Revising an Essay
At the Level of Meaning, Structure, Strategy
Prompts for
Reflection:
- What
kind of essay do you intend for it to be? (Informative, Investigative, Persuasive,
Analytical, Evaluative, etc.) What is the main purpose of the essay? Who will
read it? Why will they read it? What effects do you want the essay to have
on the readers?
- What strategies
of development would help the essay achieve its goals/purposes?
(Narration, description, definition, analysis, evaluation/critique,
summary, exposition, comparison, contrast, argumentation, cause/effect,
making of distinctions, etc.) Of the methods that would be helpful, where
would each best be used?
- What
needs to be explained or described for the sake of your reader?
- What
details, examples, background explanations, factual information would help
the essay achieve its goals/purposes? What else can be said? What sensory
descriptions would help? Where would these things best be used? Where does
the essay need to spend more time leading the readers toward a conclusion
or insight?
- On the
other hand, what needs to be deleted? What dilutes the effect or rhythm?
What’s off the point? Where do you need to “cut to the chase”? Consider
rhythm and timing.
- Where
does/can the essay go beyond the surface to address meaning, insight, significance,
connections, cause/effect, consequences, solutions?
Where does it answer “why, why, why?” Where does it answer “how, how,
how?” Where does it answer “so what?” or “what does it matter?”
- Consider
whether the essay would benefit from acknowledging and then responding to
the other side.
- Outline
your essay paragraph by paragraph to check its organization. Design
transitions where needed. Design juxtapositions where they would be
effective.
- Consider
your tone, the “voice” of the piece. Does it help the essay achieve its
goals/purposes? Does the tone need to stay consistent in this piece, or
would it help to play with shifts in register or formality? How could tone
or voice be made to do more work in the essay?
- Consider
your introduction and conclusion. Do you begin with something specific and
intriguing? (Image, quote, statistic, relevant story or detail, etc.). Do
you begin with something more interesting than general statements? Do you
end with something more interesting than a summary?
- Consider
your title. Does it get to the heart of the essay? Does it link with the
overall tone of the essay? Come up with three or four titles (or more) and
pick the best one. Play with wording and rhythm and tone/voice.