got some feedback from peers, you got some feedback from me (hopefully!). You have, no doubt, thought more about it (even a little bit!) since you turned it in.

Now it is time to start planning (and start doing) revision.

As with the Literacy Narrative and Rhetorical Analysis assignments, I’m going to ask you to consider (but not require you to submit) a Revision Plan.

Here are those guidelines for formulating this plan:

1. It’s about love!!!! Ask yourself: What do you love about this piece? What do you want to return to and work on more? Why? Choose “love” and not “well, this was bad” or “well, this was pretty good.” Instead, what did you enjoy working on most? What is the most exciting part of this text? Why? How do you build off of that? Or, what about this text, generally, interests you the most? There will always be moments where you’ll have to revise something you don’t want to ever look at again. Still, even for something you rather not look at again (which will happen to you), finding something that attracts you to it, something that can make it a positive experience, will both motivate you and also help you to identify its strength.
2. Let yourself be guided. How can you let that excitement and energy guide you? What enhances that energy? What takes away from that energy?
3. Hear out others (including yourself). Part of (but not ONLY) what should inform you is the feedback you have received previously: my comments on your draft, peer response feedback, your old notes as you were working on the draft, etc.
4. Task list. Begin to develop some tasks that can assist you in addressing the above. (e.g., revise this paragraph, move this section up earlier and adjust it so it fits, add this supporting argument, do this analysis and see where it takes me, do more research for secondary sources). Consider what YOU want to do with the piece and the comments you received from others.
5. Be specific. As you write out your tasks, you MUST be specific. Why are you doing this task? As in, what about your writing has led you to think you should do x to enhance the essay overall? How will you do this task? As in, what specifically do you have in mind as some potential changes that would work to address the “why” of the task you chose. For example: I will add more secondary sources to support the claim I make in paragraph 4, I need to show a more cohesive transition between section 3 and 4, my argument is too broad so I need to be more specific about the limits of my argument when I make the main argument early on, I want to incorporate my lessons on style to many of sentences that are a little harder to read.
6. Be a planner. Finally, if helpful, begin to develop a schedule of when and how you will work on your revision. Revision (or any aspect of writing!) benefits from work that is spread out rather than work that happens all at once. A fresh mind is an asset. Backwards plan. “This is due 12/3, what do I need done by 11/25? By 11/29? By 12/1? Etc.”.
7. Are there new constraints or affordances to consider? Are there new things you have to consider now? For instance, do you need to more closely consider the documentation style, macro-structure, genre, integration of sources, etc.?

Eventually, I encourage you to address all 8 of the below questions, but, for now, just comment below with responses to 3 of the below questions or instructions.

1. What do you love about this piece? What do you want to return to and work on more? Why? Choose “love” and not “well, this was bad” or “well, this was pretty good.” Instead, what did you enjoy working on most? What is the most exciting part of this text? Why? How do you build off of that? Or, what about this text, generally, interests you the most?
2. What feedback will you incorporate do you think? Why?
3. How will you enhance or add analysis to your draft?
4. What might be a change to your thesis?
5. What are some changes that you’ll make to make it fit the genre of the blog post through the medium of online writing?
6. What about your word choice and sentence structure? How will you revise your style in a way that best fits what you want to do in your piece and in ways your audience would appreciate?
7. Write out ALL of the specific tasks you will take based on: what you love, the feedback you got, and other considerations. Be SPECIFIC.
8. What is your schedule for getting this done? Consult your writing schedule that you hopefully kept up with (even if in spirit if not quite by pen/paper/computer)

After commenting below, click the button to continue the module.