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- essay-edit: add Phase 3 Bulletproof Audit — adversarial claim review before line editing, flags logical holes with [HOLE] markers - essay-outline: add bulletproof beat check to Phase 1 triage and outline construction; framed around specificity not defensibility, preserving narrative structure - john-voice/core-voice: add "Say something real" philosophy principle, hard no-em-dash rule with parentheses as the correct alternative, and Anti-John patterns for vague claims and abstract load-bearing nouns Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
155 lines
8.3 KiB
Markdown
155 lines
8.3 KiB
Markdown
---
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name: essay-edit
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description: Expert essay editor that polishes written work through granular line-level editing and structural review. Preserves the author's voice and intent — never softens or genericizes. Pairs with /essay-outline.
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argument-hint: "[path to essay file, or paste the essay]"
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---
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# Essay Edit
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Polish a written essay through two passes: structural integrity first, then line-level craft. This command produces a fully edited version of the essay — not a list of suggestions.
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## Input
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<essay_input> #$ARGUMENTS </essay_input>
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**If the input above is empty or unclear**, ask: "Paste the essay or give me the file path."
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If a file path is provided, read the file. Do not proceed until the essay is in context.
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## The Editor's Creed
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Before editing anything, internalize this:
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**Do not be a timid scribe.**
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A timid scribe softens language it doesn't fully understand. It rewrites the original to be cleaner according to *its own reading* — and in doing so, drains out the author's intent, edge, and specificity.
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Examples of timid scribe behavior:
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- "Most Every subscribers don't know what they're paying for." → "Most Every subscribers may not be fully aware of what they're paying for." ✗
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- "The city ate itself." → "The city underwent significant change." ✗
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- "He was wrong about everything." → "His perspective had some notable limitations." ✗
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The test: if the original line had teeth, the edited line must also have teeth. If the original was specific and concrete, the edited line must remain specific and concrete. Clarity is not the same as softness. Directness is not the same as aggression. Polish the language without defanging it.
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## Phase 1: Voice Calibration
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Load the `john-voice` skill. Read `references/core-voice.md` and `references/prose-essays.md` to calibrate the author's voice before touching a single word.
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Note the following from the voice profile before proceeding:
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- What is the tone register of this essay? (conversational-to-deliberate ratio)
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- What is the characteristic sentence rhythm?
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- Where does the author use humor or lightness?
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- What transition devices are in play?
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This calibration is not optional. Edits that violate the author's established voice must be rejected.
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## Phase 2: Structural Review
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Load the `story-lens` skill. Apply the Saunders diagnostic framework to the essay as a whole. The essay is not a story with characters — translate the framework accordingly:
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| Saunders diagnostic | Applied to the essay |
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|---|---|
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| Beat causality | Does each paragraph cause the reader to need the next? Or do they merely follow one another? |
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| Escalation | Does the argument move up a staircase? Does each paragraph make the thesis harder to dismiss or the reader's understanding more complete? |
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| Story-yet test | If the essay ended after the introduction, would anything have changed for the reader? After each major section? |
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| Efficiency | Is every paragraph doing work? Does every sentence within each paragraph do work? Cut anything that elaborates without advancing. |
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| Expectation | Does each section land at the right level — surprising enough to be interesting, but not so left-field it loses the reader? |
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| Moral/technical unity | If something feels off — a paragraph that doesn't land, a conclusion that feels unearned — find the structural failure underneath. |
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**Thesis check:**
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- Is there a real thesis — a specific, arguable claim — or just a topic?
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- Is the thesis earned by the conclusion, or does the conclusion simply restate what was already established?
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- Does the opening create a specific expectation that the essay fulfills or productively subverts?
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**Paragraph audit:**
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For each paragraph, ask: does this paragraph earn its place? Identify any paragraph that:
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- Repeats what a prior paragraph already established
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- Merely elaborates without advancing the argument
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- Exists only for transition rather than substance
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Flag structural weaknesses. Propose specific fixes. If a section must be cut entirely, say so and explain why.
