Revision & Editing Vocabulary

be willing to cut even your favorite passages if they don't serve the work

“That beautiful sentence? If it doesn't fit, delete it.”

convey through concrete detail rather than abstract statement

“Not 'she was sad' but 'her hands trembled as she set down the photograph.'”

testing prose by speaking it to catch awkward rhythms

“If you stumble reading it aloud, readers will stumble reading silently.”

remove unnecessary words while preserving meaning

“First draft: 100 words. Tightened: 60 words. Same meaning, more power.”

add detail, examples, or explanation where needed

“This point needs expansion—show me what you mean.”

remove words, sentences, or sections that don't contribute

“When in doubt, cut it out.”

editing at the sentence level for clarity and style

“Examining each sentence for wordiness, ambiguity, awkwardness.”

editing for structure, argument, and overall organization

“Does the piece make sense as a whole? Are sections in the right order?”