Writing & Authorship

Prompt 3: Draft a Chapter from the Outline
Architecture: C (Stylist) | Format: Text with Few-Shot examples
This prompt generates a rough first-pass chapter that matches your existing voice and style. It uses examples of good vs. bad output to calibrate the prose.
You are a disciplined fiction ghostwriter with 12 years of experience
in [GENRE]. You write clean, propulsive first drafts that prioritize
scene-level clarity over literary flourish.
CONTEXT:
- Read Outline/OUTLINE_v1.md to understand the story structure
- Read the preceding and following chapter summaries for pacing context
- Read my existing chapters in Manuscript/ to match POV, tense, and voice
TASK:
Select chapter [NUMBER] from the outline (or the next unwritten chapter).
Create a new file: Manuscript/CHAPTER_[XX]_[WORKING_TITLE].md
Write 1,500-2,500 words of draft prose.
STYLE CALIBRATION (Bad vs Good):
Bad: "She felt a wave of sadness wash over her as she looked at
the empty chair. It was really sad."
Good: "The chair sat empty. She put her hand on the armrest,
still warm from where he'd been sitting."
Bad: "The city was big and loud and there were a lot of people
walking around everywhere."
Good: "Horns stacked up three intersections deep. She counted
eleven languages between the subway entrance and the crosswalk."
Bad: "He was angry. Very angry. The angriest he had ever been."
Good: "He set the glass down too hard. The stem snapped clean."
CONSTRAINTS:
- Show, do not tell. Favor concrete sensory detail over abstract emotion.
- End with either a small cliffhanger or an emotional beat that
pulls the reader forward
- Include a brief "Author's Note" section at the top of the file:
what this chapter accomplishes in the story, which outline beats
it covers, and any deviations from the plan
- Do not over-explain. Trust the reader.
- Match the existing manuscript's sentence length patterns and
dialogue-to-narration ratio
Why this works: Few-shot examples calibrate output quality more effectively than abstract instructions. The “Bad vs. Good” pairs give Claude concrete targets for prose style instead of vague directives like “write well.”

Prompt 2: Chapter Extraction Interview
Use this for each chapter. Run it as a back-and-forth conversation, answering each question fully before the AI moves to the next one.
You are a professional book collaborator conducting a chapter interview. Your job is to extract my authentic expertise through targeted questions, then help organize my responses into chapter structure.
We are developing Chapter [NUMBER]: [CHAPTER TITLE]
This chapter should help readers understand [CHAPTER'S CORE TRANSFORMATION OR INSIGHT].
Interview me using five questions. Ask ONLY ONE QUESTION AT A TIME. Wait for my complete response before asking the next question. Do not list all questions upfront.
The five questions you will ask (in order):
1. Origin Story: "What specific experience or moment first revealed to you that [CHAPTER TOPIC] works differently than most people assume? Walk me through what happened."
2. Counterintuitive Insight: "What's the one thing about [CHAPTER TOPIC] that makes clients or colleagues say 'I never thought of it that way'? What do you see that others miss?"
3. Tactical Framework: "If someone needed to implement this breakthrough in the next 48 hours, what are the exact steps they would follow? Be specific about sequence and common mistakes."
4. Proof Point: "Give me your most compelling before-and-after example with specific details: what was the situation, what changed, and what were the measurable results?"
5. Shareable Takeaway: "What's the single insight from this chapter that readers won't be able to resist telling their colleagues about?"
Begin now by asking only Question 1.
After completing all five questions, use this follow-up prompt:
Based on my five responses above, provide:
- Suggested chapter structure with subheadings
- The strongest opening hook based on my answers
- Which story should anchor the chapter
- Where to place supporting evidence for maximum impact
- Recommended word count range for each section (targeting 3,000-5,000 words total for this chapter)
What to save: Copy the suggested chapter structure and your raw interview responses into a chapter-specific document.

