A Love For Writing: Part III (Fix It, And Fin!)

Let me begin by saying, congratulations! If you read Part I and Part II then you now have a student that has completed one of their most challenging tasks - writing a story! They have brainstormed an idea, outlined the flow and sequence, and used those tools to guide their writing. It is at this point, though, that my students would say we’re not done! “If I did not edit, I’m not done writing!” This fact is loudly proclaimed often in my writing classes, and in each writing session because knowing that every work needs to be written once, and then again, is crucial to their development as writers. So, they bask in that first level of pride, and then move on to the next step to fix it, and make it better.

“The secret to editing your work is simple: you need to become its reader instead of its writer.”

— Zadie Smith

The first step I suggest in editing is to read the text back, aloud. It seems silly, but reading aloud helps you to monitor tone, fluidity, and impact from the reader’s point of view. It also helps you to catch errors you might not have noticed if reading to yourself. In your own head, the text often says what you meant for it to say - there’s a level of assumption when reading your own work silently. Aloud, your awareness of the actual text is heightened. Start there, make obvious corrections as you go, then dig in deeper.

This checklist is one I created awhile ago, and has since been refined even more. The goal is that my students would hear me in their heads as they edit. Fun for them, huh? Ha! But, what was previously a quick scan for misspelled words, has become a detailed, line by line review to ensure they can answer each of these questions with a “Yes!” For my younger kiddos (K-2nd grade), the focus is on the spelling, punctuation, and grammar sections. It’s thorough, but highlights basic skills and structure. Once they’ve reached 3rd grade and above, the entire checklist is reviewed. If done properly, they can master everything from indenting and capitalization, to more advanced areas like organization, sequence, and varying sentence types (simple, complex, and compound). This also includes ensuring that their story starts, builds, and finishes at the same strength. No short cuts to the finish allowed!

After each box is checked, and checked again, we can move to the final step: the re-write. Your student can now polish, make the revisions, and create a clean and pristine version of their work. They are officially done! Or, as one of my students writes at the end of each of her stories, “Fin.”

If you have questions or need ideas for developing stories, feel free to comment or contact me here.

Happy editing!

Tia