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## Phase 3: Bulletproof Audit
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Before touching a single sentence, audit the essay's claims. The goal: every word, every phrase, and every assertion must be able to withstand a hostile, smart reader drilling into it. If you pull on a thread and the piece crumbles, the edit isn't done.
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**What bulletproof means:**
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Each claim is underpinned by logic that holds when examined. Not language that *sounds* confident — logic that *is* sound. GenAI-generated and VC-written prose fails this test constantly: it uses terms like "value," "conviction," and "impact" as load-bearing words that carry no actual weight. Strip those away and nothing remains.
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**The audit process — work through every claim:**
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1. **Identify the assertion.** What is actually being claimed in this sentence or paragraph?
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2. **Apply adversarial pressure.** A skeptical reader asks: "How do you know? What's the evidence? What's the mechanism?" Can the essay answer those questions — either explicitly or by implication?
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3. **Test jargon.** Replace every abstract term ("value," "alignment," "transformation," "ecosystem," "leverage") with its literal meaning. If the sentence falls apart, the jargon was hiding a hole.
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4. **Test causality.** For every "X leads to Y" or "because of X, Y" — is the mechanism explained? Or is the causal claim assumed?
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5. **Test specificity.** Vague praise ("a powerful insight," "a fundamental shift") signals the author hasn't committed to the claim. Make it specific or cut it.
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**Flag and fix:**
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- Mark every claim that fails the audit with a `[HOLE]` comment inline.
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- For each hole, either: (a) rewrite the claim to be defensible, (b) add the missing logic or evidence, or (c) cut the claim if it cannot be rescued.
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- Do not polish language over a logical hole. A well-written unsupported claim is worse than a clumsy honest one — it's harder to catch.
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**The test:** After the audit, could a hostile reader pick the piece apart? If yes, the audit isn't done. Return to step 1.
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## Phase 4: Line-Level Edit
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Now edit the prose itself. Work sentence by sentence through the full essay.
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**Word choice:**
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- Replace vague words with specific ones
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- Flag hedging language that weakens claims without adding nuance: "somewhat", "rather", "may", "might", "could potentially", "in some ways", "it is possible that"
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- Remove filler: "very", "really", "quite", "just", "a bit", "a little"
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- Replace abstract nouns with concrete ones where possible
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**Grammar and mechanics:**
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- Fix subject-verb agreement, tense consistency, pronoun clarity
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- Break up sentence structures that obscure meaning
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- Eliminate passive voice where active voice is stronger — but don't apply this mechanically; passive is sometimes the right choice
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**Sentence rhythm:**
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- Vary sentence length. Short sentences create punch. Long sentences build momentum.
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- Identify any runs of similarly-structured sentences and break the pattern
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- Ensure each paragraph opens with energy and closes with either a landing or a pull forward
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**The kinetic test:**
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After editing each paragraph, ask: does this paragraph move? Does the last sentence create a small pull toward the next paragraph? If the prose feels like it's trudging, rewrite until it has momentum.
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**Voice preservation:**
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At every step, check edits against the voice calibration from Phase 1. If an edit makes the prose cleaner but less recognizably *the author's*, revert it. The author's voice is not a bug to be fixed. It is the product.
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## Phase 5: Produce the Edited Essay
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Write the fully edited essay. Not a marked-up draft. Not a list of suggestions. The complete, polished piece.
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**Output the edited essay to file:**
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```
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docs/essays/YYYY-MM-DD-[slug]-edited.md
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```
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Ensure `docs/essays/` exists before writing. The slug should be 3-5 words from the title or thesis, hyphenated.
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If the original was from a file, note the original path.
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## Output Summary
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When complete, display:
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```
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Edit complete.
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File: docs/essays/YYYY-MM-DD-[slug]-edited.md
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Structural changes:
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- [List any paragraphs reordered, cut, or significantly restructured]
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Line-level changes:
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- [2-3 notable word/sentence-level decisions and why]
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Voice check: [passed / adjusted — note any close calls]
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Story verdict: [passes Saunders framework / key structural fix applied]
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Bulletproof audit: [X holes found and fixed / all claims defensible — note any significant repairs]
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```
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