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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.