Time and time again, I have learned the lesson that I really should revise everything I write, whether it be this blogpost, an intense research paper, an email, or even a simple text. Obviously, I do not need to revise a text anywhere near the extensive revisions I use for a research paper. I use different revision techniques depending on what I am writing. With texts, I simply read them once over, edit the parts that sound unclear, check to make sure the recipient is correct, and send it on its way. The horror of sending a text that comes across as distasteful is only second to sending a text meant for my friend, to my unsuspecting mother! Sadly, Apple hasn’t created an un-send button yet. For emails and blogposts such as this one, I type them up in a Microsoft Word document first. I then make grammatical corrections and reread it to make sure there are no mistakes in the content of my email. A copy and paste later, and it’s good to go. Unfortunately, I failed to revise an email once, and instead of addressing a college coach who was recruiting me with the title “Coach,” followed by his last name, I instead sent “Coach” followed up by the name of the college. Needless to say, “Coach Vassar” did not reply to my email. When it comes to longer pieces such as essays and research papers, my revision process is a lot more intense. I always create a rough draft first, with a piece of paper and a pencil. Once the entire rough draft is complete, I normally have a peer or my mother read it over to check for grammatical errors and phrasing that doesn’t flow. After that, I type up my piece, editing and rephrasing sentences as I go. I read this draft aloud to myself to make sure I like how my ideas come across. It also helps me to notice if I used an incorrect homonym or left out a word. If you hear me talking to myself in the library, I promise I’m not crazy! Once I’m done reading it on my screen, I print it out, reread it one last time, and if it is to my satisfaction, I consider it my final copy. While revision can be very time consuming for me, I have only ever regretted not revising my writing.