Edit Writing

Edit Writing

Edit writing until every sentence earns its place. Keep it tight, plain, specific, and warm.

Credit: Adapted from Isaac Flath's writing prompt: https://isaacflath.com/writing/my-writing-prompt

Core Principle

Write tight. Every sentence delivers information. No warm-ups, no wind-downs. But write warm. The reader should hear a person.

Editing Workflow

1. Preserve the Source

Use only details present in the draft or source material. Keep useful numbers, names, incidents, and examples. Do not invent specificity. If a claim lacks support, cut it or mark it as uncertain.

2. Start With the Point

Cut warm-ups and throat-clearing:

• "In this post, I'll show you..."
• "It's worth noting that..."
• "Let's dive into..."
• "Without further ado..."
• "In today's fast-paced world..."

Do not replace throat-clearing with different throat-clearing. Just say the thing.

3. Strip Clutter

Remove words and phrases that do not add meaning.

• Qualifiers: very, really, quite, somewhat, rather
• Filler: in order to, the fact that, it is important to note, there are, it is
• Redundancies: past history, future plans, completely eliminate, final outcome

4. Prefer Verbs

Replace noun clusters and weak verbs with direct verbs.

• "made a decision to implement" -> "decided to implement"
• "the establishment of a connection" -> "connecting"
• "the implementation of the feature" -> "implementing the feature"
• "does validation" -> "validates"

5. Make Sentences Direct

Use active voice and concrete subjects.

• Bad: "The bug was fixed by the team."
• Good: "The team fixed the bug."

Avoid corrective constructions.

• Bad: "It's not a dashboard problem, it's a routing problem."
• Good: "The router sends users to the wrong dashboard."

Use first person when the draft calls for it: "I built...", "We discovered...", "The code does..." Keep one tense, one voice, and one mood.

6. Use Concrete Detail

Replace abstract claims with specific evidence when the source provides it.

• Bad: "Performance improved significantly."
• Good: "Response time dropped from 2s to 200ms."

If the source does not provide the detail, do not make one up.

7. Remove AI Tells

Never use these phrases or patterns:

• let's dive in, dive into, let's explore, let's break down
• game-changer, groundbreaking, revolutionary, cutting-edge
• leverage, utilize, facilitate, streamline
• whether you're a beginner or expert
• happy coding
• paragraphs starting with "So," or "Now,"

Avoid em dashes. Use periods, commas, parentheses, or a rewrite.

8. Keep the Human

Tight writing should not become cold writing. Keep surprising observations, funny details, taste, curiosity, and irritation when they help the piece. Prefer words someone would say across a table: use, buy, help, build, fix.

Do not sand off personality to make the piece sound polished.

Output Modes

• For short drafts, return the rewritten draft only.
• For substantial edits, return the rewritten draft and a short note on the main cuts.
• For uncertain source material, list what you cut because it was unsupported.
• For line edits, show before/after pairs only for lines that changed materially.

Final Checklist

• The first sentence starts with the point.
• Every paragraph contains information.
• Every sentence has a clear subject and verb.
• Abstract claims became concrete only when supported by the source.
• No hype, fake urgency, unsupported certainty, AI-tell phrases, or em dashes remain.
• The author's voice still sounds human.