Introduction to Revision Skills

Our second unit was on community which, for me, was the most interesting unit we had this quarter. My ideas about identity and tradition did not change throughout the quarter, but my ideas on community changed greatly. I learned that a community does not just mean the town and neighborhood that a person lives in. A community is any group of people who do the same things together. People who work at the same job, work out at the same gym, go to the same park are all considered to be communities. This was not an easy concept for me to grasp. I thought my paper had a strong thesis, but the instructors seemed to believe that my paragraphs did not support my thesis, therefor it was not strong enough. My thesis stated "Although the community of the gaming industry has taken a lot away from many individuals, over the years it has provided people with more employment than ever before due to major rule changes and increased pay." During revision, I tried to tie the paragraphs together by making it more of a "then and now" perspective, or more so than before. This was the main point of the assignment. I think through revision, my paper became much stronger.


The thing I know most about is the gaming industry. I have been a dealer in casinos for six years and have made friends along the way who have been in the industry even longer. I thought this would be the perfect subject for me to write my second paper on. I interviewed my friend, Jim, who has been in the industry since 1986 and learned that the industry has changed so much. I thought my paper was great, but it turns out it could have been better. I chose this piece to revise because I think that it is the paper that I know the most about, so it should be the best paper yet.