AI Prompts for Writing

Start with a clear task

The most common way people use AI for writing — "write me an article about X" — is also the weakest. You get competent, structureless prose in a voice that isn't yours, and editing it into something good takes longer than writing it would have.

AI is dramatically better as an editor than as an author. It's excellent at diagnosing why a paragraph doesn't land, finding the buried thesis, spotting where you've asserted without evidence, and cutting your word count by 30% without losing meaning.

So most of the prompts below take text you've already written as input. The few that generate from scratch generate structure — outlines and angles — rather than finished prose.

The technique: make it diagnose before it rewrites

The single highest-value change to how you prompt for writing: ask for a diagnosis first, and only then a rewrite. If you ask for a rewrite immediately, you get a different version with no explanation, and you can't tell whether it's actually better.

Asking "what's weak here and why" first gives you a critique you can evaluate — and it makes the subsequent rewrite target real problems rather than just reshuffling sentences.

• Weak prompt

  Rewrite this paragraph to be better: [paste]

• Strong prompt

  Read this paragraph: [paste]. First, tell me: what is it actually trying to say in one sentence? Then list what's getting in the way — buried lede, vague claims, filler phrases, unclear referents. Don't rewrite yet. After I confirm the diagnosis, rewrite it keeping my voice and sentence rhythm.

• Why it works

  You find out whether the model understood your intent before it changes your words. Half the time the diagnosis reveals that the paragraph's problem is structural — it's in the wrong place — which no rewrite would have fixed.

The prompts

• Diagnose before rewriting

  Read this: [paste]. In one sentence, what is it trying to say? Then list what's getting in the way — buried lede, vague claims, filler, unclear referents. Don't rewrite yet.

• Cut without losing meaning

  Cut this by 30% without losing any information or changing my voice: [paste]. Show me what you cut and why, so I can veto anything I want to keep.

• Find the buried thesis

  Somewhere in this draft is the actual point I'm trying to make: [paste]. Find it, quote it back to me, and tell me where it should go instead.

• Structure from mess

  Here are my unordered notes on [topic]: [paste]. Group them into a logical structure, tell me what the through-line is, and flag anything that doesn't belong.

• Outline with tension

  Outline a [length] piece on [topic] for [audience]. Each section must advance an argument, not just cover a subtopic. Give me the one-line claim each section makes.

• Voice matching

  Here are 3 samples of my writing: [paste]. Describe the specific patterns — sentence length, punctuation habits, vocabulary level, how I open and close. Then apply that to this draft: [paste].

• Strengthen weak claims

  Go through this and flag every claim I've asserted without evidence: [paste]. For each, tell me what evidence would make it credible, or suggest how to soften it honestly.

• Opening lines

  Write 8 different opening lines for a piece about [topic] for [audience]. Vary the approach: question, scene, claim, statistic, contradiction, direct address. No 'In today's fast-paced world'.

• Transitions

  These two sections don't flow: [paste A] ... [paste B]. Tell me what logical gap is between them, then write a transition that bridges it in one or two sentences.

• Skeptical reader test

  Read this as a skeptical, well-informed [audience]: [paste]. Where do you stop believing me? Where do you get bored? What obvious counter-argument have I ignored?

• Simplify without dumbing down

  Rewrite this for a smart reader who isn't a specialist: [paste]. Keep every substantive point — remove jargon, not content. Flag anything you had to simplify in a way that loses precision.

• Vary sentence rhythm

  This reads monotonously: [paste]. Analyze the sentence-length pattern, then rewrite varying the rhythm. Keep my vocabulary and tone.

• Conclusion that isn't a summary

  Write a closing for this piece that doesn't just restate what I said: [paste]. It should land the implication — what the reader should now think or do differently.

• Title options

  Give me 10 titles for this piece: [paste or describe]. Mix specific/curiosity/benefit angles. Mark which ones over-promise relative to what the article delivers.

• Fact-check pass

  List every factual claim in this draft: [paste]. For each, mark whether it's (a) something I'd need to verify, (b) common knowledge, or (c) an opinion stated as fact. Don't verify them yourself — just flag them.

Common mistakes

• Asking it to write from scratch

  Generated prose is structurally flat and voiceless. Use AI on text that already exists, or ask it for structure rather than sentences.

• Not supplying voice samples

  Describing your voice as "conversational but professional" produces nothing useful. Pasting three paragraphs you actually wrote produces a lot.

• Accepting cuts blindly

  When you ask it to shorten, always ask what it removed. It will sometimes cut the one specific detail that made the paragraph worth reading.

• Skipping the diagnosis step

  Jumping straight to "rewrite this" means you never learn what was wrong, so you make the same mistake in the next draft.

Frequently asked questions