The "One Sentence" Rule for Revision

"At some point before you finish revising any piece of writing, you should figure out and state clearly for yourself exactly what you are trying to say. In one sentence."—Peter Elbow in Writing with Power.

Certainly, I have found assigning summaries to my students an effective way to judge their understanding of any piece of writing. Why not apply this useful technique to your own writing? If you have difficulty, perhaps the writing itself needs to change! Try it and see.

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