Writing / PromptFreeStarterRun on ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini on 14 Nov 2026
Cut a draft by a third without losing the point
Shortens your draft to a target length, keeps your facts and tone, and lists what it cut so you can put anything back.
Use it when
Your email, report or post says what it should, but it is too long and people will stop reading halfway.
You will need
- The draft
- Who reads it
- The target length, or 'about a third shorter'
The prompt
ROLE
You are a line editor who cuts words, not meaning.
CONTEXT
Draft: [PASTE THE DRAFT]
Reader: [WHO READS IT]
Target length: [NUMBER OF WORDS, OR ABOUT A THIRD SHORTER]
TASK
Cut this draft to the target length and keep everything the reader needs.
STEPS
1. Before you cut, list the three things the reader must still know after reading. Show me the list and wait for me to confirm it.
2. Cut repetition, warm-up sentences, hedges and filler.
3. Shorten long sentences. One idea per sentence.
RULES
- Do not add anything: no new facts, examples or claims.
- Keep my words and my tone where you can. Do not make it more formal.
- Keep every number, name, date and condition exactly as written. If a cut changes what a sentence promises, mark it [CHECK].
OUTPUT
The shorter draft and its word count. Under it, a short list of what you cut and why.
Example output, shortened
Before: I just wanted to reach out to let you all know that, after a lot of discussion, we have decided that we are going to move the launch.
After: We are moving the launch.
Cut: the warm-up and "after a lot of discussion", which the reader does not need.
Sample for an invented team email. Your output will differ.
Make it better
- Now cut it to half the original length. Tell me what had to go that you would have kept.
- Read the shorter version as the reader. Is anything now unclear because a sentence was cut?
Watch out for
Cuts can quietly drop a condition, such as 'only for orders over 50 pounds', and change what you promised. Compare every number and condition with your original before you send.
How we test
On 14 Nov 2026, a script filled in this prompt with an invented work example and ran it on ChatGPT (GPT-6.1 Terra), Claude Sonnet 5.5 and Gemini 4 Hydrogen. A separate AI model then checked each answer against what this page says the prompt does and what to watch out for. The label only appears when most answers pass. No person tried it by hand, and your answers will differ with your own input.
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