Why do you think Prince's narrative is an important document?

ENGL 120 2019-2020 / 70 Editing, Revising, Proofreading: The Triadic Art of Producing Polished Text Marie Sairsingh Dr. Marie Sairsingh is an Associate Professor of English Studies at the University of the Bahamas. In his book, From Oral to Literate Culture: Colonial Experience in the English West Indies (1997), linguistics professor, Peter Roberts asserts, "intellectual and literary flowering in society is usually paralleled by and directly related to refinement in language and development of characteristic language for specific genres. It also fosters admiration for the language and its elevation beyond functional and practical communication to a level of artistry and beauty" (160). Whether one writes for academic purposes to contribute to the body of knowledge within a specific discipline or field of study, or to add to a literary corpus in the genres of poetry, fiction, drama, memoir, augmenting and defining an emerging literary tradition, the process often requires great effort. It requires intellectual and creative agility as well as dedication and commitment to the craft. There are three indispensable components of the post-writing process, which together determine the quality of the final product: revising, editing and proofreading. Yet while these steps are vital to the production of good works, they are often rushed, engaged half-heartedly, or considered too tedious to be accorded much time. Moreover, some writers can be so protective of their work that, after the initial investment of much time and effort, it is very difficult for them to spot and delete tangential sentences particularly if, in their mind, these sentences are well-crafted and contain brilliant ideas. Assuming the role of editor, then, often conflicts with the writer's emotional and intellectual investment in the writing process and requires that the writer distance him/herself from the text before engaging the process. As Francine Prose notes, "For any writer, the ability to look at a sentence and see what's superfluous, what can be altered, revised, expanded, and, especially, cut, is essential" (2). She also notes how very satisfying it is "to see that sentence shrink, snap into place, and ultimately emerge in a more polished form: clear, economical, sharp" (Prose 2). But this process requires a great many things, including courage, patience, and skill. As we think about the three-pronged process of polishing text, that is revising, editing and proofreading, we must appreciate the different skills involved at each stage. First, what is involved in revising? Revision entails analyzing the manuscript at the global level, that is, looking at the "big picture" in terms of whether the piece has achieved the writer's intended goal. In academic writing, revision includes reviewing, altering and amending the text to ensure the clarity of its core message, and to ensure that its core purpose is evident. Revision also involves examining the overall organization - checking whether there are sufficient organizational cues - good transitional or bridging words, phrases and sentenoes - that enable the reader to follow the ideas and the inherent logic. For the creative writer, revision, of course, involves some of the above elements, but may also involve other elements as well. But whatever the genre, revision is an indispensable to the production of "good" writing.