Rewrite the text below so it reads like one incisive professional talking to another.
- Keep every idea and fact unless changing it makes the point clearer.
- Active voice. Paragraphs no longer than three short sentences.
- Vary sentence length; avoid a metronome rhythm.
- Swap jargon or $10 words for plain ones. Use contractions.
- Delete clichés,... See more
Making my writing sound human
If you use AI like a vending machine, give it no context, and expect a publishable essay in one shot, you’ll get clichés and fluff. If you use it as a partner in the loop—brainstorming, outlining, drafting, revising—it reflects your patterns back to you and makes them sharper.
Rewrite the text below for professional clarity and impact.
- Keep every idea and fact. Only modify if the original is ambiguous or grammatically incorrect.
- Use active voice throughout. Maximum three sentences per paragraph, each under 20 words.
- Alternate between short (5-10 words) and medium (15-20 words) sentences.
- Replace complex words with... See more
Every time I publish a new essay, I go through the same ritual.
I download a Word document of the final draft and upload it to the project I have set up for my Every column Working Overtime in ChatGPT. Once it's there, I prompt it with one of my favorite AI incantations: What do you notice?
I take the patterns and principles I agree with—signature moves I want to enhance, foibles I want to avoid—and add them to my personal “style guide”: a Google Doc full of guidelines and examples that train the model on how to think like me. Plugged into the project files of a ChatGPT or Claude project, it functions as a “writing brain” that brings... See more
The one AI workflow most people miss:
Use it to translate your expertise into questions.
You know your field deeply. You forgot what it's like not to know.
Prompt: "I understand [concept]. What are 10 questions someone who's 6 months behind me would ask about... See more