Outcome 1 (Recursive Process) – Demonstrate the ability to approach writing as a recursive process that requires substantial revision of drafts for content, organization, and clarity (global revision), as well as editing and proofreading (local revision).

When asked whether I had done peer revisions before, I said yes, and then thought to myself this would be a waste of time. In high school, I had done peer revisions, but it was all focused on grammar, punctuation, word choice, etc. Making these little corrections was the easy way out, but it did not benefit mine or my peers papers throughout the revision process. After entering English 110, I have learned that in order to have a good peer review, it is not about the small details, but rather the thesis, analysis, and using quotes and paraphrasing. These big picture corrections took a lot longer than skimming the paper for grammatical errors, and definitely required being read multiple times to see where the paper really could improve. Although tedious, it has been a great help to the improvement of mine and my peers papers. 

After peer revisions, I would always look back at my essay and see the comments my partner had made. One of the most common comments I got was on global revision; to extend my analysis and connect my ideas to my thesis. In Figure 1, I had a paragraph previously written with a quote and two sentences of analysis. The writing itself was clear and related to the prompt, but it needed to be extended further so I added a good starting claim to the paragraph, and added a few more sentences that extended the idea of the quote while also relating back to my thesis. This helped strengthen the argument I was trying to make in my thesis, while using the quote as support, rather than just summary. 

Figure 1: Excerpt from Essay #3 Final Draft

With my local revision, I tend to not be as concise in my word choice, as I could replace phrases I have written with certain words to help keep my writing organized and concise. By not having concise word choice, it created clutter and disorganization within my writing, deterring the reader from the idea I am trying to get across. In Figure 2, I have comments that Professor Brod has made to help organize my thoughts a little more and give a more direct route towards my ideas. This has 3significantly improved my writing as it demonstrates a more clear and concise tone, while still not deterring the original ideas from my writing. Although small, these local revisions can significantly improve the tone and voice of your writing, and make for a better understanding. 

Figure 2: Essay #3 Rough Draft