Radical Revision

With Carolina
What is Radical Revision?
❏ Designed to fill in the gaps of your
draft.
❏ “Sacrifice” anything in the draft
that doesn’t explicitly develop your
idea.
❏ Rewrite parts to help fill in the gaps
in your draft
Why is it important?
❏ Helps you create possible changes
and make meaningful
connections.
❏ You can have a clear mindset on
where to take your future revisions.
❏ Helps you develop your
idea/argument.
 Options:use the word map hand out or
Activity underline directly onto a copy your essay.

Instructions
❏ Write the aspect of human nature your essay is about at the top of
your essay or in the middle bubble of your word map.
❏ Once this step is complete, skim through your essay and
highlight/copy and paste words and word phrases that directly
relate to your aspect of human nature.

Alternative Assignment: create a bullet point list about your paper’s topic
 Word map
Example Link:Mind Map
TOPIC: Human connection

The immediate cut off from the “real world” sent a multitude of people in a frenzy. Shocked and masked,
everyone scattered through grocery stores in a panic to out-buy the person next to them. It’s as if people were
in a competition to see who can have the biggest stockpile. There was a strange feeling in the air like everyone
was out for themselves. This feeling was of rivalry, panic, and a touch of every-man- for-themselves. During the
beginning of the pandemic, people had no desire for positive human connection such as exchanging
pleasantries or letting an elderly person through the aisle at the store first. Instead, most people looked at
strangers like they could have been disease ridden. Naturally, as the quarantine commenced, some people grew
a bit stir crazy. They craved interaction with other people. As a result, this was a need people weren’t aware
they wanted. Many people began to fill that void with the internet, books, Zoom, FaceTime, Reddit posts, TV
shows, Manga, quite literally anything that could produce the slightest ounce of connection to something
whether it was real or not. This connection produces emotions passed from the author to the reader. One could
say, the deeper the connection to the text, the more infectious it is.
 Activity Are the directions clear?
Please give a thumbs up or thumbs down.
Instructions
❏ Write the aspect of human nature your essay is about at the top of
your essay or in the middle bubble of your word map.
❏ Once this step is complete, skim through your essay and
highlight/copy and paste words and word phrases that directly
relate to your aspect of human nature.

Options:use the word map hand out or underline directly onto a copy your essay.
Up next:Radical Revision
Here are a few images to help inspire you to write.
Writing prompt 1
Guiding Questions/Advice
Looking at your word map or highlighted phrases, ❏ Do the words and phrases in your
write about an unexpected story that comes to map/essay remind you of a
specific memory/story?
mind. It’s okay if the story you are thinking of ❏ These memories/stories can be
might not “fit in” to your essay, write it. personal experiences, or from the
articles we have read.

❏ The key is to continually write. Try

not to worry about grammar or
connection to your essay. Focus
more on the story you thought of.
Writing Prompt 2
Go to a place in your draft where you
feel like you should say more.
Write to explain it.
The goal: 3-5 sentences
Guiding Questions/ Suggestions
❏ Do you feel there is a sentence in your
essay that lack clarity? What do you want
to say?
❏ Is there a thought that might not connect
with the rest of your paper? Can you clarify
that thought?
❏ What emotions are you trying to convey
here?
❏ Explain this sentence by using metaphors
or descriptive phrases.
Let’s hear from a peer h at
he c
i nt Be Prepared to Answer:
pe
Ty
❏ Which writing prompt was more
useful? One or two?

Writing prompt 1:unexpected story

Writing prompt 2:Write to explain