READ: Sometimes it’s hard to keep an open mind when you read your first draft. You need to put some distance between yourself and your writing.

· Whenever possible, put your writing aside for a day or two.

· Read it out loud.

· Ask others (family, friends, classmates) to read it out loud to you.

· Listen to your writing. How does it sound? What does it say?

REACT: Here are six questions that will help you react to you own writing on the second or third read through.

· What parts of my writing work for me?

· Do all of these parts work together? Are they logical?

· Do the parts say what I want them to say?

· Have I arranged the parts in the best possible order?

· Where do I need to go from here?

REWORK: Reworking your writing means making changes until all of the parts work equally well. There is usually plenty of reworking to do in the early stages of writing.

REFLECT: One of the best ways of keeping track of your revising progress is to write comments in the margins of your paper. Margins are the perfect place for you to explore your feelings concerning what you have written. Here are some guidelines:

· Explore your thoughts freely and naturally.

· Note what you plan to cut, move, explain further, and so on.

· Reflect upon the changes you make. (How do they work?)

· If you are unsure of what to do, write down a question to solve later.

REFINE: Refining is putting some style into your written copy–shining up your thoughts and words. Here’s what you can do:

· Read your paper out loud to make sure you haven’t missed anything.

· Listen for both the clarity and quality of your words and sentences.

Make the final adjustments so your writing reads smoothly and clearly

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