Revising: ask for criticism, not a rewrite

You have a text. The reflex: paste it into the AI with "improve this text". It gives you back a smoother version, often longer, and your voice got lost along the way. There's a better way: ask it to critique, and keep control of the changes.

Asking for honest criticism

By default, an AI tends to be nice: "Excellent text, a few areas for improvement…". You have to explicitly ask it to be demanding.

"Here is my text. Don't rewrite it. Play the part of a demanding editor: list the three biggest problems, from most to least serious, quoting the passages concerned. Be blunt, I'd rather have harsh criticism than a compliment."

You read, you judge, you make the fixes yourself. Some remarks will miss the point: you're allowed not to follow them.

Four passes, one at a time

A review that tries to look at everything at once only skims. Targeted passes work better:

• Clarity: "Which sentences might a reader in a hurry misunderstand? Why?"
• Rhythm: "Spot the passages where all the sentences are the same length, and those where the text drags."
• Cuts: "If I had to shorten this text by a third, what would you cut? List the passages, without rewriting."
• Spelling and grammar: "Only correct spelling, grammar and punctuation mistakes. Don't change any word for reasons of style. List each correction."

That last detail matters: without it, proofreading turns into a rewrite in disguise.

When you accept a rewording

Sometimes a sentence just won't come right. Then ask for several versions of that one sentence, in your style, and choose: "Suggest three ways to say this sentence, shorter, without changing the meaning." You're still the one choosing.

Keeping a critical eye on the criticism

• AI can be wrong, including about spelling or a grammar rule: when in doubt, check a dictionary.
• It doesn't know your reader: a "too casual" remark makes no sense for a note to your sister.
• It doesn't check your facts: if your text contains dates, names or figures, checking them is up to you.