How to Edit Without Losing Your Voice Using AI
Make AI a co-editor so your writing is sharper, clearer, and still unmistakably you
Editing is where good writing becomes great — but it’s also the stage where many of us get stuck. You know your piece is too long, too meandering, or not quite clear, but you worry that if you cut too much, you’ll strip away your personality.
That’s exactly why I use AI as an editing partner. Not to rewrite for me, but to reflect my words back with sharper focus while protecting the tone and cadence that make them mine.
I do this constantly — whether I’m drafting a chapter of Disrupting Politics, polishing a newsletter essay, or even tightening a podcast script. And the same approach works whether you’re a writer, a student, or someone who just wants their emails to sound more confident.
Step 1: Start With Your Draft
Copy your draft as is. Don’t pre-edit — the quirks, tangents, and extra words are all part of what AI needs to “hear” your voice.
Anchor Change example: I took a messy 1,200-word book chapter draft and dropped it in, even though I knew it was repetitive and too long.
Step 2: Give AI Guardrails
The biggest mistake people make is asking AI to “make this better.” That’s an invitation for generic, lifeless text. Instead, tell it how you want it to edit. For my book, I had AI draft me a quite lengthy prompt with detailed things to look for. This is a shorter version:
Prompt template:
“Here’s a draft in my voice. Please edit for clarity and concision while keeping the tone conversational, reflective, and a bit playful. Do not add new ideas. Keep all personal details intact. Flag areas that might need more explanation rather than rewriting them.”
This ensures AI sharpens your words without flattening them.
Step 3: Compare Versions
Here’s a real example from editing a draft chapter of Disrupting Politics.
Original draft (before):
In 2013, I had just shifted into a new role at Facebook working on global elections. The scope of the job felt overwhelming. It was exciting, but I often wondered if I was qualified enough to do it. I kept second-guessing myself, replaying conversations in my head. At the same time, there was no roadmap. No one had done this work before, and I had to figure it out as I went. I wanted to prove myself, but the pressure sometimes made me freeze.
AI-edited draft (after, with guardrails + edits shown):
In 2013, I shifted into a new role at Facebook working on global elections. The scope felt overwhelming — exciting, but I often wondered if I was qualified. I kept second-guessing myself, replaying conversations in my head. At the same time, there was no roadmap. No one had done this work before, and I had to figure it out as I went. I wanted to prove myself, but the pressure sometimes made me freeze.
Key changes (highlighted):
Cut “I had just” → “I” (tighter, keeps immediacy).
Changed “The scope of the job felt overwhelming” → “The scope felt overwhelming” (less formal).
Replaced “if I was qualified enough to do it” → “if I was qualified” (streamlined without changing meaning).
Notice what didn’t change: the vulnerability, the rhythm, the detail that makes the scene yours. AI didn’t replace my storytelling — it polished it so the emotion comes through more clearly.
Step 4: Push for Reflection Questions
Editing isn’t only about cleaner prose. It’s about asking: does this say what I mean? Do I sound like myself? This is where AI can act like a mirror.
Prompt template:
“Based on this draft, ask me 3–4 questions that would help me sharpen the piece while keeping my voice intact.”
For my book chapter, AI asked:
Which of these anecdotes is most essential to the story — and which could be trimmed without losing impact?
Describe what it was like pitching the idea for the global team to Facebook leadership? How did you feel? Were you nervous? Describe the room.
Where might adding one personal detail make the argument land more strongly?
These questions didn’t replace my judgment. They guided it.
Step 5: Customize for Context
Once you’ve got a clean version, ask AI to adapt it for the audience or platform you’re writing for.
Prompt template:
“Take this edited version and make it fit a newsletter audience. Shorter paragraphs, more scannable, keep the reflective tone.”
This lets you keep one authentic voice but tailor it across formats — book, blog, speech, or even social media.
Why This Works Beyond Writers
Students: Clean up essays while keeping your personal style.
Professionals: Make reports sharper without sounding like corporate jargon.
Leaders: Edit speeches to be more memorable and human.
It’s not about outsourcing your voice — it’s about protecting it.
Try This Today
Take a rough draft (essay, email, or even a long Slack message).
Ask AI to edit with guardrails (tone, details, no new ideas).
Compare versions side by side.
Push for reflection questions.
Adapt the edited version for your audience.
✅ Anchor Change takeaway: Editing is where your voice is most vulnerable. By setting guardrails and asking reflective questions, AI becomes a coach and cheerleader — helping you sharpen your writing while sounding even more like yourself.
Great suggestions! I've found this Substack hopping from link to link and this article caught my eye because I do edit some my non-fiction writing through GenAI, mostly to reduce the word count. I know I'm verbose with a tendency to long sentences, and as a non-native English speaker, I'm always learning. I've intuitively been doing some of this (my prompts always include variations of "maintain my original voice and vocabulary as much as possible," "do not add new ideas or delete key ideas"), but I'll add point 4 and some of the prompt wording to my workflow from here on!
Fantastic suggestion to “flag areas that might need more explanation rather than rewriting them”! It seems underrated in general to ask not only for edits but for very specific feedback; I’ve tried “are there any sections that might sound arrogant?” and I found the flags helpful.