It is a curious thing that when I write I often do not think much about the style that I am writing in. What makes it curious is that the ideas seem to flow in a generally orderly fashion. The essay will at least go in the general direction I had hoped. It is true that sometimes I will go back and be horrified at how quickly I left the thesis behind and began talking about a different subject. I therefore make it a point always to revise an essay, even a draft, before submission. I hope that this will help me to better focus my writing “to fit the reader”, as the OWL website said. (Pudrue Writing Lab, 2) After all, we are writing so that someone else can read our thoughts on a subject. It is necessary that our papers be readable and understandable. So when I go back to revise an essay I often find examples or sentences that do not quite fit with the rest of the paper. I then have to decide whether they are worth saving or not. If they are worth it, I usually revise the sentence to focus more on the topic of the essay. Other sentences must be deleted altogether as they have no bearing at all on the topic. The college paper must be like a missile, ordered and directed with one target in mind. My papers sometimes come out like a shotgun, shooting in the general direction, but not enough emphasis on the real target of the essay. That is why I think that revising an essay is vital to creating a worthwhile paper. It lets the writer take the place of the reader and see how it will be to actually read the paper. Revisions can then be made accordingly so that the essay is easier and more clear to read.
As concerns essay two, I hope to put more quotes in it from “Goblin Market”. This will bolster its argument and strengthen the thesis. The paradox is that I must not drown the reader with quotes and neglect the analysis. Too few quotes will leave my thesis open to suspicion that I have even read the poem. Conversely too many quotes will make the title of the essay “A Reprint of Goblin Market with annotations by Joseph McNerney”. But that is not the goal. The goal is to have an analysis with just enough information to bring the reader up to date. I also want to make my writing a bit clearer with the thesis being more set off. Comments on my essay revealed that I do not always put my argument up front, but rather make it a bit more obscure. This must be remedied. Otherwise, I can run the risk of losing the reader to utter boredom as they vainly grope about searching for what it is that I am trying to say. Another point that must be worked on is the MLA formatting. It has been awhile since I have used MLA, so I need to review the guidelines on paper set up and citing sources. So there are definitely revisions to made, but then, that is why we wrote a draft!
Works Cited
Pudrue Writing Lab. (1995-2011). Steps for Revising your Paper. Retrieved September 27, 2011, from Purdue Online Writing Lab: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/561/05/
Here is a link to a helpful resource by the University of Washington on revising papers:
It's refreshing to hear that there are other great writers out there who write so similar to myself. I also just let it all flow out during the first draft. Your missile/shotgun metaphor explains it better than I've ever heard! It's EXACTLY what happens. Consequently, writers like us may spend more time revising than we did writing, but I like it that way. I guess I shouldn't say consequently, because I feel that it's easier that trying to make everything perfect right of the bat. Good luck with you final draft!
ReplyDeleteI guess that I never really thought about writing like that before! I always considered writing as keeping track of my own ideas, not neccesarily so that others can read them. Thanks and keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteP.J.