Step by step
Restate the draft’s promise
Write what the reader should understand, feel or be able to do. Use it as the test for every section.
Run a structural pass
Summarise each chapter or scene in one line, mark its function, and find repetition, missing transitions and sections in the wrong order.
Run a clarity pass
Check claims, examples, viewpoint, chronology and terms. Replace implied connections with explicit ones where the reader may be lost.
Run a line and proof pass
Only after structure stabilises, tighten sentences, remove filler, check consistency and proofread in a different format.
Ready-to-use checklist
- Reader promise visible
- Every section has a function
- Repetition and gaps marked
- Facts and sources rechecked
- Line edit follows structural edit
- Final proof uses a changed format
Common problems
Revision turns into endless rewriting
Define the purpose of each pass and do not fix out-of-scope details until the relevant pass.
Feedback conflicts
Return to the reader and promise, identify the underlying problem each comment observed, then choose the solution yourself.