Get the shape right

Dawn checks the shape of a page before it checks the words. Structure and front-loading come first for a reason. If a paragraph is about to be split in two, there is no point tidying its sentences first. They might end up on different pages.

Here is an opening paragraph from an EHC needs assessment page:

This page explains the process by which parents and carers may request that the local authority undertakes a statutory assessment of their child's special educational needs.

Dawn flags this straight away: "Opening does not get to the point". None of the words from the title turn up in the first sentence, so a reader has to keep reading just to check they are in the right place.

A front-loaded rewrite puts the answer first:

You can ask the local authority to carry out an EHC needs assessment for your child.

Dawn also looks for:

• headings missing altogether, on any page over 120 words
• a paragraph doing too much (over 60 words, or more than 3 sentences)
• a wall of text (over 150 words with nothing to break it up)
• a heading that is a long question, where a short one would scan faster
• a heading that names a thing ("Application") instead of what the reader does ("Apply")

None of this touches individual words yet. That is deliberate. Dawn keeps words and sentences out of the way until the shape is right, then unlocks them.

📝 Paste your own opening paragraph into Dawn and see whether it gets to the point. Share what you found in the discussion.