Revising

1)      Revising: When you’ve finished writing your draft, it’s time to make sure it says everything you want it to say. You also want to check that you’ve said things as well as you possibly can. Revising means checking your writing for information, organization, and the right words.

a)      Read what you’ve written. Mark misspellings, punctuation, and other errors.

b)      Check to see if you are using the same words over and over. Use a Dictionary and a Thesaurus to improve your words.

c)      Have you used active words such as: sprints, scurry, whispered, appear?

d)     Check to see if each paragraph has long and short sentences.

e)      Do you have a metaphor, simile, or idiom?

f)       Have you used transitional phrases or words: first, second, third, then, next, therefore, never the less, consequently, as you can see, further more?

g)      Is each paragraph about one topic? If not take out the sentences that do not belong in that paragraph.

h)      Does each sentence begin with a different word? If not, begin the sentence a different way or use a Thesaurus.

i)        Did you tell what happened before, during, and after the event? Do you have a beginning, middle, and an end?