Preparing the Final Draft

Writing and editing a draft

The computer allows you to produce a legible first draft that's easy to change by using a few basic functions, such as delete, insert, merge, block, and move. When you try making changes to a handwritten draft, on the other hand, you can end up with something so messy it's indecipherable. If you want to change a word-processed draft but aren't certain whether you'll want to keep the changes, save both your original and your revised drafts under different file names and decide later which you want to use—or import parts of one into the other. You can also re-order the paragraphs in a paper with a few keystrokes.

You can do much of your editing directly on the screen. If you think of a better way to say what you've just said, make the change immediately and move on. For more global editing, however, many writers like to print out sections or complete drafts, mark them up by hand, and then go back to the computer to input the changes. This method has advantages. Working on the screen limits you to a small section of text; scrolling back and forth in the document can be confusing, and it's difficult to get a beginning-to-end picture of what you've written. Another advantage of printing out your document is that it forces you to slow down and read carefully. Sometimes, because you can write so quickly on a computer, your fingers may get ahead of your thoughts. Remember that good writing requires deliberation and judgment, and that you should always review a computer draft closely.

Spell-checking, grammar-checking, and search-and-replace functions

A spell-check function is useful for catching misspelled words, typos, and accidental repetitions (the the). But be careful. The checker won't signal a word that is actually a word, even if it isn't the one you intended—for example, when you inadvertently type form for from. Spell-checking also doesn't distinguish between homonyms, so if you have trouble with its and it's, it won't help you. Consider the spell-checker as an aid, not a replacement for your own careful proofreading.

Grammar or style-checkers require even more caution because grammar and style are less clear-cut than spelling. Many writers don't use these functions at all, and unless you already have a good grasp of grammar, they can be confusing or misleading. For example, the checkers will catch pronoun agreement and reference errors but not dangling participles or faulty parallelism. Some checkers flag possible homonym confusions, usage problems (literal used incorrectly, for example), and passive constructions, but they also signal every sentence beginning with But, all contractions, and every sentence ending with a preposition—“errors” that current usage generally permits. If you use a checking function, do so critically. Don't automatically change a passive construction, or restructure a sentence ending with a preposition, for example, simply because the checker flags it.

A search-and-replace feature in word-processing programs lets you correct a particular error throughout your paper automatically. If you find you've misspelled a person's name, you can spell it correctly and ask the program to locate every instance of the name in your 25-page document and replace it with the correct version. Just be sure that the error is one that you want replaced in the same way every time.

Layout of the final draft

With word processing, you can produce a final draft that looks professional. Choose from different type fonts, use boldface type and italics, center titles with a stroke, create headings of different sizes, and use bullets or other symbols to highlight your points. You can create properly formatted and numbered footnotes, and place them correctly by selecting a footnote option and consistent page numbers by selecting automatic page numbering. If it's appropriate, you might want to present some materials in tables, charts, or graphs—which are easy to create with most programs. You can even import graphics. One note of warning: Don't confuse a good-looking paper with a well-written one. Although your readers may be favorably disposed towards documents that are nice to look at, word-processing features can't compensate for meager content or poorly expressed ideas.