Further writing is about the goal, describing a hallucination using stilted language for example can actually make things more vivid. Todd opened the curtains and the room got brighter. Was the room illuminated by the sun, moon, streetlights, or did the walls suddenly glow? We don’t know as things have been abstracted to show effects rather than a clear causal chain. The important bit is to be making stylistic choices not simply imitating competence and hoping nobody noticed the difference.
A thesaurus is a tool like any other. A good writer knows how to wield it, poor ones will just cut themselves.
The “Draft #4” methodology doesn’t in itself suggest that the writer is good or bad.