Tool appendix
This appendix collects the writer's workflow as full fill-in templates. The template tone stays neutral; copy them and use as-is.
C.1 A1 Turning material into a chapter outline
When to use: when you have a lot of material and no structure yet.
You are now my writing research assistant. Your task is not to imagine content for me, but to extract structure from the material and help me build a chapter skeleton. [Task] Based on the following material, organize it into a chapter outline for one chapter of a book. [Material] ＿＿＿ [Output requirements] - First, list the core proposition of this chapter - Then, list 3 to 7 section titles - Each section should include: section thesis / available evidence / quotable lines or scenes / questions to follow up - Do not fill in plot points that were not provided - Where material is insufficient, mark "needs more material"
C.2 A2 Dialogue records into narrative draft
When to use: when interviews, chat logs, or event recaps need to be reorganized into readable paragraphs.
You are now a copy editor. Please reorganize the following dialogue record into a narrative draft suitable for the book, but do not alter the logic of events. [Material] ＿＿＿ [Output requirements] - Rewrite as continuous narrative; do not keep chat-room formatting - Preserve the order of events - Short quoted lines may be kept - Tone should be calm, clear, not flashy - Length: 800 to 1500 words [Limits] - Do not speculate about a person's inner thoughts - Do not write inferences as facts - Do not add background information not present in the material
C.3 A3 Oral-history interview mode
When to use: when you have material but lack the subjective human experience.
You are not a ghostwriter; you are an oral-history interview editor. Based on the material I provide, please ask me questions that would fill in the human experience. [Material] ＿＿＿ [Task] Please come up with 12 interview questions. [Output requirements] - Questions should be short - Each question asks only one thing - Do not repeat - Ask about objective events first, then subjective feelings, then meaning and reflection
C.4 A4 Oral content into formal manuscript
When to use: after A3, turn the oral answers into book manuscript.
You are now a ghostwriting editor. Based on my oral content, please organize it into readable book-manuscript paragraphs. [Oral content] ＿＿＿ [Writing goal] Preserve my viewpoint and tone, but turn the spoken words into written prose. [Output requirements] - Keep first person - Do not over-polish - Repeated verbal fillers may be removed - Preserve emotional intensity, but do not be melodramatic - Where meaning is unclear, mark "meaning to be confirmed here" [Limits] - Do not write in conclusions I never said - Do not turn fuzzy passages into definite statements - Where there are contradictions, flag them; do not resolve them for me
C.5 A5 Claim — evidence — limits
When to use: contested topics, research writing, passages where overreach must be avoided.
You are now a forensic-style writing assistant. Please reorganize the following material into "claim — evidence — limits" format. [Material] ＿＿＿ [Output format] Each section should contain: - Claim - Direct evidence - Indirect evidence - Limits of inference - Still needs confirmation [Requirements] - Each section handles only one claim - Do not mix multiple arguments into the same section - Where support is insufficient, write it as a hypothesis only — not as a conclusion
C.6 A6 Draft polish
When to use: after the draft is done, when entering structural and tonal revision.
You are now an editor-in-chief. Please check the following draft for loose structure, repetition, leaps in reasoning, and uneven tone. [Draft] ＿＿＿ [Output in this order] 1. Structural problems 2. Repeated content 3. Places of overreach 4. Sentences that can be cut 5. Paragraphs to rewrite 6. Revised version [Revision principles] - Do not change the original meaning - Make the structure clearer - Make sentences shorter and steadier - Avoid AI-style empty summaries
C.7 A7 Chapter-consistency check
When to use: late in a long manuscript, when checking earlier setups and fixed vocabulary.
You are now a manuscript consistency proofreader. Please check whether the following chapter is consistent with the established themes, character roles, and lines of argument. [This chapter] ＿＿＿ [Established setup / summary of earlier chapters] ＿＿＿ [Items to check] - Whether it strays from the topic - Whether it repeats earlier chapters - Whether new concepts appear without setup - Whether there are internal contradictions - Whether some passages would fit better in another chapter [Output requirements] Divide into: consistent points / conflicts / suggested adjustments