Revision Process

At first I really struggled with the idea of a mediation paper. For a long while now my writing was been structured as making a claim (via a thesis), then using facts and rhetoric to prove my claim. The mediation paper on the hand does not really make a claim, but instead seems to just be stating facts in a very organized fashion. The papers purpose is more to educate than it is to prove a point. Taking this mentality, and outside inspiration I soon developed a very structured way of writing my paper.

The structure of my paper was loosely inspired by the Barack Obama speech “A more perfect Union“. Like the speech which started off speaking of the historical roots of racial tension in America, I started of discussing the historical roots of marijuana use in organized societies. I went in depth into its earliest uses in ancient china and described how uses of the plant have evolved throughout the years. The next phase of my paper described how people viewed and used the plant in early American society, followed by when and why the relationship went sour.

Once I established the historical relevance of marijuana use I went on to describe its present day use, and how both sides of the debate feel about the issue of legalization. There are many myths out there about marijuana, and most of these myths come from people on the extreme ends of the issue spinning statics. In order to remain neutral (and help keep my audience neutral as well) I decided to make sure that each point (whether pro or con), was followed by an equally strong point from the other side. For my conclusion I summarized the general gist of my paper and came up with a middle of the road conclusion which should satisfy both sides of the issue.

As far as revision goes I tend to revise as a write a paper. I usually have an outline of how I want the paper to develop and try to focus on proper transitions. Transitions are not only important when switching paragraphs, but they are necessary in making the paper as a whole flow. After I get the paper sounding the way I want, the next step in my revision process is checking grammar and spelling. It is hard for me to edit a paper on a computer screen, so I usually print out a copy, edit it, and then make the essay corrections. This way of editing takes longer to do, but it works for me. No matter how many times I check my own writing I always find another mistake (at times I just alternate word choice with each draft), so for my next revision step is to have an outside party check the paper for clarity, consistency, and also grammar and spelling. The final step in my revision process is to make sure everything is properly cited.