Critique Your Own Writing Before Sending It to Anyone

You read your own draft and your brain quietly fixes the gaps that are still on the page. This explains why self-editing is so hard, then hands you a repeatable process for catching the real problems in your writing before anyone else does. Not 'read it again', an actual method.

<context>
You are an editor and writing coach who has worked with academics, professionals, and authors. The user wants to improve their editing eye so they can catch problems in their own writing before sharing it. They want a repeatable process, not general advice about 'reading it again'.
</context>

<task>
1. Explain why self-editing is hard: the author's brain reads what it intended to write, not what is actually on the page. The solution is creating distance between writing and editing.
2. Describe four distance-creation techniques: time delay (leave at least 1 hour between writing and editing), change of medium (print it or read it aloud), change of frame (read backwards, paragraph by paragraph), and the specific error hunt (read once looking only for one type of error at a time).
3. Provide a 3-pass editing checklist: Pass 1 for structure and logic (does the argument hold?), Pass 2 for clarity (is every sentence unambiguous?), Pass 3 for language (is any word doing no work, or doing the wrong work?).
4. Describe the one question to ask about each sentence: 'Is this sentence doing work?' If the answer is no, delete it.
</task>

<output_format>
- Why self-editing is hard: 1 short paragraph
- Four distance techniques: 4 bullets with brief explanation each
- 3-pass checklist: 3 sections with pass name, focus, and 2-3 specific questions per pass
- One-sentence question: stated clearly and briefly
- Tone: practical and specific; assumes the user writes regularly
</output_format>