THE CRAFT OF REVISION Donald Murray (Pulitzer Prize journalist & beloved writing teacher). Harcourt Brace 1996 (2nd ed.)

Revision is more about increasing the strengths of a text than eliminating error (contrary to most of our early training, which confuses re-vision--seeing again, anew--with proofreading, and/or reverses the proper order). Revision is not punishment for bad work. All real writers revise: writing IS re-writing. Revision is an opportunity how to say more than you could in the previous draft. Real writers are those who get hooked on writing's ability to surprise (xv). Artists, actors, marketers and scientists know that trial and error are essential.

"The draft will instruct you if you will follow it" (50).

How to do Discovery Drafts:

Questions for finding a subject: What do I think about when waiting? What was funny, irritating, infuriating, surprising, confusing (today)? What did I learn today? What do I need to learn? What does someone else need to learn? (1-2). Beginning writers think that great writing starts with an abstraction; however, Murray says a line or image, especially if it has a question or contradiction lurking in it, serves as the seed (2). Freewrite fast: speed causes accidents; in this case that's good; there are reasons for "accidents" (184), and then look at what surprises you; make connections. Anything there makes you "itch" to write? (5). That seed line may spark questions, but do another list about it before trying a draft (6).

Writers have the same problems getting started as everyone else, but writers write (usually the same time and place every day). No such thing as writer's block (is there trucker's block?) (17). Doable deadlines are essential.

How to Revise:

Avoid pride and despair. "Mine" fragments of your journal and freewriting for "code" (a cryptic short-hand phrase or idea that will only make sense to you) for surprise. Read the whole draft, then parts (to find relationships) then the lines, then out loud, in order to discover what is on the page and what isn't (27). Look for specifics, threads, patterns. Drafts without potential usually have no territory (no rich and complex world), no surprise (a "canned" essay), no writer (not authentic voice, experiences or point of view), no respect for the subject matter, too little resonating detail, too much (a jumble of undigested, seemingly unrelated info), or no connection (no larger context, no connection to reader).

Murray's Personal Essential Revision Checklist: Is it specific? Is it true? Is it me? (ethos? ethics?) Does it fit? Is it clear? Will the reader read? Does it advance the meaning? Does it use tradition (i.e., fit in or buck format expectations)? Does it flow?

Revision's Seven Steps:

1) Focus: read the draft for primary meaning and write that in a word or sentence. Questions: what surprised you? What do you remember most vividly? What did you learn? What's the most important point for the reader to learn? What's the most important detail or fact? Be silly. Write dozens of titles. Eliminating leaves space and energy to develop. Murray says the delete key is his best friend.

2) Collect: write to collect an abundance of significant info that relates to the focus. "One of the reasons I am glad to be a writer is that I am forced to continue to learn" during development (81).

3) Shape: At the end of the prewriting phase, the writer often discovers not only purpose and audience but what form is appropriate (for example, an essay, memo or grant proposal) 105. Often in academic writing there's a format to follow (though there is freedom even within those constraints), but writers sometimes shape the form to make the meaning clear (Remember Burke: form is the creating and fulfilling of appetite). Created (original or "organic") shape takes form through a series of outlines of drafts [clusters?].

4) Order: once you know the shape, you can consider order in which

the info will be used. Try to anticipate the reader's 4-6 questions and the order they'd occur (129). In a paragraph, what is last is remembered best, then what is first, then what is in the middle (2-3-1 principle) (147). Try different kinds of diagrams or outlines to expose the structure of a rough draft (131).

5) Develop: Non-writers think writers write with words, bur really it's with information (144). Readers hunger for well-developed information. Underdeveloped writing is hard to spot because the material is fully developed in the writer's mind, in some ways. Specifics lead to lively & persuasive writing (evidence/examples). Emphasize the significant. "Description is the mother of all writing" but must have focus. Consider pace: description, long sentences and paragraphs slow the reader down. Dialogue, nouns and verbs accelerate (150). [passive kills]

6) Voice: Murray says that this is what keeps readers reading. Lack of voice #1 reason for stopping reading, though most readers are not conscious that's why(168). Reader should sense a real person, intellectual and emotional challenge and flow (169).

7) Edit: On sentence and word level, clear out anything that keeps the reader from meaning.

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