Edit an AI draft until it sounds like a person
A three-pass editing prompt removes inflated claims and stock phrasing while keeping the author’s meaning and voice.
This reusable prompt treats an AI draft as material for an editor, not as a finished voice. It asks for concrete facts instead of grand claims, direct verbs instead of vague abstractions, varied rhythm, and a tone informed by a sample of the real author’s writing.
The original version promised writing that readers or detection tools could not identify as AI-generated. No prompt can guarantee that outcome. Its practical value is better prose: preserve meaning, check every factual claim, and make choices a human author would stand behind.
Cut the familiar filler
Remove exaggerated importance, unsupported “experts say” claims, vague promotional words, empty transitions, forced three-part structure, and stock chatbot endings. Replace them with specific actions, dates, numbers, and named sources when the source text supports them. Do not invent details to make a sentence feel concrete.
Bring back the author
Use a supplied writing sample to study sentence length, vocabulary, punctuation, and point of view. Vary the rhythm and allow a measured opinion where the author actually has one. Keep uncertainty when the evidence is uncertain; natural writing does not need to sound certain about everything.
Make three passes
First rewrite for clarity and voice. Then reread and identify what still sounds mechanical or repetitive. Revise those spots in a final pass. The output can be just the finished text, while the editor keeps the checks internal.
Copy the editing prompt
Paste your draft at the end. Add a genuine writing sample if you want a closer match to your own voice.
Act as a careful editor. Rewrite the text below for a real reader while preserving its meaning, factual claims, and important nuance. Make the prose clear and distinctive; do not promise that it will evade any AI-detection tool. Remove inflated claims, vague promotional language, unsupported attributions, empty abstract verbs, repetitive transitions, forced three-part lists, passive constructions without a clear actor, and canned chatbot endings. Use direct verbs and specific facts already present in the source. Do not invent facts, quotes, dates, or personal experiences. Vary sentence length and paragraph shape. Keep the author's genuine opinions and uncertainty. If I provide a writing sample, first infer its rhythm, vocabulary, punctuation, and point of view, then use those traits without copying phrases. Avoid decorative long dashes, emoji, and formulaic headings unless the source or audience calls for them. Work in three private passes: rewrite, identify residual generic phrasing, and revise again. Return only the final edited text. AUTHOR SAMPLE (optional): [paste sample] TEXT TO EDIT: [paste text]