---
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]
```