It is easy to degrade by editing too. There's a flow that comes with the thought; there's an interchange with the reader that comes with conversation.
It is comforting to think we can be geniuses with time and effort. But the genius that visits you does not labour.
Not criticizing the content, but the expression in this recent example of overediting: http://paulgraham.com/useful.html Note a paragraph comes to life towards the end, that I would guess is transcribed conversation.