Page 48 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

Don’t be afraid of making big changes during revision. Throwing out a
whole paragraph and starting over may keep an essay on track.

Changing the paragraph order sometimes gives your message the

emphasis you want. Or you may find that a first draft contains a seed

of what you really want to say. Don’t be afraid to start over. The first

words you write are not written in stone.

One word of advice—if you don’t know how to use a computer, learn.

Taking an essay through multiple drafts and major changes is much

easier on a computer. Once you learn to write on a computer, the

essays, term papers, and reports that you write in college will look less

intimidating.

Proofreading

“Then I start worrying about periods and commas.”

Proofreading is the final polish that you put on your paragraph. When
you proofread, consider such matters as grammar, spelling, and word

choice. Replace vague words with specific words, and mercilessly cut

words that are not carrying their weight. Look at connections, making

sure ideas flow smoothly from one sentence to the next. Because the

stages of the writing process overlap, you have probably done some
minor proofreading along the way. Before the final proofreading, set

the piece of writing aside for a time. Then proofread it once more to

give it the polish of a finished piece.