  Noticing Newbies
This week: Think revision is just fixing commas? Edited by: esprit  
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Welcome to the Noticing Newbies Newsletter! Our goal is to showcase some of our newest Writing.Com Authors and their items. From poetry and stories to creative polls and interactives, we'll bring you a wide variety of items to enjoy. We will also feature "how to" advice and items that will help to jump start the creation process on Writing.com
We hope all members of the site will take the time to read, rate, review and welcome our new authors. By introducing ourselves, reviewing items and reaching out, we will not only make them feel at home within our community, we just might make new friends! |
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 How do you thank Anonymous for being so kind and thoughtful?
I checked my emails on this site and found a big surprise.
Two messages were posted there, the subjects caught my eyes.
The lines said, "You've received a gift, your membership has been upgraded".
It made my heart leap for joy, my soul left feeling elated.
Thank you, for your wonderful gift. It's something that I'll treasure.
You, my anonymous benefactor have given me much pleasure.
The only way to thank you is with this little rhyme.
I hope it does what your gift did to me and makes you feel sublime.
And now I must bid you adieu, for there are other things to write.
Perhaps we shall pass this way again on some dark mysterious night.
"Invalid Item"
misterc
Anonymous reviewers can be thanked by replying to the review the same way you would a signed review. They will receive it. Anonymous gift givers can be thanked on these two forums.
"Thanks Anonymous!" by Writing.Com Support 
"Invalid Item" by A Guest Visitor
Revising
Rewriting is the essence of writing well-where the game is won or lost.
-William Zinsser
I thought revision was just fixing the commas and spelling.
That's proofreading. It's an important step, but it's the last step. If your consistency isn't consistent, your characters are weak, and your plot is predictable, then proofreading will just be putting a clean band-aid on a dirty wound. The underlying infection is still there. Don't stess on proofreading as you go. You may waste time correcting the commas in a sentence that may end up being cut anyway.
How about if I just reword things: look for better words, avoid repetition, etc.? Is that revision?
That's a part of revision called editing. It's another important final step in polishing your work. But if you haven't thought through your ideas, then rephrasing them won't make any difference.
How do I get really good at revising?
The same way you get really good at piano, cooking, or a video game-do it often. Take revision seriously, be disciplined, and set high standards for yourself.
1. The more you produce in the first write, the more you can cut.
2. The more you can imagine yourself as a reader looking at this for the first time, the easier it will be to spot potential problems.
3. The more you demand of yourself in terms of clarity and elegance, the more clear and elegant your writing will be.
Writers must be willing to sacrifice their favorite bits of writing for the good of the final product. In order to trim and tighten, you first have to have plenty of material on the page. This is why advice is given to write the story as fast as it comes from the imagination, without stopping to fix the typos. The more you write now, the more you have to work with when cutting time comes.
What can get in the way of good revision strategies?
Don't fall in love with your words. If you do, you will resist changing them even if you know they're not great. Start with a working draft, and don't act like you took vows to stay together forever. Instead, act like you're dating it, seeing if you're compatible. If a better idea comes along, let go of the old one. Also, don't think of revision as just rewording. It is a chance to look at the entire project, not just isolated words and sentences.
There are many places on WDC to find help to learn to write. Reading reviews on the public review page can be an excellent source for tapping knowledge. Keeping in mind that all advice isn't necessarily correct advice, you can learn where you've passed on wrong corrections in your reviewing. Discern to learn and learn to discern.
Reading public reviews will benefit you in your writing and in your reviewing. There are some excellent reviewers whose advice is priceless. Good advice applies to all genres. Don't discard it just because the work reviewed isn't in the genre you write.
http://www.writing.com/main/my_feedback/action/rrs
Each of the thirteen newsletters give tips and examples in fun and useful ways. We learn about the crafts of writing, reading and reviewing through our well written letters, so don't give them up too soon. The purpose of the newsletters is to help you in your journey. Most have four editors, so try them for a couple of months to give yourself a taste of each editor's style. Each may also have a guest editor once a month to share her or his views. They always encourage and welcome submissions.
"The Writing.Com Newsletter Archives"
Remember to thank your reviewers for the time and effort spent in reading your work. Their purpose is the same as yours, to get your work to the next level so it can become the best it can be.
Enjoy the site and don't worry about not knowing everything at once. It takes time. You'll get there, so just enjoy the journey. Welcome to your community!
** Image ID #1528028 Unavailable **
Sources:
Lunsford, Andrea and Robert Connors. The New St. Martin's Handbook, 5th edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2003. See Chapter 4, "Revising and Editing."
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/revision.html
Zinsser, William. On Writing Well. 6th ed. New York: HarperCollins, 2001.
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Submitted to the Newsletter
Remember to exchange reads with your neighbor's too!
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Helpful Links
Always feel free to disagree with a review if you're sure you're right. Reviewers are learners too, and they may be passing on erroneous info. that was passed to them. Ask questions and even inform, but keep it respectful or you'll find reviewers hesitating to give you help in the future. The words of disrespectful complainers are embedded in messageboards and memory forever and ever. 
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Comments on "Invalid Entry"
Submitted By: Elaine's Beary Limited*~
Submitted Comment: I always enjoy the Newbie Newsletter. It's always filled with information that helps all us new comers.
Thanks, Elaine. Editors love to hear they've succeeded, and I'm glad you enjoy it.
Submitted By: C.J.Ellisson
Submitted Comment: Hi esprit,
Thanks for a great newsletter. I'm enjoying learning about this terrific site and appreciate the helpful advice you put in there on reviews.
While I have not received one yet like you are describing - it will prepare me for when I do. Don't get me wrong, I have received some great comments and suggestions for improvement, I'm grateful for every one.
I will endeavor to raise my own reviewing skills to a higher level and give more back to the people whose work I have read.
Thanks!
C.J.
You're welcome, C.J. One place to learn reviewing is to visit the public review link I placed within today's letter. When I was a new member, I spent hours there and enjoyed it very much. It's still my favorite hang-out.
Submitted By: Happy April 2024! 
Submitted Comment: "The Cluttered Path" certainly cleared up some things for me (and I'm not trying to be funny, only sincere). Thank you.
Thanks for a great pun, even if it wasn't intentional. 
Submitted By: Brooklyn 
Submitted Comment: Esprit, Your newbie NL's are always great to read. Always interesting subjects, written clearly so writers of any level can take away something to help them improve.  Keep it up.
Wow, thank you! That's what we love to hear.
Submitted By: Poplar
Submitted Comment: Thanks alot esprit. You addressed an issue I am all too familiar with. I fall in love with my words, and I have a lot of trouble cutting them out! :)
Thanks for another great newsletter!
Poplar
Thanks, Poplar! I think we all have a touch of 'Love at First Sight' with our first words. Rewriting gets easier, I promise. Once you begin to see what can be accomplished with it, you'll love rewriting.
Submitted By: northernwrites
Submitted Comment: esprit --
I agree that the biggest obstacles to understandable prose are wordiness, poor grammatical construction, punctuation errors, and incorrectly used words. Even beyond the basics, the way a writer achieves smooth, invisible, professional prose is through even more thorough consideration and removal of any obstacles that might lie in the path of the reader.
Thanks for including the Library in the Helpful Links!
Ah, that old proverbial path! We never know what the wind will blow across it. Some of it looks pretty good until we sweep it off, then find it looks even better. Identifying and uncovering the hidden obstacles is the difficult part.
Thank you.
We always appreciate the feedback, thanks!
Editors:
Cubby~Cheering House Florent! 
laurencia
Your host this week is esprit
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Noticing Newbies: March 25, 2009 Issue [#2947]
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