Revise for Purpose

Writers are always admonished to revise, revise, revise. But how do you go about accomplishing this task? Revision involves three basic things: adding text, cutting text, and rewording text. What combination of the three you need to do depends on the writing project and its purpose. With that purpose in mind, look for wording that doesn't accomplish the purpose and begin your revision there. You may find that you need to add text. This involves providing more detail to enhance reader understanding, clarifying your message, adding transitional language for better flow, etc. Conversely, you may find that you need to cut text. This involves looking for unnecessary, repetitive wording and simplifying or deleting it. It involves cutting passages that are too wordy or awkwardly worded. Look for areas that readers might have a tendency to skim over and cut those out. Any text that doesn't advance the purpose of the work should be eliminated. Finally, you may find that, rather than adding or cutting text, you need to reword your existing text for better impact and effectiveness. This largely involves re-slanting your wording so that it conforms better to the purpose of the project. For instance, you may have written argumentative style when the purpose is to be instructional. Learning to revise your work for conformity to purpose will make your writing more effective, more readable, and more likely to leave a lasting impression.