"Revision is a logical craft...it is not a matter of correctness...it's the matter of discovering meaning," said Donald Murray in his essay "Making Meaning Clear." This was the aspect of writing and revision I did not understand until reading this essay. I've always thought of revision as something methodical; just an act. I thought that revision should be done after a draft because that was the way a writer is supposed to write. I have always been trained this way by all of my previous teachers. To me revision was a type of punishment. I thought that I was made to do revision because the writing I submitted previously did not live up to its expectation. My past teachers have never reinforced the significance of revision. However, this essay by Murray has given me new insights on what writing means and how revision is an integral part of writing.
             Only through revision will meaning be discovered. Writing is not just simply putting ideas on to word and then onto paper. It is "working back and forth between focus, form, and voice until the meaning is discovered and made clear." Writing should be taken as the process of thinking and analyzing. Through words one must be able to communicate a certain main idea, and only that idea clearly and efficiently. Such a piece of writing should have form, focus, and voice. Writing is considered "focused" if the ideas in it are coherent. If it contains the main idea that is supported by relevant minor propositions. I good piece of writing should not digress and confuse its reader. It should develop its own "energy and momentum." A good writing must also have "form." Having form means having good organization, having simplicity. The third element a good writer should have is "voice." Voice is the ability to make an impact on reader. It is the ability to allow reader to see the same way a writer sees it.
             This essay has transformed my definition of writing. Now that I recognize the importance...