Revision Reflection

Perspective on Rough Drafts

Writing, not to mention editing and revising a rough draft, is an important part of finalizing a paper. It allows the writer to create and then fix or add anything they think is lacking. It is always a good idea to share your rough draft with peers so that they can catch any mistakes you miss and make suggestions on how to make it better. In my English 103 class, I had to write two formal papers and create one photo, or visual rhetoric, paper. This required time, thought, and a great amount of creativity. It is always a good plan to just sit down, come up with a thesis, and then just start writing. I also love coming up with passionate and clever titles and introductions, which allow me to set the mood for my paper. The beauty of a rough draft is the fact that it is supposed to be ROUGH, not perfect. Imperfection can lead to discovering better ways to get points and ideas across that one would not have normally used. Free writing like this allows one’s creative juices to flow and it lowers the inhibitions of one’s writings. I particularly enjoyed writing my community based paper. I loved my topic, my title, and the theme that ran through it. I did it on “Civil Unions” and everyone’s right to marriage or its equal by another name. I started writing and words just came pouring out. One thing lead to another and I came up with using Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” for a theme. “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” became the basis for my paper along with the reference to the untimely demise of two young lovers. It was a passionate introduction. The final paper made the reader think and it served its purpose as a community based paper. It became my favorite piece of work so far in my college career. Nevertheless, it was during the writing of my rough draft that I discovered the theme for my paper and came up with the best “stuff.” When writing my mediation paper, I did much research and tried to come up with ways to make the audience relate and think. I asked many questions in reference to what should be done and what is right. I found this method of writing to be quite effective and in the process, I even began to think and form my own opinions on genetic screening and what I think is right. Mediation is difficult, but I felt choosing a topic in which I could see both the advantages and disadvantages of each side made my task less difficult. Overall, writing a rough draft is important. This is where you get all of your ideas, concepts, and thoughts onto paper. Then it is important to read and re-read over what you have written to edit and revise anything. It is also important to have a peer review it as well. Good luck with the rough draft; it is a very important part of writing!


Sincerely,
Sawyer