Second Look
Cut a Favourite Sentence Only After Identifying the Job It Does
Decide whether to cut a favourite sentence by identifying its function, testing the paragraph without it and preserving useful work elsewhere.
A place to follow a sentence
revision
Second Look
Replace a Vague Transition with the Actual Relationship Between Paragraphs
Words such as “furthermore” and “however” can make a draft sound connected while leaving its reasoning unclear. Before changing the transition, name the…
Draft & Structure
Make a Comparison Do Different Work on Its Second Appearance
A comparison can return later in a draft without repeating the same effect. To make the return useful, change the circumstances around it rather than merely…
Draft & Structure
An Example Should Demonstrate the Claim Beside It
Check the bridge between a paragraph’s claim and its example: identify what the example proves, what it merely suggests, and which sentence is missing.
Second Look
Before you fix the commas, ask what the piece is doing
A clean sentence can still belong in the wrong draft. Separate big questions about purpose and structure from the final pass for small errors.
Draft & Structure
See the shape of your draft with a reverse outline
A reverse outline starts with the paragraphs already on the page. Use it to spot a repeated point, a missing step or an opening that arrives late.