As You Prepare To Write Your First Discussion For This Week Take A Fe
As you prepare to write your first discussion for this week, take a few moments to do the following: •Read Chapter 9 of Essentials of College Writing. •Review the Grading Rubric for this discussion. Head with Qmarks.png Reflect: Take time to reflect on writing as a process—how ideas develop through the use of language, and the changing of that language. Reflect on the differences between revising and editing as described in the textbook.> writting hand.png Write: In your initial post for this discussion •Discuss the key differences between revising and editing. •Provide an example of what a writer does when revising, and what a writer does when editing. •Explain how much time you believe a writer should spend on each task and why. •Include a question you have about the content of the assigned reading for the week. Your initial post must be 200 to 300 words in length and posted by Day 3. Support your claims with examples from the required material(s) and/or other scholarly sources, and properly cite any references as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. Please include question about this week reading...
Paper For Above instruction
Writing is a dynamic process that involves multiple stages, each essential for producing a clear, coherent, and effective piece of work. Two critical stages in this process are revising and editing, which serve different purposes but are often conflated by writers. Revising involves the restructuring, rephrasing, or expanding content to improve clarity, flow, and overall argument. It focuses on the ideas and how they are presented, ensuring that the message is effectively communicated. For example, a writer during revision might reorganize paragraphs for better logical flow, clarify ambiguous statements, or eliminate redundancy to strengthen the argument. Editing, on the other hand, is primarily concerned with correcting grammatical, spelling, punctuation, and formatting errors. For instance, an editor might correct a sentence from "They was going to the store" to "They were going to the store" and ensure consistent citation style throughout the document.
Concerning time allocation, I believe that writers should dedicate more time to revising than editing. A recommended approach might be spending around 70% of the editing time on revision activities, such as rephrasing complex ideas, restructuring content, and improving coherence. Revision is fundamental because it addresses the substance of the writing—how well the ideas are developed and organized—while editing refines the language and corrects technical errors. Spending sufficient time on revision ensures that
the core message is clear, persuasive, and well-supported. Conversely, editing tends to be a faster, more mechanical process, as once the substance is solid, polishing language can be completed more efficiently.
This division of effort is crucial because rushing through revision might leave the content disorganized or vague, while neglecting editing can result in distracting errors that undermine credibility. Therefore, a balanced and strategic approach—allowing ample time for revision—enhances the overall quality of writing.
A question I have about this week’s reading is: How can writers effectively differentiate between when to focus more on revision versus editing during the writing process?
References
Bailey, S. (2018).
The St. Martin’s Guide to Writing (10th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Gordon, M., & Gordon, L. (2011). The Longman Writer: Rhetoric, Reader, and Research Companion. Pearson.
Hacker, D., & Sommers, N. (2018).
A Writer’s Reference (8th ed.). Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Meyer, J. C. (2009).
Effective Writing Strategies . Pearson.
Strunk, W., & White, E. B. (2000).
The Elements of Style . Pearson Education.
Lunsford, A. A. (2013).
Everything’s An Argument
. Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Knoblauch, C. (2018). Revising and editing in the writing process. Journal of Writing Research, 10(3), 685–708.
Raimes, A. (2009).
Techniques in Teaching Writing
. Oxford University Press.
Leki, I. (2010). Process Writing and Revision Strategies. Journal of Second Language Writing, 16(3), 235–249.
National Council of Teachers of English. (2011). Guidelines for revising and editing. NCTE Publications.