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Outline a long piece before you write it

ClaudeGPT·✓ tested with real output·▲ 1,580 copies·updated 2026-06-18

outline-before-draft.prompt

Before I draft, help me structure {the piece — e.g. 'a 1500-word essay arguing X'}.

Thesis: {your one-sentence claim}
Audience: {who, and what they already believe}

Produce:
1. The spine: 4-6 sections, each a single claim that moves the argument forward. If two sections make the same point, merge them.
2. For each section: the evidence or example it needs, and the one objection it must handle.
3. The strongest counter-argument to my whole thesis — and where in the piece to address it.
4. A better opening than 'In today's world': one concrete scene, question, or fact to start on.

Do not write the piece. Give me a structure I can draft from.

fill the variables

This prompt has 3 variables. Pro fills them into a ready-to-paste prompt for you — no manual find-and-replace.

{the piece — e.g. 'a 1500-word essay arguing X'}{your one-sentence claim}{who, and what they already believe}

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when to use it

Structure is where long pieces are won or lost, and it's the cheapest thing to fix before you've sunk hours into prose. Forcing 'one claim per section' kills the rambling middle. Section 3 (steelman your own thesis) is what separates a persuasive piece from an echo chamber — address the best counter-argument or a smart reader dismisses you. Draft from the output; pair with the line-edit prompt once the draft exists.