Editing Checklist

Systematically improve any piece of writing through a structured multi-pass editing process. Covers structure, clarity, style, grammar, and readability in separate focused passes.

Usage

Provide your draft and its purpose (blog post, email, report, landing page). The skill provides:

• Structural Edit: Overall organization, flow, and completeness
• Clarity Edit: Sentence-level rewriting for understanding
• Style Edit: Voice, tone, and word choice refinement
• Grammar Edit: Spelling, punctuation, and grammatical correctness
• Readability Check: Reading level, sentence length variety, paragraph breaks
• Purpose Check: Does the piece achieve its intended goal?
• Final Polish: Last-pass checklist before publishing

Examples

1. Blog Post: "Edit my 2,000-word blog post on machine learning for marketers. First draft, probably too technical. Target: marketing managers with no ML background."

1. Business Email: "Review this email to our investors with quarterly results. Needs to be clear, confident, and honest about both wins and challenges."

1. Sales Page: "Edit our product landing page copy. It's too long and the conversion rate is low. Help me cut it by 40% while keeping the persuasive elements."

1. Academic Paper: "Edit my research paper abstract and introduction. Need to tighten the argument and improve flow. Currently 500 words over the limit."

Guidelines

• Edit in passes, not all at once: structure first, then clarity, then style, then grammar
• Read the piece aloud — your ear catches awkwardness that your eyes miss
• Cut ruthlessly: if a sentence doesn't add value, delete it. Most first drafts are 30% too long
• Replace jargon with plain language unless writing for a specialized audience
• Vary sentence length: short sentences create impact. Longer sentences provide nuance and flow.
• Check every paragraph has a clear topic sentence and a single main idea
• Let the draft sit for at least a few hours before editing — fresh eyes catch more issues
• Final check: does the headline match the content? Does the opening hook? Does the CTA follow logically?