EDITING AND REVISION: A CLOSER LOOK

For Weeks 4-6 we will take a detailed look at exactly what revising and editing mean as part of the writing process and how to do them well. The aim at the end of this is for you to do an extensive rewrite by revising and editing your “I believe” essay from discussion post as Essay 2.

Read 5 Tips to Enhance Your Close Reading Skills

RHETORICAL CONTEXT
Writing Process: Prewriting

Any piece of writing is shaped by external factors before the first word is ever set down on the page. These factors are referred to as the rhetorical situation, or rhetorical context, and are often presented in the form of a pyramid.

Hand drawn triangle made of double-sided arrows. At top, Purpose; Bottom left, Author; Bottom right, Audience. Inside the triangle is Message, emphasized in red.

The three key factors–purpose, author, and audience–all work together to influence what the text itself says, and how it says it. Let’s examine each of the three in more detail.

Purpose
Any time you are preparing to write, you should first ask yourself, “Why am I writing?” All writing, no matter the type, has a purpose. Purpose will sometimes be given to you (by a teacher, for example), while other times, you will decide for yourself. As the author, it’s up to you to make sure that purpose is clear not only for yourself, but also–especially–for your audience. If your purpose is not clear, your audience is not likely to receive your intended message.

There are, of course, many different reasons to write (e.g., to inform, to entertain, to persuade, to ask questions), and you may find that some writing has more than one purpose. When this happens, be sure to consider any conflict between purposes, and remember that you will usually focus on one main purpose as primary.

Bottom line: Thinking about your purpose before you begin to write can help you create a more effective piece of writing.

Why Purpose Matters
· If you’ve ever listened to a lecture or read an essay and wondered “so what” or “what is this person talking about,” then you know how frustrating it can be when an author’s purpose is not clear. By clearly defining your purpose before you begin writing, it’s less likely you’ll be that author who leaves the audience wondering.

· If readers can’t identify the purpose in a text, they usually quit reading. You can’t deliver a message to an audience who quits reading.

· If a teacher can’t identify the purpose in your text, they will likely assume you didn’t understand the assignment and, chances are, you won’t receive a good grade.

Useful Questions
Consider how the answers to the following questions may affect your writing:

· What is my primary purpose for writing? How do I want my audience to think, feel, or respond after they read my writing?

· Do my audience’s expectations affect my purpose? Should they?

· How can I best get my point across (e.g., tell a story, argue, cite other sources)?

· Do I have any secondary or tertiary purposes? Do any of these purposes conflict with one another or with my primary purpose?

Audience
In order for your writing to be maximally effective, you have to think about the audience you’re writing for and adapt your writing approach to their needs, expectations, backgrounds, and interests. Being aware of your audience helps you make better decisions about what to say and how to say it. For example, you have a better idea if you will need to define or explain any terms, and you can make a more conscious effort not to say or do anything that would offend your audience.

Sometimes you know who will read your writing – for example, if you are writing an email to your boss. Other times you will have to guess who is likely to read your writing – for example, if you are writing a newspaper editorial. You will often write with a primary audience in mind, but there may be secondary and tertiary audiences to consider as well.

What to Think About