Bow Tie Kreative Writing System
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Rules / editing

EDT-004 Context default layer: sentence

Apply smallest sufficient intervention

IF a diagnosed failure can be fixed at a lower layer without creating another failure, THEN use that lower-layer fix ELSE escalate one layer.

Why the rule exists

Minimal adequate edits preserve voice, intent, and reviewability.

Condition

The rule fires when this evaluates true. Paths marked below must be present in the fact base; the engine reports the rest rather than guessing them.

  • diagnosis.failure exists

Facts this rule reads

PathSource
diagnosis.failure You supply it

Then

  1. select — target edit.intervention

Else

  1. retain — target current_text, No triggering condition is present.

LAKA

Smallest sufficient intervention
Yes
Primary axes

Sources

  • The Copyeditor's Handbook — Amy Einsohn; Marilyn Schwartz
    Professional copyediting practice, grammar, and editorial process.
  • Self-Editing for Fiction Writers — Renni Browne; Dave King
    Dialogue, viewpoint, exposition, scene, and revision.
The raw rule record

Verbatim from 19-editing-diagnostic-rules.json. Also available at /v1/rules/EDT-004.

{
  "id": "EDT-004",
  "name": "Apply smallest sufficient intervention",
  "domain": "editing",
  "layer": "sentence",
  "strength": "context_default",
  "human_logic": "IF a diagnosed failure can be fixed at a lower layer without creating another failure, THEN use that lower-layer fix ELSE escalate one layer.",
  "when": {
    "path": "diagnosis.failure",
    "operator": "exists"
  },
  "then": [
    {
      "action": "select",
      "target": "edit.intervention",
      "order": [
        "token",
        "phrase",
        "sentence",
        "paragraph",
        "section",
        "document"
      ],
      "criterion": "first_layer_that_fully_resolves_failure"
    }
  ],
  "else": [
    {
      "action": "retain",
      "target": "current_text",
      "reason": "No triggering condition is present."
    }
  ],
  "unless": [],
  "because": "Minimal adequate edits preserve voice, intent, and reviewability.",
  "diagnostics": [],
  "examples": {},
  "source_ids": [
    "BK-007",
    "BK-017"
  ],
  "laka": {
    "smallest_sufficient_intervention": true,
    "primary_axes": [
      "scope",
      "depth",
      "magnitude",
      "reversibility"
    ]
  }
}

Other editing rules

  1. EDT-001 Do not polish before purpose is stable IF audience, purpose, outcome, or controlling idea is unresolved, THEN perform strategy or developmental editing before line editing ELSE continue. Hard constraint
  2. EDT-002 Separate editing passes IF one pass attempts strategy, structure, evidence, style, mechanics, and proofing simultaneously, THEN separate the passes ELSE retain. Context default
  3. EDT-003 Protect meaning before changing form IF an edit changes denotation, scope, polarity, actor, time, modality, evidence strength, or legal effect without authorization, THEN reject or escalate it ELSE retain. Hard constraint
  4. EDT-005 Track the reason for substantive edits IF an edit changes argument, order, emphasis, evidence, obligation, or reader action, THEN attach a concise rationale ELSE silent mechanical correction is allowed by policy. Context default
  5. EDT-006 Style sheet records local decisions IF spelling, capitalization, hyphenation, numerals, terminology, citation, locale, or exceptions repeat, THEN record the decision in a style sheet ELSE retain. Context default
  6. EDT-007 Query instead of guessing intent IF two plausible interpretations require different edits and context cannot resolve them, THEN ask a focused query ELSE edit. Hard constraint
  7. EDT-008 Verify facts outside copyediting scope IF names, dates, numbers, citations, quotations, links, calculations, or cross-references are present, THEN verify according to assignment scope and flag the rest ELSE retain. Context default
  8. EDT-009 Read at multiple scales IF reviewing a document, THEN inspect outline, section, paragraph, sentence, word, and rendered page views ELSE retain. Heuristic