No matter what your major is, you’ll likely need to write an essay at some point. While such tasks are not hard (as a rule), getting started is the most difficult, and the sooner, the better. If you’ve written a killer essay but let yourself little time for editing, then listen up! You can revise your essay faster than ever before following these 6 tips. Don’t lose your effectiveness due to unclear points, incorrect grammar, or misspellings, crafting a perfect paper with all the kinks ironed out.
1. Take the Night Off
We know you’re likely in a hurry but, hear us out. As a paper writer, your brain is probably jumbled up with thoughts, words, and a bit of doubt. All of this clashes in your mind and creates a cloudy sensation. So, to edit your best (and fastest), take the night off. Get some rest and take your mind off of your writing, getting a clear perspective in the morning. Things will make more sense, and you’ll get a better feel of what it will be like when your professor picks up and reads your paper.
2. Get a New Pair of Eyes
When you write a fantastic essay, the last thing you want is mistakes. Not only will your grade suffer, but it also takes away from the effect of some of your key points. Therefore, you need to make sure and edit it, paying close attention to the flow, language, and grammar. Before you dive in and take a look at it yourself, get a new pair of eyes. For example, ask your roommate, your parents, or a mentor to read your essay for you and provide you with any suggestions or changes that you can make. The less they know about your paper, the better, as it leaves them to read your message and key points to see if they understand. You can also find useful information in this religionwriters.com article. How to write an essay and how to edit it.
3. Read Backward
We know you might be thinking, “what?” But we are serious! To start, go to your last paragraph and read backward. This will throw your brain for a loop, making you pay more attention to every word and exclamation mark. When you change up the order of reading your paper, your brain gets confused and activates, trying to figure out the method to your oddity. However, this is a great way to take a fresh look at your paper and see it from a different angle, catching mistakes that you might not have noticed if you read it from start to finish.
4. Learn the Art of Skimming
Skimming is like reading rapidly. You’re not reading but glancing over sentences and paragraphs as fast as you can. When you learn how to skim effectively, you can use it to slash your proofreading time in half. However, it takes some practice. First, you’ll need to start with small paragraphs and go as fast as possible, checking to see if you could gather the meaning. Then, increase the size of your reading and see how well you do. The end goal is to skim through rapidly and see if anything looks “off.” When you spot something, mark it and keep going, leaving the corrections for afterward.
5. Take Advantage of Software
When you’re in a hurry, take advantage of grammar tools. There are a ton out there that check for grammar, sentence structure, and spelling fast. Plus, there are even some that suggest corrections for you. Grammar software should be used after you’ve at least read it over yourself once first. That’s because, while the software is great, it’s not perfect. It takes a very “mechanical” look at things and cannot distinguish certain words or phrases commonly used among humans. While it’s a fast way to catch silly mistakes, you shouldn’t rely 100% on a grammar checker. Also, choose wisely and select grammar and spelling tools that are reliable.
6. Read It Aloud One Last Time
Before you turn your paper in, you need to read it one last time. As we said, grammar software can only account for small mistakes and leave your paper sounding a little robotic. You want to keep those warm tones and sensations in your paper, leaving the human element in as much as possible. So, once you’ve taken steps to get your paper ready to turn in, read it aloud to yourself one last time. You’ll notice that both seeing and hearing at the same time makes correcting your paper easier. You might end up catching small mistakes or maybe hear something that doesn’t quite roll off of the tongue the way you would like. If you catch mistakes at this point in your paper, they’re likely small and won’t take you long to fix, allowing you to finish and submit your paper before the deadline.
Revising Is Key to Great Essays
If you want to become a better writer, then revising your paper is a must. There are not many writers (if any) that rely on their first draft. When they create masterpieces, they take time to read, re-read, and read again. Plus, after each correction, they read to make sure everything flows. That’s why it helps to take a break after a long day of writing, giving your brain some time to relax before you start correcting.
When you’re in a rush, technology is on your side and gives you a quick option that you can rely on. Still, don’t forget that technology can only detect so much and often doesn’t account for how we humans use language. You don’t want to turn in anything too mechanical, as your professors want to know that you, a human, wrote it. If you’re in a rush for time, follow our 6 tips and learn the art of quick revisions, saving you from incomplete or late grades that can drag your average down.