Write a One-Sentence Thesis Before Drafting
Added 2026-11-05
You are usually not stuck on prose; you are stuck on what you are saying.
I am writing this: [topic, reader, occasion]. Before I draft, pin down a one-sentence thesis: 1) write three candidates, each of which can be argued against (not "it matters" or "worth watching"); 2) say who each candidate is for and what changes for them after reading; 3) name the evidence each candidate needs, and which of it I lack; 4) pick the one worth writing and say why the other two wait; 5) give the paragraph skeleton built around it, one line per paragraph; 6) flag where readers are most likely to misread it and handle that in the text. Do not turn the thesis into a title.
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[topic, reader, occasion]
How to use
If it does not fit in one sentence, a thousand words will not fix it.
Try tweaking it
- Ask for three openings in different tones, then pick one.
- Replace "make it better" with concrete limits: length, reader, facts to keep.
What you should get
- A publishable draft, not an outline
- A short changelog: what changed and why
Common mistakes
- Letting it guess the facts, so plausible-looking sources get invented.
- Dumping the whole text with just "polish it" — the result still has no point.
How to check the output
- The conclusion comes first; deleting the opening paragraph does not break it.
- Every fact, number and quote traces back to the source text.
Where it works
- Good for: turning a rambling draft into a conclusion-first, shorter version.
- Watch out: keep sources and figures verbatim — do not let it invent citations.