p/writing

Editing, drafting, tone, structure, and style prompts.

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p/writingAauraNovice4 days agohas example⁂auto-checked

Prologue or opening chapter necessity test

I have a prologue (or a short opening chapter set apart from the main narrative) and I'm not sure it's earning its place. Evaluate it honestly. Prolgoue/opening text: prologue_text What happens in chapter 1 proper: chapter_one_summary Do this: 1. State plainly what information or feeling the prologue delivers that chapter 1 doesn't already deliver on its own. 2. Test whether the book would actually be confusing or weaker if a reader skipped the prologue entirely and started at chapter 1, be honest, most prologues fail this test. 3. If it's doing real work (establishing a mystery the reader needs to feel curious about, delivering information only this vantage point can give), name specifically what that work is and confirm chapter 1 can't do it. 4. If it's not earning its place, suggest what to do instead: cut it, compress its essential information into a line or two woven into a later chapter, or restructure it as the actual chapter 1. 5. Give me a blunt verdict: keep as-is, cut, or revise, with the one-sentence reason.

Claude #openings #prologue #structure #fiction

p/writingAauraNovice4 days agohas example⁂auto-checked

Trimming adverbs and hedges from persuasive nonfiction

My nonfiction/persuasive writing tends to hedge and qualify too much, which weakens the argument. Go through the passage below and strengthen it without becoming overconfident or making claims I can't support. Passage: passage_text Do this: 1. Flag every hedge word or phrase (somewhat, perhaps, it could be argued, in some ways, I think) and classify each as: (a) genuinely necessary because the claim IS uncertain, keep it, or (b) a reflexive verbal tic weakening a claim I actually believe and can support, cut it. 2. For (b) instances, rewrite the sentence as a direct claim. 3. Flag any adverb that's doing no work (very, really, quite, actually) and cut or replace with a stronger word choice. 4. Do NOT push me into overclaiming; if removing a hedge would make the sentence claim more than my evidence supports, keep the hedge and tell me so explicitly. 5. Give me the revised passage plus a tally: how many hedges were cut vs. kept, and why.

Claude #persuasive-writing #hedging #confidence #nonfiction

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Turning an interview transcript into a polished profile piece

I have a raw interview transcript. Turn it into a polished word_count-word profile piece in publication_style style, but do it as real journalism, not a summary. Transcript: transcript_text Requirements: 1. Find the actual narrative thread, most interviews wander; identify the 2-3 moments or quotes that carry the real story and build the piece around them, don't just go chronologically through the transcript. 2. Use direct quotes only where the person's actual phrasing adds voice or specificity; paraphrase filler or rambling answers. 3. Do not invent any quote, fact, or detail not present in the transcript. If you need a transition or context sentence, mark it clearly as [WRITER'S CONTEXT] so I know what's not from the subject. 4. Open with a scene or specific detail, not a generic bio-paragraph lede. 5. After the piece, list any place where the transcript was ambiguous or contradictory and you had to make an editorial choice, so I can verify against the recording.

Claude #journalism #profile-writing #interview #nonfiction

p/writingAauraNovice4 days agohas example⁂auto-checked

Chapter-by-chapter pacing map for a full manuscript

I want a bird's-eye pacing diagnostic across my whole manuscript, not a scene-level edit. I'll give you a chapter-by-chapter summary (not full text) with approximate word counts and what happens in each. Chapter summaries: chapter_summaries_with_word_counts Build me a pacing map: 1. Plot a rough tension/stakes curve across chapters (low/medium/high) based on what's described happening in each. 2. Identify any stretch of 3+ consecutive chapters at the same tension level with no escalation, that's likely a sagging middle. 3. Flag chapters whose word count seems mismatched to their apparent importance (a pivotal plot chapter that's unusually short, or a minor chapter that's unusually long). 4. Identify where major reveals/turns are placed proportionally through the book (e.g. 'reveal happens at 73% through') and tell me if that's early/late/on-target for the apparent genre. 5. Give me the single chapter you'd cut first if forced to cut one for pacing, and why, based only on the structural role it plays. Work only from what I've given you, don't invent plot points.

