When
I present the school visit program, Creating Nonfiction: Researching, Writing,
and Revising, I show the image above and ask students what all those red marks are
on my rough draft. Of course, the answers I’m looking for are “edits” and “revisions,”
but sometimes students say “mistakes” or “things that need to be fixed.” And this
really bugs me.
What
I tell them is that writing isn’t like math. In math, if I said 2 + 2 = 5, then
I’m wrong and I need to fix the mistake. But in writing, there is no right or
wrong, and a rough draft is an important first step.
I tell them is that writing isn’t like math. In math, if I said 2 + 2 = 5, then
I’m wrong and I need to fix the mistake. But in writing, there is no right or
wrong, and a rough draft is an important first step.
Revision is about
improvement. It’s about taking something that’s okay and making it
extraordinary. A first draft is important because you can’t improve something
that doesn’t exist
improvement. It’s about taking something that’s okay and making it
extraordinary. A first draft is important because you can’t improve something
that doesn’t exist
And
then I tell them that, for me, revising a manuscript is like renovating a home. This is a comparison they really seem
to get.
then I tell them that, for me, revising a manuscript is like renovating a home. This is a comparison they really seem
to get.
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Topics
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3 Responses
That's such a perfect analogy, Melissa, to highlight that it's a process vs. a mistake :).
I agree with Maria – this is just the perfect analogy!
I'm thinking you're also helping teachers rethink how they talk about their kids' work, something that lasts long after your visit.