Well, why do we use revision and rewriting interchangeably? They are not synonymous.
When students write papers in high school, they are often told to go home and revise them. When I was told to do this, I would often take a cursory look at my paper and change a few words or maybe an awkward sentence or two. I would turn it in, get the paper back, and sometimes find "How much revision was actually done?" written on my paper. I was baffled by my teacher's comments. The real definition of the word
revision is "to see again"(Hjortshoj 60). So, technically was I following the actual definition of the word? I "saw" it again. Wasn't I following the teacher's directions? I thought so.
What about rewriting? What is rewriting? According to Hjortshoj, rewriting is "changing what you have previously written(60)" That sounds more like what my teacher wanted. My teacher wanted me to actually rework my sentences and make my paper stronger.
I agree that process you describe is "editing," not revising. Editing is wonderful...when we do it as the last stage in a long (teachers hope) and thoughtful process. When you start editing too early, it can blind you to the bigger issues in a project.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, I'll "edit" this comment by reading it aloud and changing a word or two. But it's a tiny comment, not a paper. For that, I would still read aloud toward the end of the process.
Earlier on, one constant in my writing is that I'd read my work critically and hold every claim I made up to scrutiny. The question I'd ask at that stage would be "have I provided enough evidence for this to stand up to my readers? If not, what can I do?"
It takes time, but like many things that take time, it yields rewards with academic readers.