Prompt libraryWriting and editing

Writing and editing prompts

Draft, tighten and critique your own writing while keeping your meaning and voice.

Writing prompts work best when you supply your own material and ask for a specific change. Open-ended "write me an article" requests produce generic text because the assistant has nothing particular to say.

Use these to edit and critique, not to replace your thinking. Read the result aloud, and check every fact and quotation, because assistants can alter meaning while polishing.

Habits for this category

  • Give audience, purpose and length first.
  • Ask for one kind of change per pass.
  • Paste a sample of your voice.
  • Compare the edit with your original for meaning drift.

The prompts

Tighten without losing claims

Prompt template
Shorten the text below by about 20% without removing any claim, number or name. List anything you were tempted to cut but kept.

[paste text]

Why it works. A "no lost claims" constraint stops the edit from quietly deleting substance.

Then check. Diff the result against your original for dropped caveats.

Change the tone only

Prompt template
Rewrite this for [audience] in a [warm / direct / formal] tone. Keep the structure and every fact the same. Show the changes as a list of what you altered.

[paste text]

Why it works. Separating tone from content makes the edit predictable.

Then check. Confirm no facts changed.

Find vague sentences

Prompt template
Read the draft below and list every sentence that is vague, unsupported or could mean two things. For each, say what question a reader would ask. Do not rewrite them.

[paste draft]

Why it works. You fix what a reader would trip on, in your own words.

Then check. Decide which flags are real.

Three opening paragraphs

Prompt template
Write three different opening paragraphs for a piece about [topic] aimed at [audience]: one that starts with a concrete scene, one with a surprising fact I will supply, and one with a direct question. I will choose and write the rest.

Why it works. Options in different registers help you find your own approach.

Then check. Replace any invented detail with something true.

List every factual claim

Prompt template
List every factual claim in the draft below as a numbered list, one per line, so I can verify each. Do not judge whether they are true.

[paste draft]

Why it works. Turns a draft into a verification checklist.

Then check. Verify each claim against a source.

Strongest counterargument

Prompt template
Here is my argument: [paste]. Give the three strongest objections a thoughtful skeptic would raise and what evidence would answer each.

Why it works. Finds weak points before readers do.

Then check. Research the evidence it suggests; do not rely on its examples.

Reply to a difficult email

Prompt template
Here is an email I received:

[paste]

My goal is [goal]. Draft a reply that is polite and brief and does not concede [point]. Give two versions, one firmer and one softer.

Why it works. Two versions show a range so you can pick the right tone.

Then check. Read it as the recipient would; confirm dates and commitments.

Faithful summary

Prompt template
Summarize the text below in 5 bullets. Keep numbers and conditions exact, and add a final line: "Left out:" listing anything important you omitted.

[paste text]

Why it works. The "left out" line exposes what compression removed.

Then check. Compare numbers and negations with the source.