Revision
- Test for unity, coherence, development and emphasis
Readers are limited in their ability to decode our written messages by a short-term memory system that allows them to retain only 7-9 discrete bits of information at one time. To compensate for this, the reader uses several strategies for assigning meaning to what they read. Readers will try and anticipate the direction of the message: where is it heading, what will follow and how will it be organized? Readers also cluster or group information in to "gist's" or big ideas, which can represent hundreds of bits of information. To do this well, the reader must quickly discriminate between the major ideas from the subordinate and develop a mental map of how the ideas are related. Readers strive to understand the connections between ideas, and will draw conclusions and construct relationships.
During drafting, writers often write to make sense of the material for them. During revision, they must transform the writing into something that is sensible for the intended reader. To help the natural decoding process, the final product must be unified, coherent, well developed and emphatic. Revising allows the writer to "test" the piece for each of these.
Unity
Test to determine if the piece of writing is developed around a single idea, theme or proposition. Locate the thesis statement. Test it for clarity, accuracy and location. Revise if necessary.
Locate each main point. Evaluate the wording of each and test to see that the wording reveals a connection to the thesis. Also, make sure that the main point is located in an effective place. Revise as needed.
Read the support for each main point. Test for unity by asking - "is this relevant?" "Does this need to be included?" Cut information that does not relate to the main point.
Unity is most often "repaired" by cutting out unrelated ideas, and by rewording thesis and main point statements.
Development
Once you know you have the thesis and main points clearly articulated, you must test to see that each idea is developed adequately for the purpose of the paper and for the reader of the paper. Read the whole paper with the reader in mind.
Have you provided a context for the subject, an orientation or perhaps the background needed to quickly orient the reader to the topic?
What questions do you think the reader will ask and need answered? Have you answered these in a logical order?
Have you defined terms and described the unfamiliar for the reader?
Have you included a variety of examples, facts, testimony, comparison, etc.?
Is each section of the paper developed to the same depth or specificity? If not, should this be changed to provide balance?
Check for unnecessary repetition and redundancy. Cut as needed.
Revising for development will require cutting, adding, clarifying, moving and combining. It will force the writer to be very clear about the purpose and the intended reader. Thank you computer.
Coherence
With all the important ideas in place and well developed, you can turn you attention to connecting ideas logically and explicitly for the reader. You must make clear the relationships that exist between the ideas in your writing.
First, ask yourself if there are relationships to be explained.
Test to make sure the main points are major, general, superior and that the support is specific, minor, and subordinate. Clarify as needed. Have you provided cues to the reader such as headings, indentations, white space, etc?
Identify the organizational pattern of the main points: cause effect, compare contrast, chronological, spatial, etc. Is this a logical choice? Do you reveal this logic to the reader?
Look for places in the paper where you could preview what is to come. Sometimes adding a preview paragraph or sentence will help orient the reader quickly. Also, add summary paragraphs or sentences before moving on to another section of the writing.
Emphasis
Your final test is to make sure that you have emphasized the most important ideas.
Read through you paper locating vivid language choices and active verbs. Are they doing the job?
Use repetition as a way to keep the most important ideas in the forefront.
Check paragraphs to make sure the most vital information comes at the beginning or at the end.
Use a variety of sentence structures to provide interest and emphasis.
As you can see, emphasis is usually achieved by adjusting diction and syntax.
-By Debra Stevens, University of Montana Communications Department