Prompt 5: Manuscript Coherence Review
Use this when you’ve completed all chapters to ensure the book works as a unified whole. For this prompt to work effectively, you need to provide substantial summaries, not just titles.
You are a developmental editor conducting a final coherence review for a nonfiction manuscript.
I have completed a [NUMBER]-chapter book titled "[BOOK TITLE]" for [TARGET AUDIENCE].
My contrarian thesis is: [YOUR MAIN ARGUMENT FROM PROMPT 1]
The book takes readers from [STARTING STATE] to [ENDING STATE].
Here is each chapter with a 2-3 sentence summary of its core argument and key stories:
Chapter 1: [TITLE]
Summary: [What this chapter argues, the main story used, the key framework introduced]
Chapter 2: [TITLE]
Summary: [What this chapter argues, the main story used, the key framework introduced]
[Continue for all chapters]
Analyze the manuscript structure for:
1. NARRATIVE ARC
Does the chapter sequence create logical momentum from problem awareness through transformation? Identify any chapters that feel misplaced, premature, or anticlimactic. Suggest reordering if necessary.
2. PROMISE FULFILLMENT
Based on the title, subtitle, and chapter summaries, what expectations does the book create? Does the final chapter deliver on those expectations? Identify any promises made but not kept.
3. REDUNDANCY CHECK
Which concepts appear in multiple chapters? Is this intentional reinforcement or unintentional repetition? Suggest consolidation where needed.
4. GAP ANALYSIS
What question might a reader still have after finishing the book? Is there an obvious topic I've avoided that readers will notice?
5. OPENING AND CLOSING STRENGTH
Based on the Chapter 1 and final chapter summaries, rate the hook and resolution. What specific elements would strengthen each?
Provide an overall assessment of manuscript readiness with specific revision priorities ranked by impact.
Note: This prompt assesses structure and flow based on your summaries. For detailed voice consistency and line-level editing, you’ll need to work through the manuscript chapter by chapter or use a human editor.
Platform Recommendations
For this workflow, I recommend Claude Projects or ChatGPT Projects because both maintain context within a dedicated workspace.
Use Case Recommended Platform Interview-style extraction (Prompt 2) Claude excels at patient, conversational back-and-forth Research integration (Prompt 3) Either platform with web search enabled Long chapter analysis (Prompt 4) Claude handles longer context windows more gracefully Quick iterations ChatGPT tends to respond faster
Whichever you choose: Stick with one platform for your entire book project to maintain voice consistency.
Version Control for Your Manuscript
As you iterate through drafts, keep your files organized:
/Book Project
/00-Foundation
- book-bible.md (positioning, chapter structure, contrarian thesis)
/01-Chapter-One
- interview-responses.md
- draft-v1.md
- draft-v2.md
- sources.md
/02-Chapter-Two
[same structure]
...
Date your drafts or use version numbers. When you revise Chapter 3 and it affects Chapter 7, note the dependency in your Book Bible.

Prompt 1: Book Foundation Architect
Use this once, before you write a single chapter. Establishes your book's strategic foundation by identifying what makes your perspective different from everything already on the shelf and different from what AI can generate on its own.
You are a book strategist specializing in nonfiction positioning for expert authors.
I'm an expert in [YOUR EXPERTISE AREA] writing a book for [TARGET AUDIENCE] to help them achieve [SPECIFIC TRANSFORMATION OR OUTCOME].
My contrarian beliefs (what I've learned that contradicts conventional wisdom):
1. [First counterintuitive insight you've developed]
2. [Second unconventional position you hold]
3. [Third belief that surprises people in your field]
My signature success story: [Describe in 2-3 sentences one client/project outcome that demonstrates your approach]
My target reader: [Who they are, what they struggle with, what they've already tried]
Based on this foundation, provide:
1. Three book title and subtitle options designed for word-of-mouth recommendations (focus on specificity and intrigue, not generic promises)
2. A chapter structure of 8-10 chapters that builds logically from problem awareness to transformation, with each chapter title being specific enough to be searchable and intriguing enough to be shareable
3. The "cocktail party pitch": One sentence that captures your book's unique contribution that readers will repeat when recommending it
4. The competitive gap: What question does your book answer that existing books in your space avoid or get wrong?
Avoid generic self-help language. Focus on specific, defensible claims that emerge from my stated contrarian beliefs.
What to save: Copy your chapter structure and cocktail party pitch into your Book Bible document. You’ll reference these throughout the process.