Trim a Draft Without Losing the Point
Added 2026-11-01
Cut what does not change the reader's judgement: repetition and warm-up first.
Here is a draft. Cut it by 30%: 1) remove repetition and warm-up first, listing what you cut and why; 2) keep every piece of evidence and every number that supports the point; 3) identify the paragraph that cannot go because readers would lose a basis for judging; 4) compress long sentences and drop qualifiers that do not change the meaning; 5) give a three-paragraph minimal version. Do not replace key concepts with shorter, less precise words.
Site original
Chinese original
How to use
删减的第一刀应该砍铺垫，不是砍证据。
Try tweaking it
- Ask for three openings in different tones, then pick one.
- Replace "make it better" with concrete limits: length, reader, facts to keep.
What you should get
- A publishable draft, not an outline
- A short changelog: what changed and why
Common mistakes
- Letting it guess the facts, so plausible-looking sources get invented.
- Dumping the whole text with just "polish it" — the result still has no point.
How to check the output
- The conclusion comes first; deleting the opening paragraph does not break it.
- Every fact, number and quote traces back to the source text.
Where it works
- Good for: turning a rambling draft into a conclusion-first, shorter version.
- Watch out: keep sources and figures verbatim — do not let it invent citations.