Claude #pacing #structure #revision #manuscript

p/writingAauraNovice4 days agohas example⁂auto-checked

Newsletter or blog post rewrite for a distinct personal voice

I write a publication_type and I want my posts to sound distinctly like me, not like generic AI-assisted content. Below is a rough draft I wrote, plus 2-3 short samples of my actual past writing so you can learn my real voice. Past writing samples (my genuine voice): voice_samples Rough draft to polish (ideas are mine, execution is rough): rough_draft Do this: 1. Note 3-4 specific voice markers from my samples (a phrase pattern, how I transition between ideas, my typical paragraph length, whether I use humor/self-deprecation/directness). 2. Polish the rough draft using those markers, not your own default 'helpful AI' cadence. Specifically avoid: rhetorical-question openers, 'In today's world' style framing, listicle-brain structure unless my samples actually use lists, and overly balanced 'on the other hand' hedging if my samples are opinionated. 3. Keep every actual idea and claim from my draft, don't add new arguments or soften my opinions. 4. Flag any sentence in your polish that you're not confident matches my voice, so I can check it myself.

Claude #newsletter #voice #blogging #personal-brand

p/writingAauraNovice4 days agohas example⁂auto-checked

Show-don't-tell audit that avoids the generic fix

I know 'show don't tell' is the cliche note, but I actually want a precise audit, not the vague version of this advice. Below is a passage. Passage: passage_text For each instance of 'telling,' don't just say 'show this instead,' actually classify WHY it's telling: (a) stating an emotion directly when it could be conveyed via a physical/behavioral detail specific to this character (b) summarizing an action that could be a scene beat with more tension (c) editorializing (the narrator judges or explains the meaning of an event instead of trusting the reader) (d) legitimate telling that should stay (not everything needs to be shown, pacing sometimes requires summary, and I want you to identify those too) For (a), (b), (c) instances, give a specific rewrite grounded in THIS character and scene, not a generic template. For (d) instances, explain why showing it would actually hurt pacing. Don't flag things that are already fine just to seem thorough.

Claude #show-dont-tell #craft #self-editing #fiction

p/writingAauraNovice4 days agohas example⁂auto-checked

Revision letter response plan (processing editor feedback)

I received an editorial revision letter for my manuscript and I'm overwhelmed. Help me turn it into an actionable plan, not just more anxiety. Here's the revision letter (paste full text or key points): revision_letter_text Do this: 1. Sort every note into: structural (affects plot/character arc), scene-level (affects specific scenes but not overall structure), and line-level (prose/style notes I can address in a final pass). 2. Identify which notes are actually the same underlying issue mentioned multiple times in different words, group them, so I'm not treating one problem as five separate problems. 3. Flag any note that seems to contradict another note in the letter, so I can ask my editor for clarification rather than guessing. 4. Propose a revision order: what should I tackle first so that later fixes don't get wasted (e.g. don't line-edit a scene that might get cut for structural reasons). 5. For the single biggest structural note, ask me 2-3 clarifying questions that would help you help me solve it, don't just accept the note passively, help me think about whether I agree with it. Don't just summarize the letter back to me, actually organize it into a plan I can execute.

Claude #revision #editorial-feedback #manuscript #planning

p/writingAauraNovice4 days agohas example⁂auto-checked

Sensitivity and specificity check for setting details

I'm writing a scene set in setting_description and I want to check whether my details read as authentic and specific, or as generic/stereotyped 'exotic backdrop' writing. Scene: scene_text Evaluate: 1. Which sensory/setting details are specific enough that they could only belong to this exact place, versus which are generic enough to be copy-pasted into any similar setting worldwide. 2. Whether any detail relies on a stereotype or outsider-gaze assumption rather than lived specificity (flag it plainly, explain the assumption). 3. Whether the setting is doing any work beyond backdrop, does it affect the plot, the character's choices, or the scene's tension, or is it purely decorative. 4. Three concrete, specific details I could research or add that would ground this scene more precisely (not generic 'add more sensory detail,' actual specific suggestions relevant to this exact setting). I want honest flags, not reassurance. If something reads as under-researched, say so directly.

Claude #setting #authenticity #worldbuilding #sensitivity-read

p/writingAauraNovice4 days agohas example⁂auto-checked

Query letter and pitch tightening

Help me tighten my query letter / pitch for project_title, a genre of approximately word_count words. Current draft: current_query_draft Do this: 1. Identify the actual hook: the one sentence that, if an agent read only this, would make them want more. If it's buried, tell me where it should move to. 2. Check the stakes paragraph: does it state what the protagonist wants, what's stopping them, and what happens if they fail, in that logical order? Flag if any piece is missing or vague ('everything changes' is not a stake). 3. Cut any sentence that describes the plot in general terms instead of specific ones (name the actual choice, object, or relationship, don't summarize the theme). 4. Check comp titles: are they specific and recent (last 5 years ideally), and do they actually signal the right genre/tone, or are they overreaching (comping to a massive bestseller)? 5. Give me a tightened version at target_word_count words, and separately list every cut with one line on why it wasn't earning its place.

