Beyond all the wise and practical advice Gilmore offers, there is another reason why I love this book—it’s funny and fun to read. Though the author writes with great authority, he never places himself above the reader. Indeed, he uses humorous anecdotes from his personal life and classroom to humble himself and create a sense of joy even as he tackles a subject of dread for most English teachers.
—Barry Lane
Author of After the End
Why do so many students resist revision? Maybe because it feels to them like starting over, like an indictment of their first draft, or a rejection of their ideas. Encouraging teens to see revision as process rather than criticism, as the bridge between generating ideas and finalizing their work for publication, is crucial to their growth and success as thoughtful adult writers. With “Is It Done Yet?” Barry Gilmore helps you push your writers toward a new, realistic understanding of revision while offering proven ways to overcome student resistance.
Is It Done Yet? takes a new, refreshing look at revision. It acknowledges that while writing manuals often suggest general guidelines for writing, few target the specific and recurring issues of style and argumentation that students typically encounter in their assignments. Gilmore offers a variety of practical strategies for incorporating revision at all stages of the writing process—especially in content and style—as well as in numerous genres, including literary analysis, on-demand writing, and the college entrance essay. He goes beyond marking up grammar and spelling, differentiates editing from revising, and presents a multifaceted approach that moves students toward an understanding of revision as a process that helps them write fluently and communicate more effectively. All the while, Gilmore will help you change your own sense of revision so that you can use it to match up student needs with specific instructional focuses.
Humorous, practical, and accessible, Is It Done Yet? includes classroom samples of student writing and revision, a thorough description of Gilmore’s step-by-step process for incorporating powerful revision lessons, and ready-to-use activities that engage students and support your teaching. In addition, with chapters on peer and class revision, revision in creative writing, and using technology during revision, he gives you everything you need to get kids revising and develop their maturity as writers—to help them complete papers with pride, confidence, and craft.
