The writing process can be tough to learn for anyone, which also makes it difficult to teach. Revising and editing are one of the last steps in the writing process; many people, however, use them interchangeably. They are two different processes that must not be approached the same way.
This post should provide a simple overview of the differences of revising and editing. You can click any of the pictures to get my revision freebie, as well, by signing up for the Chlover Club!
Revising and Editing
Revising and editing sometimes seem like on in the same, but they’re not! They are two different tasks that must be done at the end of the writing process.
- How to edit: Editing includes checking over spelling, grammar, punctuation, and technical writing rules. When editing, there are basic rules in the English language that must be followed.
- How to revise: Revising includes moving sentences around, changing the structure of paragraphs, deleting sentences or words that aren’t needed, adding more detail, and anything along those lines.
So, in general, when a student edits they are looking for errors of set rules in the English language. It is an objective task for the most part. When a student revises, they are searching to change paragraphs around. They are also looking to add more detail, and look at the writing more subjectively.
For example: If I were revising an essay, I may be looking to substitute certain words to make them more descriptive or take them out altogether. When I move to editing, I may be looking to make sure that I capitalized the correct words and placed commas where they need to go.
When to revise and when to edit
In my experience it is best to revise after the rough draft of the essay has been written, and also before editing. The goal of revising is to make sure the reader can clearly understand the goal of the writing. Once students revise they can start to edit. I sometimes tell my students they are “cleaning up” their essays during editing, or correcting the basic English errors they may have missed.
In summary, revise first! Once a student completes the revision process they should move onto editing.
You can find some of my revision tips here!
Do you struggle with teaching anything in the writing process? Let me know below in the comments and I will try to help!