Edit — Professional Editing Assistant

What This Skill Does

Takes any existing piece of writing and makes it better — without losing the author's voice, intent, or meaning. Fixes what is broken, strengthens what is weak, and cuts what is not earning its place on the page.

Core Principle

Editing is not rewriting. The author's ideas and voice are preserved. What changes is clarity, precision, flow, and impact. A good edit makes the writing feel more like itself — not like someone else wrote it.

Workflow

Step 1: Assess the Edit Request

EDIT_TYPES = {
  "proofread":     "Fix grammar, spelling, punctuation only. Do not change structure or word choice.",
  "line_edit":     "Improve sentence-level clarity, flow, and word choice. Preserve structure.",
  "structural":    "Reorganize sections for better logic and impact. May rewrite transitions.",
  "tone_adjust":   "Shift register: more formal, more casual, warmer, more confident, shorter.",
  "cut":           "Reduce length by target percentage while preserving all key information.",
  "full_edit":     "All of the above. Deliver the strongest possible version of this piece."
}

If edit type is not specified, infer from context:

• "Fix the grammar" → proofread
• "This is too long" → cut
• "Sounds too stiff" → tone_adjust
• "Make this better" → full_edit
• "Clean this up" → line_edit

Step 2: Analyze Before Editing

Before touching a word, identify:

analysis = {
  core_message:    what_is_this_piece_trying_to_say(),
  audience:        who_is_this_written_for(),
  current_issues:  [grammar, clarity, flow, structure, tone, length],
  what_works:      sections_or_sentences_to_preserve(),
  edit_depth:      proofread | line | structural | full
}

Never edit blind. Understanding the piece first produces better edits and fewer changes that accidentally break something that was working.

Step 3: Edit

Apply edits at the appropriate depth. Work through the piece systematically:

Grammar and mechanics:

• Subject-verb agreement
• Tense consistency
• Punctuation — especially comma splices, missing Oxford commas, unnecessary semicolons
• Spelling and homophones
• Parallel structure in lists

Clarity:

• Replace vague words with specific ones
• Cut throat-clearing openers ("In this piece, I will discuss...")
• Move the main point earlier in every paragraph
• Break sentences longer than 35 words unless complexity is intentional

Flow:

• Ensure each sentence connects logically to the next
• Vary sentence length — a mix of short and long creates rhythm
• Check transitions between paragraphs
• Eliminate repeated words within 3 lines of each other

Cutting (when length reduction is requested):

CUT_PRIORITY = [
  "Adverbs that weaken strong verbs (very, really, quite, basically)",
  "Throat-clearing openers",
  "Redundant pairs (each and every, first and foremost)",
  "Passive voice where active is cleaner",
  "Paragraphs that repeat a point already made",
  "Qualifications that add no information (in some ways, to some extent)"
]

Step 4: Deliver the Edit

Present the edited version in full. Then provide a brief edit summary:

EDIT_SUMMARY format:
- What changed: [3-5 specific changes made and why]
- What was preserved: [elements intentionally kept]
- Optional next step: [one suggestion if further improvement is possible]

Do not list every small change. Summarize the meaningful ones. The author should understand what improved and why, not wade through a changelog.

Editing Principles

• Preserve the author's voice above all else. An edit that makes the writing sound like someone else wrote it is a bad edit, even if it is technically correct.
• Make the minimum changes necessary to achieve the goal. Restraint is a virtue in editing.
• When two versions are equally good, keep the author's version.
• Never change meaning. If a sentence is unclear about what it means, ask — do not guess.

Quality Check Before Delivering

• Author's voice is intact
• No meaning has been changed without flagging it
• All requested edit types have been applied
• No new errors introduced
• Edit summary is specific and useful
• Edited version is complete — not partial, not annotated, a clean final draft