feat(commands): add /essay-outline command

Transforms a brain dump into a story-structured essay outline.
Pressure tests for a real thesis, applies the Saunders framework
via story-lens skill to validate hook, escalation, and conclusion,
then writes a tight outline to file.

Also fixes stale skill count in README (22 → 24).

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>

plugins/compound-engineering/commands/essay-outline.md

@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+---
+name: essay-outline
+description: Transform a brain dump into a story-structured essay outline. Pressure tests the idea, validates story structure using the Saunders framework, and produces a tight outline written to file.
+argument-hint: "[brain dump — your raw ideas, however loose]"
+---
+
+# Essay Outline
+
+Turn a brain dump into a story-structured essay outline.
+
+## Brain Dump
+
+<brain_dump> #$ARGUMENTS </brain_dump>
+
+**If the brain dump above is empty, ask the user:** "What's the idea? Paste your brain dump — however raw or loose."
+
+Do not proceed until you have a brain dump.
+
+## Execution
+
+### Phase 1: Idea Triage
+
+Read the brain dump and locate the potential thesis — the single thing worth saying. Ask: would a smart, skeptical reader finish this essay and think "I needed that"?
+
+Play devil's advocate. This is the primary job. Look for:
+
+- **Weak thesis** — Is this a real insight, or just a topic? A topic is not a thesis. "Remote work is complicated" is a topic. "Remote work didn't fail the office — the office failed remote work" is a thesis.
+- **Missing payoff** — What does the reader walk away with that they didn't have before? If there's no answer, say so.
+- **Broken connective tissue** — Do the ideas connect causally ("and therefore") or just sequentially ("and another thing")? Sequential ideas are a list, not an essay.
+- **Unsupported claims** — Use outside research to pressure-test assertions. If a claim doesn't hold up, flag it and explore whether it can be rescued.
+
+**If nothing survives triage:** Say directly — "There's nothing here yet." Then ask one question aimed at finding a salvageable core. Do not produce an outline for an idea that hasn't earned one.
+
+**If the idea survives but has weaknesses:** Identify the weakest link and collaboratively generate a fix before moving to Phase 2.
+
+### Phase 2: Story Structure Check
+
+Load the `story-lens` skill. Apply the Saunders framework to the *idea* — not prose. The essay may not involve characters. That's fine. Translate the framework as follows:
+
+| Saunders diagnostic | Applied to essay ideas |
+|---|---|
+| Beat causality | Does each supporting point *cause* the reader to need the next one, or do they merely follow it? |
+| Escalation | Does each beat raise the stakes of the thesis — moving the reader further from where they started? |
+| Story-yet test | If the essay ended after the hook, would anything have changed for the reader? After the first supporting point? Each beat must earn its place. |
+| Efficiency | Is every idea doing work? Cut anything that elaborates without advancing. |
+| Expectation | Does each beat land at the right level — surprising but not absurd, inevitable in hindsight? |
+| Moral/technical unity | If something feels off — a point that doesn't land, a conclusion that feels unearned — find the structural failure underneath. |
+
+**The non-negotiables:**
+- The hook must create a specific expectation that the essay then fulfills or subverts
+- Supporting beats must escalate — each one should make the thesis harder to dismiss, not just add to it
+- The conclusion must deliver irreversible change in the reader's understanding — they cannot un-think what the essay showed them
+
+Flag any diagnostic failures. For each failure, propose a fix. If the structure cannot be made to escalate, say so.
+
+### Phase 3: Outline Construction
+
+Produce the outline only after the idea has survived Phases 1 and 2.
+
+**Structure:**
+- Hook — the opening move that sets an expectation
+- Supporting beats — each one causal, each one escalating
+- Conclusion — the irreversible change delivered to the reader
+
+**Format rules:**
+- Bullets and sub-bullets only
+- Max 3 sub-bullets per bullet
+- No sub-sub-bullets
+- Each bullet is a *beat*, not a topic — it should imply forward motion
+- Keep it short. A good outline is a skeleton, not a draft.
+
+**Write the outline to file:**
+
+```
+docs/outlines/YYYY-MM-DD-[slug].md
+```
+
+Ensure `docs/outlines/` exists before writing. The slug should be 3-5 words derived from the thesis, hyphenated.
+
+## Output Summary
+
+When complete, display:
+
+```
+Outline complete.
+
+File: docs/outlines/YYYY-MM-DD-[slug].md
+
+Thesis: [one sentence]
+Story verdict: [passes / passes with fixes / nothing here]
+
+Key structural moves:
+- [Hook strategy]
+- [How the beats escalate]
+- [What the conclusion delivers]
+```