Description: Demonstrate the ability to approach writing as a recursive process that requires substantial revision of drafts for content, organization, and clarity (global revision), as well as editing and proofreading (local revision)
In high school, much to my English teachers’ annoyance, I was firmly against the concept of drafting and revising. Nearly every time I had to write anything, I would wait until the last minute and write page upon page in a flurry until it was complete. The most that I would bother to revise was to plug it into Grammarly and fix any misspelled words or incorrect verb tenses. I found that I enjoyed the process of putting words to paper, but going back and examining those words in any meaningful way was exhausting, because no teacher had ever done a good job at explaining how I ought to be revising. As a result, I didn’t know what to look for, what to avoid, or how I could expand upon underdeveloped ideas. Furthermore, I had always had a perfectionist mentality in my writing, which meant that I hated to write something that felt incomplete or messy. When I had to write my first draft for this course, I felt a familiar sense of dread at the idea of writing something bad on purpose. However, after coming back to that draft after a few days, I had gained a fresh perspective, and revision came much more easily than if I had written it all at once and tried to revise right then and there. I still struggled initially with writing a bad draft, trying to refine everything as I went along, but by the second essay I was much more comfortable writing a disorganized, wordy mess. Now I knew I would be able to come back to it later and build on it.
A big part of that revising process was bringing in personal examples. While I didn’t find it difficult to insert myself into my writing, it was often only in the form of “I believe this” or “I think that”. I was showing my stance but at times I would shy away from getting too personal with examples. I feared I would unintentionally make potential readers uncomfortable. As I revised, however, I noticed that it’s those vulnerable displays of the author that can not only captivate a reader, but also give them something to latch onto to connect with my argument. Below is an example from my second essay draft where I initially left out the specifics of my experience, followed by a rewriting of that paragraph where I dive into the discomfort and isolation that so many college students, former and present, can relate to.
Initially, the first example was also my conclusion paragraph. However, once I was done revising and leaning into my own perspective, I realized that it was much more effective as its own paragraph. Adding that structure of my experiences gave my idea the strength to stand on its own, instead of being an afterthought at the beginning of my conclusion. Now, rather than leave the reader wondering why I had been isolating from others, they can hear my experience and understand a bit more about why I think what I think. It also gives them the ability to relate to what I went through, whether they were ever in college or if they just experienced something similar. Revising this paragraph made me more comfortable being vulnerable in my writing and allowing my true self to show through my words. It also helped me to see how powerful my personal voice can be for making a compelling argument, which I can utilize in other areas of my writing. If I had never become comfortable drafting and revising, I probably would have never thought to expand upon that idea, and my argument would have suffered as a result.
Word Count: 613
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