Revision Compare and Contrast

Thomas Barrett
AP Lang. & Comp.

My view on revision and on the writing process is the same as Murray’s. He begins by saying that the beginning of the writing process is by making a first draft. I agree on that because of what I learned on the writing process, being first draft, peer edit, second draft, and so on. He then continues by saying the first draft is like an opportunity to some writers to find out what they have to say and how to say it. I agree on this as well because the first draft of a paper is to find out what you know and what to say to make a strong, valid point. In paragraph four, he starts to talk about how writers are their own best enemy. Writers must accept the criticism and praise of others but be suspicious of it. He says that Writers cannot depend on others. Although in my view, that the review of others are of big importance to the writers because they take notes of how their paper would respond to the public, I also agree that the writer has to detach himself from their own pages so they can put their care and craft into the page.

He continues in paragraph nine that most readers, especially to student writers, will underestimate the amount of rewriting that goes through in a paper. Student writers would only see the finished product and often ignore the in depth craft that went into it. To me, writing is about many mistakes in the beginning, to multiple changes in between each and every review, to the final end of publishing. Murray quotes Anthony Burgess admitting "By the time I'm nearing the end of a story, the first part will have been reread and altered and corrected at least 150 times." Papers will at times go through a lot of editing and its important for writers to understand.

Lastly, he talks about how writers need to listen to their voices. I agree that a writer's voice is what makes the authority of their writings and papers. Without the voice of the writer, then a paper wouldn’t have much to talk about. Voice is what puts the words together, what is “in between the lines”. Voice is what a reader notices and how they get the message the writer put out.

In conclusion, Murray’s view and practice on writing is a similar way I write my own. I use his practice of first draft writing, editing, and voicing. To me, those are important aspects and tools in writing, which is why I say that his views and practices coincide with my own.