Writing Revision (Three-Pass System)

Table of Contents

• Core Principles
• Workflow
• Pass Overview
• Guardrails
• Quick Reference

Related skills: Use writing-structure-planner for planning structure, writing-stickiness for memorable messaging, writing-pre-publish-checklist for final publishing checks.

Core Principles

1. One focus per pass: Each pass targets one dimension rather than fixing everything at once
2. Cut 10-25%: King's formula - second draft equals first draft minus 10-25%
3. Every word earns its place: If a word doesn't contribute, remove it
4. First reading is correct reading: Readers shouldn't need to re-read sentences (Pinker)
5. Rhythm creates engagement: Varied sentence lengths and strong endings keep readers moving