Line editing with AI: tighten prose, keep your voice
Line edits are where bots most easily flatten voice.
What to do
- Ask for tracked suggestions, not a rewrite.
- Tell it what to preserve (dialect, rhythm, fragments).
- Accept maybe a third of suggestions.
- Read aloud after editing.
Copy this prompt
Suggest line edits for this passage as a list: original phrase, suggestion, reason. Preserve my voice: [describe]. Don't change dialect or intentional fragments.
[paste]Check the bot's work
Keep a copy of the original.
Questions
Can I trust the bot on line editing?
Use it to plan and explain, then verify. Keep a copy of the original.
Which bot works best?
Grok Bot, ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini all handle this prompt. Paste the same prompt into two and compare; disagreements show where to check a source.
Where these facts come from
- U.S. Copyright Office: Copyright and Artificial Intelligence
- U.S. Copyright Office: Registration guidance for works containing AI-generated material (2023)
- Poetry Foundation: Glossary of poetic terms
Copyright rules for AI-assisted work are evolving. This is general information, not legal advice. Checked Oct 30, 2026.
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