SQR3 -Vivy-

Vivyanne Medina


English-1301-158

Phan Thi Thuy Trang

September 8,2010

Revision strategies of student writers and experienced adult writers

Nancy Sommers; College Composition and Communication, Vol. 31, No. 4 (Dec., 1980), pp. 378-388

Summary:



Nancy Sommers discovered that student writers do not practice revision strategies. They settle most of the time for the first draft and they fail to revise and rewrite it. Students ted to repeat themselves too much therefore keeping the reader bored and not interested. While experienced writers use their revision strategies. They never settle for first nor the second draft but instead they go back to revise it and re-read it. They try to find the argument and then figure out how to make it more effective. The process of discovering meaning is very important in order to keep the reader interested in my story. Restructuring is very important to the experienced writers it is about thinking about what you are going to respond by making decisions. Writers need to find argument point and then work with it. Writers are always finding interesting topics to write about and then they lean towards creating these causes and conditions. The writers can not develop “like a line” because each time they delete or add anything to the story they pretty much re-create a whole new part to the point their trying to bring across. Experienced writers will try to shorter their topics in order to keep their reader interested, they always have to sort out and organize their different concerns in successive cycles of revision.



Question: What are the revision strategies of experienced writers found in Sommers's studies? What can you learn from those strategies?



Revision strategies are when you write a rough draft, you go back, find errors and you correct them. You never settle for the first or second draft you keep working with it until you feel comfortable enough that your reader will enjoy it.
The one thing I learned from these strategies is not to settle for the first draft thinking it's the best I can do. I will, from now on go back and re-read it, revise it, and re-write it.
I believe that revision strategies can help the writers by discovering meaning altogether by using strategy and theory. Writers are constantly asking themselves does the essay as a whole need more balance or communications with the reader? Therefore, writers will start adding, dropping, or even substituting to their essay in order to bring their point across.
When I first started writing I wouldn't take into consideration the revision strategies, but now I know that by revising and also narrowing the topic, it will give the reader a better sense of the point I'm trying to bring across.
For example, if I were to write about my home life, I won't settle for the first thing that comes to my mind. I will instead, try to bring the point across to the reader by developing strategies to sort out and organize my ideas of the story. By doing this, I will not only see the writing internally but actually with my own eyes, to see it as good writing. Therefore, making me feel better about my story.`