Revising and Editing, is there a Difference?

This Friday for our (in)Courage writer’s group, we were told we’d discuss among ourselves the subject of revision and editing in writing.  We didn’t have to share this subject publicly on our blog, but I decided to do so since I’m learning both how to blog and write.  When our teacher shared our topic of discussion, I was a bit puzzled because I thought the terms revision and edit were one in the same…I was wrong!

I decided to google, “Is there a difference between revising and editing when writing?”  To my surprise, I quickly found out there was! 🙂  I guess I’ve been out of school for so long that I’ve lost much of what I learned.  Another thought that ran through my head was that I didn’t apply myself like I should have to my studies in high school, so I didn’t learn as well as I could have had I done so, to my shame and regret!

Here is what I found out about these terms from About.com…Grace Fleming stated, “You should proofread your paper to edit mistakes such as spelling errors, punctuation mistakes, common word mix-ups, and other mechanical problems. While the editing process targets grammar problems, the revision process should focus on readability, logic, and clarity.”

From Yahoo Answers, someone who went by the name Bad Kitty! answered someone’s question on revision and editing in this way.  “Revision is rewriting in order to improve the flow of the piece and fill in gaps in logic. Editing is fixing misspellings, poorly worded or misleading sentences and phrases, and removing unnecessary words.   Revision and editing are best done after writing your work and then letting it sit for a day or two. Your mind will still continue working on the project even when you’re not involved with it. Leaving it alone will allow you to see it fresh when you return, and make it obvious whether or not it makes sense and has the meaning you intended at the time you wrote it.”

That being said, I’ll give my mind a break for now so I can come back tomorrow and share how I’ve been revising and editing! 🙂  Good Night!

Good evening!  It’s now the next day and I hope to finish sharing my thoughts about revising and editing.

When an idea comes to my mind that I believe might be a good blog title, I try to write it down as soon as possible so I can go back to it later.  I’m finding that my zeal and excitement to write isn’t what it used to be and I wonder why?  There’s always something floating around in my head.  I’m learning to take it one step at a time and allow myself the opportunity to write when the time seems good.

Once I do sit down to write, some times my thoughts all flow out smoothly and quickly and other times they might come slowly…I might have to sit on it a day or so and come back to it.

I usually like to revise and edit while I’m writing so when I reread it, hopefully it makes sense and I’ve stayed on topic! 🙂  I will reread my writing numerous times, sometimes even out loud.  If I run into a sentence that doesn’t seem to flow or make sense and I can’t seem to figure out how to change it, I’ll ask my husband for help if he’s available.  I appreciate his support in this way as I continue to learn the ropes of writing.  He’s been a great help in showing me how to use our computer to help me build my vocabulary, which isn’t that great.  I have a very simple, child-like mind and vocabulary! 🙂

I’ll continue to reread, revise and edit my work until it sounds good to my ear and I’m pleased with it.  If my message seems clear that I wanted to portray, I’ll go ahead and hit the publish button.  I hope any readers that come along might be encouraged or learn something through what I’ve shared or learned and be better for having done so.

I’m thankful for the opportunity to learn more about writing through our (in)Courage writing group!  It’s neat to see how different yet very similar we all are in the things we struggle with as we learn to share our hearts through the means of writing.

I’m thankful to have learned that there is a slight difference between revising and editing when writing.  I hope I won’t soon forget these differences and will put them to better use and practice as I continue in my journey of learning to write.