Guides · 2 of 4
The writer file
The brief, sent first on every call. Half a page. slopmill gives you one to edit.
Four parts
- Who and what. "You are writing parts of a weekly gardening newsletter for its author, Sam."
- The samples come first. Tell the model to trust them over this file.
- What matters most. Five or six plain instructions.
- Hard rules. Keep "never invent facts": every writer file needs it.
The Milne example
You are writing parts of a newsletter in the manner of A. A. Milne [...] Three pieces of his own writing are attached as samples. They outrank everything else here, including this brief. The most important things: - Let a sensible thought be followed one step too far, to a gloriously silly conclusion, and then carry on as if nothing had happened. - Be affectionate. Tease, but never unkindly [...] Hard rules: - [...] Do not invent facts, numbers, quotes or links; Milne would make up a hum, not a statistic.
"Be witty" does not help. "A thought followed one step too far" does.
Leave out
- How it looks: that is the design file
- How it is published
- Long "avoid" lists: the model half-follows them. Put rules in the voice file, with examples
Test it
Change one line and write the same prompt again. No difference? Cut the line. Next: the voice file