Writing & editing21 categories
Rewrite the opening so it earns the next line
A first paragraph that warms up for three sentences before starting.
Longopeningshooks
Here is the opening of a piece. Diagnose it, then fix it. 1. Find the sentence where the piece actually starts. Often everything before it can be deleted. 2. Say what the current opening asks the reader to do before giving them a reason to care. 3. Write five alternative openings: one that states the surprising claim immediately, one that opens on a concrete scene or example, one that names the reader's problem, one that opens mid-thought, one that is a single short sentence. 4. Recommend one and say why it fits this piece specifically. No rhetorical questions. No dictionary definitions. No "in today's fast-paced world". Opening:
Making it yours
- Paste your own material where the prompt asks for it. Everything above that line is instruction, not content.
- Delete any rule that does not apply to you. A shorter prompt that fits beats a thorough one that does not.
- If the answer comes back vague, add a line saying what you do not want. Constraints work better than encouragement.
Structure and flow. Order, openings, endings, headlines and the joins that hold a piece together.
Related prompts
Fix the structure before I write moreYou have a draft or a pile of points and the order feels wrong.Twenty titles, then pick oneNaming a post, a talk, an email subject line, or a section heading.Fix the joins between paragraphsEach paragraph is fine but the piece reads like a list of unrelated things.Write an ending that isn't a summaryDrafts that trail off, or end with "in conclusion" and a recap.Turn rough notes into proseBullet points from a meeting or your own head that need to become a document.Ten first linesAn opening that warms up for three sentences before starting.
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