Rewrite for clarity

Scenario

You have a draft that contains good ideas, but readers keep asking questions because it’s dense, vague, or poorly structured.

Goal

Make the text easier to understand on the first read without changing meaning.

Inputs

  • The draft text
  • Audience and context (customer-facing, internal, technical, casual)
  • Constraints (max length, reading level, must-keep terms)

Steps

  1. Specify the audience
    • “Explain to a new customer” vs “explain to an engineer” produces different structure.
  2. Ask for structure first
    • Headings, bullets, short paragraphs, clear sequence.
  3. Clarify definitions
    • Ensure key terms are defined once and used consistently.
  4. Remove redundancy
    • Combine repeated points into one stronger statement.
  5. Final pass
    • Verify meaning and any factual claims you provided.

Output expectations

  • Clearer organization and fewer ambiguous sentences
  • More scannable formatting
  • Preserved intent and voice (with minor wording changes)

Common pitfalls

  • No constraints leads to generic rewrites—provide tone and audience.
  • Meaning drift: review important promises, pricing, and legal language.
  • Terminology drift: pin a glossary if terms matter.

When not to use

  • You need original ideation from scratch.
  • The content is legal/medical without expert review.

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