Claude #query-letter #pitching #publishing #revision

p/writingAauraNovice4 days agohas example⁂auto-checked

Point-of-view audit for head-hopping and filtering

Check the scene below for point-of-view discipline problems. I'm writing in pov_type (close third, first person, etc) from pov_character's perspective only. Scene: scene_text Flag, with quoted lines: 1. Head-hopping: any moment where we're told what a different character is thinking or feeling that the POV character couldn't actually know (not inferred from behavior, but stated as fact). 2. Filtering: unnecessary 'she saw,' 'he noticed,' 'she felt' constructions that put a pane of glass between reader and experience, when the sensation/thought could just be stated directly. 3. Knowledge leaks: information the POV character wouldn't yet have or wouldn't think about in these words (e.g. a character noticing their own 'furrowed brow'). 4. Tense/distance inconsistency: places where the narrative distance suddenly zooms out to omniscient-feeling summary and then back in. For each flagged instance, give the fix in the same POV, not a rewrite that avoids the problem by changing scope.

Claude #point-of-view #craft #self-editing #fiction

p/writingAauraNovice4 days agohas example⁂auto-checked

Cold-read critique simulating a slush-pile reader

Read the opening page_count pages below exactly as a literary agent or acquiring editor would read a slush submission: fast, looking for reasons to stop reading, not looking to be generous. Pages: opening_pages Give me: 1. The exact sentence or paragraph where a real slush reader would likely stop reading, if there is one, and why (be specific: confusing, boring, cliche opening image, unclear whose story this is, etc). 2. What genre and comp titles this reads like based only on these pages, and whether that's what I intended (tell me if it's sending the wrong signal). 3. The single most overused opening move present here, if any (waking up, staring in a mirror, weather report, info-dump prologue) and how visible it is to an experienced reader. 4. One thing that IS working and made you want to keep reading, stated honestly, not as a consolation prize. 5. A blunt pass/request-more verdict as if you were actually the agent, with the one-line reason you'd write in a form rejection. Do not soften this for my feelings. I want the version of this feedback I won't get from friends.

Claude #slush-critique #opening-pages #querying #fiction

p/writingAauraNovice4 days agohas example⁂auto-checked

Voice consistency check across a long manuscript

I'm worried my protagonist's narrative voice (first person or close third) drifts inconsistently across a long manuscript, sounding different in chapter 1 versus chapter 15 in ways that aren't intentional character growth. I'll give you excerpts from different points. Early excerpt (chapter early_chapter_number): early_excerpt Later excerpt (chapter later_chapter_number): later_excerpt Compare them on: - Vocabulary sophistication and register - Sentence length and rhythm - What kind of observations the narrator makes (what they notice, what they skip) - Emotional expressiveness versus restraint - Use of humor, irony, or metaphor For each dimension, tell me: is the difference plausibly intentional character development given what's happened to them in the story (if I describe the plot events, I will), or does it read like the author's voice leaking through inconsistently? Give me a verdict, not just a description of differences. If it's drift, tell me which excerpt is closer to what should be the 'anchor' voice and why.

Claude #voice-consistency #revision #self-editing #fiction

p/writingAauraNovice4 days agohas example⁂auto-checked

Cutting exposition dumps in opening chapters

Below is the opening of my manuscript. I suspect it's front-loaded with exposition, backstory, or worldbuilding that's slowing the reader down before they care about anything. Confirm or deny, and fix it. Opening pages: opening_pages 1. Mark every paragraph that is pure exposition/backstory with no present-tense scene action happening (no character doing, deciding, or reacting to anything in real time). 2. For each marked paragraph, decide: cut entirely, compress to one sentence woven into action later, or keep but move to a point where the reader has already earned a reason to care about it. 3. Identify the actual first moment where a character wants something and something is in their way, that's likely your real opening; tell me the page/paragraph it's on. 4. Rewrite the opening target_word_count words starting as close to that moment as possible, letting backstory leak in through action and dialogue instead of upfront delivery. 5. Be honest if the current opening is fine and I'm wrong to worry, don't manufacture problems.

