How to Revise and Edit Creative Writing

Miacademy & MiaPrep Learning Channel

This engaging video uses a humorous reality TV show parody called "Write on the Money" to teach students the critical differences between revising and editing. Through the story of a contestant named Justin who must polish his creative nonfiction piece for the grand finale, viewers learn that writing is a process that extends far beyond the first draft. The video clearly distinguishes between the "big picture" work of revision (structure, content, style) and the sentence-level mechanics of editing (grammar, spelling, punctuation). The content breaks down specific, actionable strategies for both stages of the writing process. For revision, it explores reading aloud, seeking feedback, and reverse outlining to improve flow and organization. For editing, it demonstrates using digital tools, reading text backward to isolate sentence errors, and deliberate proofreading. Visual examples show text transforming from a rough draft to a polished final product, highlighting how specific changes improve imagery and clarity. This resource is highly valuable for English Language Arts classrooms as it tackles the common student misconception that revising and editing are the same thing. By providing concrete techniques like reverse outlining and reading backward, it equips students with a toolkit to independently assess and improve their own writing. The entertaining narrative format keeps students engaged while delivering rigorous content about the writing process.