# Check whether a draft reads like AI, and fix it: prompt chain Scan a draft for the common tells of machine writing, mark each one, rewrite only the marked sentences, then scan again until the count of tells reaches zero. **Made for:** Anyone who sends AI-assisted writing under their own name and wants it to read naturally. ## Before you start Have these ready: - **The draft** (required): Paste the draft as it stands. Keep it to a few pages at most. - **How it should sound** (required): Describe the voice you want in a few words, and who reads it. **How to use this chain** 1. Open a new chat in any AI assistant. 2. Copy the Step 1 prompt, replace every [PASTE HERE: ...] slot with your material, and send it. 3. Keep each answer: later steps ask you to paste it in. Run each step in the same chat or a new one; a new chat keeps steps from blurring together. 4. After a step that has a check, run the check before you move on. ## Step 1: Scan for tells of AI writing Find and list every sentence that shows a common tell of machine writing. Copy this prompt: ````text You are a careful editor who spots writing that sounds machine-made. Your task is to find every place in the draft below that shows one of these tells: 1. Stock openers and closers, such as "In today's fast-paced world" or "In conclusion". 2. Filler lead-ins, such as "It is important to note that" or "It is worth mentioning". 3. Inflated or overused words, such as leverage, seamless, robust, delve, empower, unlock, landscape, tapestry, game-changer. 4. The pattern "not just X, but Y" or "not only X, but also Y". 5. Lists of exactly three things used by habit, when two or four would be as true. 6. A closing sentence that repeats what the paragraph already said. 7. Big claims with no detail: no number, name, date or example behind them. 8. Long dashes used as punctuation, or bold text and headings in a short piece. 9. Many sentences of nearly the same length and shape in a row. The draft: [PASTE HERE: The draft] How it should sound: [PASTE HERE: How it should sound] Rules: - Copy the quote word for word from the draft. Quote only the sentence or phrase that shows the tell. - Give one row per tell found. If one sentence shows two tells, use two rows. - Do not rewrite anything yet. Do not list ordinary plain writing. Return one markdown table, then one last line: | # | Quote | Sign (the number and short name from the list above) | Tells found: (the number of rows) If you find none, keep the table, add one row that says "None found", and end with "Tells found: 0". ```` **You get back:** A numbered table of every tell found with the exact words, and a count. **Check after Step 1: Every quote is really in the draft** Check by eye: Every quote in the Quote column appears word for word in the draft. If it does not pass: Run the step once more, and add what was wrong to the end of the prompt. If it still does not pass, fix it by hand and make a note of it. ## Step 2: Rewrite the marked sentences Rewrite only the marked sentences in plain words, keeping the meaning and every fact. Copy this prompt: ````text You are a skilled writer who rewrites stiff text so it sounds like a real person. Your task is to rewrite the draft below, changing only the sentences marked in the list of tells. The draft: [PASTE HERE: The draft] The marked sentences: [PASTE HERE: the answer from Step 1 (Scan for tells of AI writing)] How it should sound: [PASTE HERE: How it should sound] Rules: - Change only the marked sentences. Leave every other sentence exactly as it is. - Keep the meaning, every number, every name and every date. Do not add facts. - For a big claim with no detail, either use a detail that is already in the draft, or cut the claim. Do not make up a detail. - Use plain words and vary the sentence length. Do not replace one stock phrase with another. - Do not use long dashes as punctuation. Return the full revised draft and nothing else, with no note about what you changed. ```` **You get back:** The full revised draft, with only the marked sentences changed. **Check after Step 2: No number was added or changed** Check by eye: Every number in the answer also appears in the draft. If it does not pass: Run the step once more, and add what was wrong to the end of the prompt. If it still does not pass, fix it by hand and make a note of it. ## Step 3: Scan again Scan the revised draft for the same tells, and count what is left. Copy this prompt: ````text You are a careful editor who spots writing that sounds machine-made. Your task is to scan the revised draft below for these tells and list every one that remains: 1. Stock openers and closers. 2. Filler lead-ins such as "It is important to note that". 3. Inflated or overused words such as leverage, seamless, robust, delve, empower, unlock. 4. The pattern "not just X, but Y" or "not only X, but also Y". 5. Lists of exactly three things used by habit. 6. A closing sentence that repeats the paragraph. 7. Big claims with no detail behind them. 8. Long dashes used as punctuation, or bold text and headings in a short piece. 9. Many sentences of the same length and shape in a row. The revised draft: [PASTE HERE: the answer from Step 2 (Rewrite the marked sentences)] Rules: - Copy each quote word for word. Count honestly: do not write 0 unless you checked every sentence against every tell. - Do not rewrite anything in this step. Return one markdown table, then one last line: | # | Quote | Sign | Tells found: (the number of rows) If you find none, keep the table, add one row that says "None found", and end with "Tells found: 0". ```` **You get back:** A second table of any tells left, and a count that should be zero. **Check after Step 3: The count of tells is zero** Check by eye: The answer includes the words "Tells found: 0". If it does not pass: Run the step once more, and add what was wrong to the end of the prompt. If it still does not pass, fix it by hand and make a note of it. ## Final checks Run these on the finished result. **Final check 1: The final count is zero** Check by eye: The answer includes the words "Tells found: 0". If it does not pass: Run the step once more, and add what was wrong to the end of the prompt. If it still does not pass, fix it by hand and make a note of it. **Final check 2: The meaning did not change** Open a new chat (so the check is not swayed by the work) and paste this check prompt: ````text You are a careful reviewer. You do not fix or rewrite the work; you only decide whether it passes one check. The check: The meaning did not change Compare the revised draft with the original below. Does the revised draft say the same things, with every fact, name and date kept, and nothing added or dropped? The original draft: [PASTE HERE: The draft] The work to check (the answer from Step 2 (Rewrite the marked sentences)): [PASTE HERE: the answer from Step 2 (Rewrite the marked sentences)] Reply with exactly PASS or FAIL on the first line. On the second line, say in one sentence why. If it fails, name the exact item or line that fails. Do not add anything else. ```` If it does not pass: Run the step once more, and add what was wrong to the end of the prompt. If it still does not pass, fix it by hand and make a note of it. **Final check 3: It sounds like you** Ask yourself: Read the revised draft aloud. Would you say these words to the reader? Mark anything that still sounds stiff and fix it in your own words. If it does not pass: Carry on, but write down the problem so whoever uses the result knows about it. ## What you end up with - The revised draft with the tells of AI writing removed. - A list of what was found and a count that has reached zero. ## Changing this chain - To add a tell of your own (a phrase you are tired of seeing), add it to the lists in both scan steps, the same wording in both. - To remove a tell you do not mind, delete it from both lists and renumber them. - If the second scan will not reach zero after two tries, fix the last few sentences yourself. A person editing the last bit is a good result. - For very long drafts, run the whole template on one section at a time. --- From Logic Lab (logiclabhq.com). Free to use and adapt, with credit.