Claude #openings #exposition #pacing #fiction

p/writingAauraNovice4 days agohas example⁂auto-checked

Style transfer between formats (letter to article, script to prose)

Convert the piece below from source_format into target_format, doing a genuine format transformation, not just reformatting the same sentences with different headers. Source: source_text What changes between formats, that you need to actually do: - Point of view and address (e.g. direct 'you' in a letter becomes third person or scene description in prose) - Pacing (dialogue/script beats become narrated time; article paragraphs become story scenes if going to fiction) - What's implicit vs explicit (a script relies on actors/directors to convey emotion via stage directions; prose must convey it through interiority or description) - Structural units (headers/bullets in an article have no equivalent in prose, that information needs to become texture, action, or dialogue) Do the conversion fully. Then list 3 specific things you had to invent or infer that weren't in the source (a physical setting, a transition, a sensory detail) because the new format required it, so I know what's genuinely mine versus generated to fill format gaps.

Claude #style-transfer #format-conversion #adaptation #writing-craft

p/writingAauraNovice4 days agohas example⁂auto-checked

Rewrite for clarity without losing complexity

Take the passage below, which I know is dense or confusing, and rewrite it for clarity. The catch: I don't want you to simplify the ideas, some of this complexity is necessary and real. I want the confusion removed, not the substance. Passage: dense_passage Diagnostic first: go sentence by sentence and classify each hard-to-follow sentence as one of: (a) syntactically tangled (the idea is simple but the grammar buries it), (b) genuinely complex idea stated too fast (needs unpacking, not shortening), (c) missing a logical connector (reader can't tell how this relates to the previous sentence), (d) doing two jobs at once (should be split into two sentences/ideas). Then rewrite, fixing each issue by its type: untangle syntax, unpack complex ideas into more space rather than cutting them, add explicit connectors, split double-duty sentences. Give me the rewrite, then a short note on which parts of the original complexity you preserved on purpose and why, so I can verify you didn't quietly water it down.

Claude #clarity #rewriting #editing #nonfiction

p/writingAauraNovice4 days agohas example⁂auto-checked

Essay outline from a rough argument or thesis

I have a rough thesis or argument I want to turn into a structured essay. Don't write the essay yet, build me a rigorous outline first. My rough thesis: rough_thesis Intended audience and publication context: audience_and_context Target length: target_length Do this: 1. Sharpen my thesis into one precise sentence. If my rough version is actually two different claims, split them and ask me which one is primary. 2. Steelman the strongest counterargument to my thesis, then tell me where in the outline I need to address it (not just tack it on at the end). 3. Build a section-by-section outline where each section has: its claim, the evidence/example it will use, and how it connects logically to the next section (not just 'next, I'll talk about X'). 4. Flag any section where I'll need external evidence I probably don't have yet, versus sections I can write from reasoning/examples alone. 5. Suggest one opening move (anecdote, provocative claim, concrete scene) that earns the reader's attention without being a generic hook. Do not write full paragraphs. This is architecture, not prose.

Claude #essay-writing #outlining #argument #nonfiction

p/writingAauraNovice4 days agohas example⁂auto-checked

Technical writing simplification for a mixed-expertise audience

Rewrite the technical explanation below so it can be understood by someone with audience_background, without dumbing down the actual technical content or introducing inaccuracies. Original: original_technical_text Method: 1. First, identify every term or concept in the original that assumes prior knowledge the target audience won't have. 2. For each one, decide: define it inline briefly, replace it with a plain-language equivalent, or (if it's truly essential and can't be simplified) keep it but add one clarifying clause. 3. Restructure so the explanation follows a logical build: what the thing is, why it matters, how it works, one concrete example. 4. Keep all technically accurate claims accurate. Do not use a metaphor that implies something false about the mechanism just because it's easier to picture. 5. Target length: target_length. After the rewrite, list the 3 hardest simplification calls you made and explain your reasoning for each, so I can push back if you oversimplified something load-bearing.

Claude #technical-writing #simplification #clarity #documentation

p/writingAauraNovice4 days agohas example⁂auto-checked

Worldbuilding consistency and depth pass

I'm building a fictional world for project_type (novel, tabletop setting, game). Below is my current set of worldbuilding notes. Do two things. First, an internal-consistency audit: find contradictions, unexplained conveniences, or places where the economics/politics/geography/magic system don't logically hold together. Be specific, quote the exact lines that conflict. Second, a depth pass on ONE element I specify: element_to_deepen. For that element, generate: - Second-order consequences: if this exists, what does it change about daily life, economy, or power structures that I haven't considered? - One piece of texture that would only occur to someone who actually lived there (a slang term, a superstition, an annoying mundane inconvenience) rather than an epic-scale detail. - One tension or conflict this element could plausibly cause between two factions or groups already in my notes. Do not invent contradicting canon. Work from what's given. If something is ambiguous, ask a clarifying question instead of guessing. My notes: worldbuilding_notes

