ShmoopTube

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[Coop and Dino singing]

00:13

So you want to be a writer!

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Congratulations! [Man given a round of applause on stage]

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All you need is a pen, a piece of paper, and a brain that's in working order, and bingo!

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You'll be the best writer the world has ever seen!

00:23

…That is until you realize…

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…maybe your writing is a little confusing in places...

00:27

…and maybe you missed a few crucial points you wanted to hit…. [Man discovers mistakes in his writing]

00:30

…and maybe there's more to being a writer than a pen and paper…

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So the question is: what do you do? [Car pulls up at drive thru and man is serving]

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Well you've got two options – and really, you should probably do both.

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We know, we know.

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Sounds like a big time drain, but hey, no one said writing was easy. [Students unhappy at writing in class]

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So your two options are revise or edit.

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And while they might sound similar – because, well, they are – there are some key differences. [A key enters a keyhole]

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The biggest one is size.

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See, revising is for the big stuff.

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Need to rewrite an entire paragraph because you've suddenly realized it doesn't make a

01:00

lick of sense?

01:01

That's a part of revising.

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Did ya realize you should probably cut the part where you ramble on about how great chocolate [Example of a students paragraph]

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cake is when you're supposed to be talking about Shakespeare?

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Yup, that's a revision.

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So if you're doing stuff like cutting and rewriting, that's all part of the revision process.

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Once you've made it all make sense and removed any random references to chocolate cake, it's [Paragraph of writing stamped with edit]

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time to edit.

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Editing is for the small stuff.

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And while people like to say “don't sweat the small stuff,” when it comes to writing,

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you should sweat the small stuff. [Man sweating]

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Every spelling mistake, grammatical error and weird little hiccup can make writing look

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incomplete and rough.

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And as any writer will tell you, an important part of writing is presentation. [Teacher holding a Harry Potter book]

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Oh, but even though saunas might help you sweat, don't write in one….

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Trust us. [Man writing in a sauna and sweats profusely]

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So remember, revising equals big changes, editing equals small changes.

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Two different things, but both equally as important. [Coop discussing differences of revising and editing]

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Now, uh…can someone let us out of this sauna….?

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Seriously, guys, it's really hot in here…. [Man trapped inside a sauna]

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