# Edit a draft for clarity

Make a draft clearer for a named reader while keeping your meaning and voice, with a short list of what changed and why.

Paste into: **a new Claude conversation**

## Prompt template

How the builder on the page fills in this template, so you can do the same:

- `{{key}}` becomes the text entered for that field, exactly as typed. Empty text, or text that is only whitespace (spaces, tabs or line breaks), counts as empty: a required field then becomes `[fill in: <label>]` with its label, and an optional field becomes nothing.
- For a choice field, `{{key}}` becomes the text of the chosen option, or of the default when none is chosen.
- Text between `{{#key}}` and `{{/key}}` stays only when that field is not empty; a choice field always counts as filled. The markers themselves are removed, and a marker that stands alone on its line takes its line break with it.
- Each value is inserted once, as it is: `{{…}}` inside a value stays as typed.

```text
<draft>
{{draft}}
</draft>

Edit the draft above so it is clearer for this reader: {{audience}}

Tone: {{tone}}
{{#keep}}
Do not change: {{keep}}
{{/keep}}

How to edit:
- Keep my meaning, facts and voice. Improve wording, order and structure, not the substance.
- Cut repetition and filler. Prefer short sentences and familiar words, and explain any term this reader may not know.
- Keep roughly the same length unless shorter is clearly better.
- Do not add new claims, numbers or examples.

Return the edited draft first. Then list up to five substantive changes, one line each, with the reason. If no changes are needed, say so. If a sentence is ambiguous and you are not sure what I meant, keep it as is and point it out rather than guessing.
```

## Fields

- `{{draft}}` (required): Your draft. Paste the whole piece so Claude can see the structure, not just one paragraph.
- `{{audience}}` (required): Who will read it.
- `{{tone}}`: Tone. Choose one:
  - Keep my current tone (default)
  - A little more formal
  - A little more casual
  - More direct and concise
- `{{keep}}`: Anything that must not change. Optional. Terms, facts or passages Claude must leave exactly as they are.

This site doesn't run Claude or show model output. Results depend on your input and the model you use.

## When to use this template

- You have a draft that says the right things but reads as long, vague or hard to follow.
- You are writing for a reader who is different from you, such as customers, executives or newcomers, and want the language adjusted for them.
- You want to see what was changed and why, so you can learn from the edit instead of just accepting it.

## When not to use it

- The draft is missing content or the argument itself is weak. Fix the substance first; the critique template is a better start for that.
- You need a translation or a completely different format, such as turning notes into a slide outline. Ask for that directly.
- The text is legal or regulatory wording where exact phrasing matters. Have it checked by someone responsible for it.

## Why this structure

- The draft comes first inside `<draft>` tags, which helps Claude tell your text apart from the editing instructions that follow it.
- The reader is a required field because clarity depends on who is reading; the same sentence can be clear to a specialist and confusing to a newcomer.
- The "Do not change" line appears only when you fill it in and protects names, quotes or facts that must survive the edit.
- The editing rules separate wording from substance and rule out new claims, which asks Claude to keep the edited version yours.
- Asking for the edited draft first and then up to five substantive changes with reasons gives you a clean copy plus a short explanation you can check quickly.

## Example input (fictional)

Your draft:

```
We are reaching out in order to let you know that, going forward, the Maple Street library (fictional) will be closed on Mondays due to the fact that staffing levels have been reduced, and also opening hours on other days will be extended by one hour.
```

Who will read it:

```
library members who read the newsletter
```

Tone:

```
More direct and concise
```

Anything that must not change:

```
Maple Street library
```

## Follow-ups to send Claude

- Show the changes for the second paragraph as before and after, so I can compare them line by line.
- Now make it 30 percent shorter without dropping any of the facts.
- Which sentences would still confuse this reader, and why?

## Common mistakes

- Pasting one paragraph out of a longer piece. Claude cannot fix flow and repetition it cannot see.
- Leaving the reader as "everyone". Pick the main reader; writing for everyone usually means writing for no one in particular.
- Accepting an edit that quietly changed a fact or a promise. Compare numbers, dates and commitments with your original before you send it.

## Related templates

- [Reply to an email](https://awesomeclaudeprompts.com/prompts/reply-to-email/): Draft a reply that addresses each question in an email, aims at your goal in the tone you choose, and flags what you still need to decide.
- [Summarize a document](https://awesomeclaudeprompts.com/prompts/summarize-document/): Turn a long document into a faithful summary: main point first, key points by importance, then decisions and open questions.
- [Critique an argument](https://awesomeclaudeprompts.com/prompts/critique-argument/): Test an argument before you rely on it: its main claim, hidden assumptions, weak links and the strongest objection, with fixes.

## Sources

- [Prompting best practices: Be clear and direct](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/prompt-engineering/claude-prompting-best-practices#be-clear-and-direct) (Anthropic documentation)
- [Prompting best practices: Structure prompts with XML tags](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/prompt-engineering/claude-prompting-best-practices#structure-prompts-with-xml-tags) (Anthropic documentation)

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