Cut-and-paste revision

Using the material generated in the previous practice exercise, perfonn cut-and-paste revision for a two- to- four-page, double-spaced, handwritten essay, My Aspirations and Goals for the Next Five Years. Do not type the final document. Simply edit and complete the cut-and-paste copy by hand. 

Separating writing and revision through the use of directed writing and cut-and-paste revision can be such a liberating experience that the recently initiated may get the idea that the first products of these efforts need little or no additional attention. This idea is usually a mistaken one most drafts need a number of passes of careful editing before they are ready to meet their final audience. 

Our discussion thus far might suggest that one writes the text of the poster first and then simply cuts and pastes it into the appropriate layout. In fact, the text evolves in an iterative way. One drafts the text first, capturing the key ideas that will be shared, but then the text is altered (numerous times) until it fits into the allotted space. Typically, you have less space than you first imagined, requiring that you reduce the number of lines and words in the text. The final texts presented in chapter 9 went through just such an iterative process. We wrote the text first, realized (all too often) that the text would not fit, and then revised it to make it more concise. 

For neurons utilizing substance P, synthesis starts with the gene called preprotachykinin A (PPT-A) (Fig. 5—68). This gene is transcribed into RNA, which is then edited, or revised by cutting and pasting, like revising a manuscript or a... 

The crux is to notice the information that changes past models of risk and calls into question the effectiveness of previous risk reduction actions, without having to wait for completely clear-cut evidence. If revision only occurs when evidence is overwhelming, there is a grave risk of an organization acting too riskily and finding out only from near-misses, serious incidents, or even actual harm. Instead, the practice... 

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