S.T.A.R.: Four Major Ways a Writer Can Transform a Piece of Writing

S.T.A.R.: FOUR MAJOR WAYS A WRITER CAN TRANSFORM A PIECE OF WRITING

When revising a piece of writing consider the four letters in S.T.A.R. below:

S
(Substitute) / T
(Take things out) / A
(Add) / R
(Rearrange)
Replace:
·  Overused words
·  Weak verbs with strong verbs
·  Weak adjectives with strong adjectives
·  Common nouns with proper nouns
·  “dead” words (see bleow) / Take out:
·  Unnecessary repetitions
·  Unimportant or irrelevant information
·  Parts that might belong on another piece / Add:
·  Detail
·  Description
·  New information
·  Figurative language
·  Development
·  Clarification of meanings
·  Expanded ideas
·  Examples / Rearrange:
·  The sequence to produce a desired effect
·  The order for a more logical flow

Gallagher, Kelly. Teaching Adolescent Writers.Portland: Stenhouse, 2006

DEAD WORDS
Dead words are words that don’t actually tell the reader anything or add to your writing.

Try to eliminate these words if you see them in your writing:

Don’t use: / Try these instead:
Good / excellent, fine, superior
very / extremely, exceedingly, exceptionally, especially
really / actually, truly, in fact
a lot / much, many, plenty, a large number
Things(s) / Be specific – what are the ‘things’ you are referring to?
totally / completely, entirely, absolutely, wholly, fully
Don’t use: / Try these instead:
Like / Similar to, for example, in addition, also
In conclusion / Finally,

Use the MS Word thesaurus to find synonyms (words that mean the same) to locate more precise words or eliminate repetition in your writing. To use it, simply right click on a word you want to change and select synonym, then choose one of the words (that best fits) from the list.

Revising vs. Editing Notes

Revising is the process of improving one’s writing. Using the S.T.A.R. method can help you decide what improvements to make (see handout).

Editing is the process of fixing mistakes in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. We will be learning about the most common errors over the course of the semester so you can recognize them and correct them in your own writing.