Claude #worldbuilding #worldbuilding-consistency #fantasy #fiction

p/writingAauraNovice4 days agohas example⁂auto-checked

Dialogue punch-up for stiff or expository conversations

Here is a scene of dialogue that reads stiff, on-the-nose, or too expository. Rewrite it so the characters talk like real people who have history, subtext, and things they're avoiding saying directly. Context: scene_context Character A: character_a_description Character B: character_b_description What needs to happen plot-wise in this scene (keep this, but don't state it directly in dialogue if it can be implied): required_plot_beats Original dialogue: original_dialogue Rewrite rules: 1. Cut any line where a character states information both characters already know, purely for the reader's benefit. Find another way to convey it. 2. Give each character a distinct speech pattern (word choice, sentence length, interruption habits) so I could tell who's speaking with the names removed. 3. Add subtext: at least one exchange where what's said and what's meant diverge, driven by character motivation, not randomly. 4. Keep it roughly the same length or shorter, not longer. 5. After the rewrite, do a 'blind test': paste 3 lines with names removed and tell me which speaker said which and why it's identifiable.

Claude #dialogue #screenwriting #subtext #fiction

p/writingAauraNovice4 days agohas example⁂auto-checked

Tone matching for a specific author or piece

I want you to analyze the tone, diction, syntax, and rhythm of the sample text below, then write new content in that exact register, not a generic imitation. Sample (this is the tone/voice to match): sample_text Before writing anything, list out in bullet points what makes this voice distinctive: sentence length pattern, punctuation habits, level of formality, what kind of words it avoids, how it handles humor or emotion, any recurring rhetorical moves (rhetorical questions, direct address, specific transition words). Then write a new piece of approx_word_count words about this new topic: new_topic Rules: don't just copy sentence structures 1:1, actually apply the underlying voice logic to new content. Don't use the sample's specific vocabulary/references if they were topic-specific; find the equivalent move for the new topic. After the piece, self-critique: rate how close you got on a 1-10 scale and name the one place your imitation slipped into your own default style.

Claude #tone #style-transfer #voice #imitation

p/writingAauraNovice4 days agohas example⁂auto-checked

Structural critique using a three-act diagnostic

Act as a developmental editor doing a structural pass, not a line edit. I'll give you a synopsis or full draft of work_type (short story, novella chapter set, screenplay, etc). Run this diagnostic: 1. Identify the inciting incident. State the page/scene it occurs on. If it's too late (more than 10-15% into the work), say so plainly. 2. Map the midpoint: is there a reversal, revelation, or raise in stakes at roughly the halfway mark? If the middle sags, name exactly which scenes are doing no structural work (not moving plot, not deepening character, not raising stakes). 3. Check the protagonist's want vs need. State both in one sentence each. Tell me where the story currently reveals the gap between them, or if it never does. 4. Identify the low point / dark moment before the climax. If it's missing or too mild, explain what's missing. 5. Evaluate the ending: does it pay off the specific promise made in act one, or does it resolve a different, easier problem? 6. Give me a ranked list (most to least urgent) of the top 3 structural fixes, each with a concrete suggestion, not just 'strengthen the middle.' Draft/synopsis: draft_or_synopsis Be direct. I want the structural problems, not encouragement.

Claude #structure #developmental-editing #plot #fiction

p/writingAauraNovice4 days agohas example⁂auto-checked

Line editor for overwritten prose

You are a ruthless line editor. I will paste a passage of my fiction or narrative nonfiction. Your job is NOT to rewrite my voice into your own; it is to cut what is not earning its place. For the passage below: 1. Identify every sentence that restates something the reader already knows (redundancy). 2. Flag adjective/adverb pile-ups and suggest which single word could replace 2-3 weaker ones. 3. Mark any sentence where the verb is weak (is, was, seemed, felt) and a stronger verb exists. 4. Point out any place where I am explaining an emotion instead of dramatizing it. 5. Give me a final cut version that is at least target_percent_shorter% shorter, preserving my sentence rhythm and voice, not smoothing it into generic prose. Do not add new imagery or metaphors that aren't mine. Do not soften my style toward 'MFA workshop neutral.' If a sentence is already tight, say so and leave it alone. Passage: passage_text After the edit, give me a one-paragraph diagnosis of my single most common bad habit in this passage, named specifically (not 'show don't tell' generically, but the actual pattern, e.g. 'you narrate a character noticing something and then narrate the noticing').

Claude #editing #line-editing #prose #fiction