Editing Prompt Template

Editing prompts refine existing drafts rather than generating new content. The real system used separate editing passes for different focus areas -- voice consistency, AI pattern removal, audience balance, density, and clarity. Each pass catches different problems.

Run editing prompts after the initial draft, not during. Writing and editing use different parts of the brain -- even for AI.

How to Use: 1. Complete a draft section first 2. Choose your editing focus (voice, de-AI, density, audience, or clarity) 3. Paste the draft and relevant reference files into the prompt 4. Review the change log before accepting 5. Run multiple focused passes rather than one "fix everything" pass

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# Edit for [FOCUS AREA]

> **Input:** Draft section + relevant reference files
> **Output:** Revised section with change log

## The Prompt

Review and edit the following section. Focus: **[CHOOSE ONE -- voice consistency / AI pattern removal / audience balance / density / clarity]**.

### Draft Section

[PASTE FULL SECTION CONTENT HERE, INCLUDING FRONTMATTER AND REFERENCES]

### Reference Material

[PASTE THE RELEVANT REFERENCE FILE FOR YOUR FOCUS AREA:
- Voice consistency -> Voice Guide
- AI pattern removal -> Authenticity Markers / Kill List
- Audience balance -> Audience Empathy Guide
- Density -> Gold Standard Reference / Density Test
- Clarity -> Quick Reference]

### Focus Areas

Define 2-4 specific things to look for in this pass.

**[FOCUS 1]:** [What to look for -- e.g., "Kill list violations: scan for 'important to note,' 'delve into,' decorative adjectives"]

**[FOCUS 2]:** [e.g., "AI symmetry patterns: check for equal-length lists, perfectly parallel structure, every point weighted the same"]

**[FOCUS 3]:** [e.g., "Density: identify sentences that could be cut without losing meaning. Flag paragraphs that make the same point twice."]

**[FOCUS 4]:** [e.g., "Audience check: would both readers finish this? Is there an insight for each?"]

### Rules

- **Show changes with brief explanations** -- don't just rewrite silently
- **Don't add new content** -- only refine, tighten, or restructure existing material
- **Preserve all citations and references** -- don't drop footnotes during editing
- **Maintain word count** within +/- 10% of original (editing tightens; it shouldn't expand)
- **Preserve frontmatter** exactly as written

### Kill List (Customize Per Pass)

Remove or replace these on sight:

| Pattern | Replace With |
|---------|-------------|
| [YOUR KILL LIST ITEM #1] | [Replacement] |
| [YOUR KILL LIST ITEM #2] | [Replacement] |
| [YOUR KILL LIST ITEM #3] | [Replacement] |
| Throat-clearing openings | Start with the point |
| Same point stated multiple ways | One statement, move on |
| [ADD MORE AS YOU DISCOVER THEM] | [Fixes] |

### Output Format

Return three things:

**1. Revised Section**
Full text with all changes applied. Include frontmatter and references.

**2. Change Log**

| Location | What Changed | Why |
|----------|-------------|-----|
| [paragraph/line] | [description of change] | [reason -- tied to focus area] |
| [paragraph/line] | [description] | [reason] |

**3. Remaining Issues**
Flag anything you noticed but didn't fix (outside the current focus area, or requiring author judgment).

### Quality Checklist

- [ ] No kill list violations remain
- [ ] Voice matches the reference guide
- [ ] No new content introduced
- [ ] All citations preserved
- [ ] Word count within +/- 10% of original
- [ ] Changes are improvements, not just differences

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Adapted from the editing prompts used for Blueprint for An AI-First Company. The original system ran 5 distinct editing passes (structural, voice, de-AI, density, and audience) on every section, each with its own focused prompt and reference files.