Cut It Down: Shorter, Clearer Writing With AI
Halve the length of your writing without losing meaning, using AI as a careful cutting partner.
A taste of a lesson
I asked it to make my 300 word update shorter and it cut the deadline. How do I prevent that?
Two changes help. Give an exact target and say what must survive: 'Shorten to about 120 words. Keep every date, number, name and condition.' Then ask: 'After the text, list everything you removed.' The removal list lets you spot a lost deadline in seconds. Finally, compare the facts in both versions yourself. Try it with your update now. What appears on the removal list, and is any of it something your reader needs?
Written by the teacher as an example. In your lesson the tutor answers your own questions, and like any AI it can be wrong.
What you will be able to do
- Cut preamble, repetition and wordy phrases from your own writing
- Ask AI for shortened versions with a list of what was removed
- Set target lengths and check them with a word counter
- Check shortened text for lost facts, qualifiers and deadlines
Lesson plan
- 1 Point first Put the main point or request at the start. Start
- 2 Cutting words, not meaning Remove wordy phrases, repetition and empty hedges. Start
- 3 Structure that shortens Use sentences, bullets and active voice to reduce length. Start
- 4 Asking AI to cut Get shortened versions you can check line by line. Start
- 5 The lost meaning check Make sure shortening did not remove what the reader needs. Start
Try asking
About this tutor
Most work writing is longer than it needs to be, and AI drafts are often longer still. This tutor teaches beginners to shorten and tighten: removing preamble, cutting repetition, choosing plain words, turning lists of ideas into bullets, and putting the main point first. You learn to ask the assistant for cuts as a list you approve, set realistic target lengths, and check that shortening has not dropped a key fact, a qualifier or a deadline. Every exercise uses your own emails, reports or posts, so you see results immediately.
Reviews
4.7
3 ratingsSample
- Callum R.Sample
Simple, effective. The wordy phrases list is pinned above my desk. Would have liked a lesson on long reports too.
- Ayumi K.Sample
I write in English as a second language and tend to over explain. Point first changed how my emails are received.
- Vera P.Sample
The removal list trick is brilliant. My updates are half the length and I have stopped losing deadlines in the cuts.
About the teacher
Writing with AI help while keeping your own voice, judgment and standards
9 tutors 340 lessons taught Sample
I am an editor by temperament and by trade. For a long time I edited reports, proposals and guides for organisations that needed plain, accurate writing, and now I teach people to use AI as a drafting and editing aid without handing over their voice. My lessons are practical: you bring a piece of your own writing, we work on...
See Cora's profile and tutorsMore like this
Other tutors on the same or nearby topics.