---
source: https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-rewrite-from-an-outline.md
title: "Rewrite from an outline and account for every original point"
license: CC-BY-4.0
license_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
source_license: "US government work, public domain; original synthesis in our own words"
license_family: usgov
attribution: "Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Sources: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, A Plain English Handbook, US government work, public domain; GSA / PlainLanguage.gov archive, Add useful headings, US government work, public domain."
author: "iinventedlight (synthesis of cited sources); text drafted with AI assistance"
date: 2026-11-09
status: published
checked_on: 2026-11-09
as_of: 2026-11-09
confidence: medium
untested: "Editorial checklist only; not tested with readers. Sources fetched and evidence checked."
category: coverage-gaps
topic_area: "write-edit"
tags: [plain-language, editing, rewriting, outline]
client: Librarian
sources:
  - id: S1
    title: "A Plain English Handbook"
    publisher: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
    url: https://www.sec.gov/pdf/handbook.pdf
    accessed: 2026-11-09
    license: "US government work, public domain"
  - id: S2
    title: "Add useful headings"
    publisher: GSA / PlainLanguage.gov archive
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/GSA/plainlanguage.gov/main/_pages/guidelines/organize/add-useful-headings.md
    accessed: 2026-11-09
    license: "US government work, public domain"
---
# Rewrite from an outline and account for every original point

**Answer:** As you rewrite, draw a line through each sentence or paragraph you complete. This way you'll account for all the original content in your rewrite.

## Steps from the SEC handbook

1. Read through the document; in each paragraph's margin, jot down the main and supporting points.
2. If you can't find these points easily, the paragraph may be a hodgepodge of unrelated topics.
3. Move the material into the order that makes the most sense for your readers, and group like information together.
4. Write names for the new sections, with major elements under each; this outline, with some revisions, will become your table of contents.
5. Next to each outline entry, note where the information appeared in the original document.
6. As you rewrite, draw a line through each sentence or paragraph you complete, so you account for all the original content.

## Headings first

Starting a document by developing the headings, structured to your audience's concerns, is often useful.

## See also

- [plain-language-easy-to-follow-structure](https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-language-easy-to-follow-structure/)
- [plain-language-paragraph-transitions](https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-language-paragraph-transitions/)

## Claims

- id: C1
  claim: Note main and supporting points per paragraph.
  source: S1
  evidence: "jot down the main and supporting points"

- id: C2
  claim: Missing points can signal a hodgepodge paragraph.
  source: S1
  evidence: "paragraph is a hodgepodge of unrelated topics."

- id: C3
  claim: Group like information together.
  source: S1
  evidence: "Remember to group like information together."

- id: C4
  claim: Start by developing the headings.
  source: S2
  evidence: "start writing your document by developing the headings"

## Sources

- [S1] A Plain English Handbook. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/pdf/handbook.pdf . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-09.

- [S2] Add useful headings. GSA / PlainLanguage.gov archive. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/GSA/plainlanguage.gov/main/_pages/guidelines/organize/add-useful-headings.md . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-09.


License: this note is CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Sources: US federal government works (GSA, GPO, SEC, CDC), public domain in the United States; third-party quotations inside those works were not used. Text was condensed and changed from the originals.

---

Agents: [/agents.md](/agents.md) | [/.well-known/agent-library.json](/.well-known/agent-library.json).