Teaching Nonfiction Revision

Table of Contents

Part I: Setting the State

  1. What Nonfiction Revision Is—and Isn’t
  2. When and How Writers Revise
  3. Creating an Environment That Supports Revision
  4. Balancing Expectations
  5. Creating a Vision
  6. The Rewards of Research
  7. Ready, Set, Write!

Part II: Big-Picture Revision

  1. Isolate Your Main Idea
  2. Research Your Topics—Again!
  3. Add Missing Information
  4. Cut, Cut, Cut!
  5. Check Your Organization
  6. Unleash Your Voice!
  7. End with Something to Say
  8. Give It a Rest

Part III: Scene Revision

  1. Make Sure Every Scene Contributes
  2. Craft for Cohesion
  3. Create and Use Unforgettable Nonfiction Characters
  4. Check Consistency in Tense and Pronoun Reference
  5. Nail Those Transitions!
  6. Lead into the Next Scene

Part IV: Paragraph Revision

  1. Making Paragraphs
  2. Make Sure It All Makes Sense
  3. Put Sentences in the Best Order
  4. Build Up Hooks
  5. Pump Up the Action!
  6. Vary Sentence Length and Structure
  7. Ferret Out Contradictions and Falsehoods
  8. Eliminate Unnecessary and Redundant Information
  9. Eliminate Word and Phrase Repeats

Part V: Sentence Revision

  1. Trim the Fat
  2. Eliminate Passive Voice
  3. Show, Don’t Tell
  4. Move Trailing Phrases to the Front
  5. Use “Real Language”—Even If It’s Wrong
  6. Use Similes
  7. Consider Metaphors—Sparingly
  8. Choose Good Quotations
  9. Find the Right Emotional Impact

Part VI: Word Revision

  1. Cut Unnecessary Descriptors
  2. Eliminate Intensifying Words
  3. Remove Redundant Words—Again and Again!
  4. Swap Weak Verbs for Strong Ones
  5. Get Specific!
  6. Use the Language of the Territory

Part VII: The Final Wrap