Subject Guides: Writing Guides : Drafting and Revising

Drafting

After you've understood your assignment guidelines and finished planning, it's time to start writing. The drafting phase is where you transform your ideas and outline into text.

🏁 Strategies for starting your draft

Start where you're comfortable. You don't have to write from beginning to end. If you're stuck on the introduction, begin with a section where your ideas flow more easily.
Write without censoring yourself. Turn off your inner critic temporarily and focus on getting words on the page. You can refine later.
Use your outline as a guide, but be willing to depart from the outline when new insights emerge during writing.
Keep your research materials in mind so you can be sure that your claims correspond with the best evidence.
Aim for clarity over structure or elegance at this stage. Focus on communicating your ideas comprehensibly. You can polish things later on.

💡 Tip: Remember that this is just your first attempt—perfection isn't the goal yet.

Revising

Revision is when you edit your draft, refine your thinking, and strengthen your argument.

🚦Strategies for revising your draft

Take a break before revising. Distance helps you see your work with fresh eyes.
Review your work at different levels:
- Big picture: Does your central argument make sense? Does your overall structure serve your purpose?
- Paragraph level: Does each paragraph have a clear purpose? Does each paragraph transition logically to the next?
- Sentence level: Are your sentences clear and varied in structure? Do they communicate a narrative that a reader can follow?
- Integration of evidence: Have you introduced your evidence well and do your claims proceed from it logically?
Check for alignment with assignment guidelines. Have you satisfied the requirements, demonstrated the learning objectives, and met the assessment criteria?
Strengthen your argument by updating evidence where needed, clarifying reasoning, and addressing potential counterarguments.
Read your work aloud to catch awkward phrasing and issues with logical development.
Seek feedback from peers, writing center tutors, or instructors. External perspectives often reveal blind spots in your writing.
Be willing to make substantial changes, including reorganizing sections, deleting paragraphs, or even rewriting entire portions. The goal is improving your work, not preserving your first draft.
Track changes across multiple revisions to avoid losing valuable content during the revision process.

💡 Tip: Remember that effective writing rarely happens in a single draft. Professional writers often go through numerous revisions before reaching their final product.