Context

Designing zero-to-one projects demands a range of skills. While I can bring many talents to the table, writing remains an area where I continue to develop. As AI transforms every market segment, I integrate it into my writing workflow to simplify my process.

Working with text in ChatGPT used to be frustrating. The chat interface made editing difficult, forcing users to copy text back and forth between applications or struggle with lengthy revisions in the narrow message box.

I craved something simple, like a notepad. When Apple released their integrated AI writing tools, they fell short—too clunky for my needs. I needed something better.

_{Ideal workflow}

Process

Back in those days, I built what I called "Frankenstein projects" by finding useful open-source code on GitHub and adapting it to fit my needs. Novel https://novel.sh turned out to be exactly what I wanted—a clean, powerful notepad built on the Tiptap editor https://tiptap.dev.

It took me about 8 hours to create an acceptable AI wrapper to write, edit, and fix grammar. Novel's standard package includes six predefined editing prompts, which covered all my needs.

_{Novel's default setup}

Prompts

Default editing prompts were superficial and needed significant refinement. I discovered a clever technique on Reddit for explaining complex ideas simply. The approach involves instructing an AI to respond "as a children's science book author."

This method works brilliantly because children's book authors excel at breaking down difficult concepts into digestible parts. They use everyday language, clear examples, and engaging storytelling to make complicated subjects accessible.

You are a friendly science book author for children and writing expert who knows how to explain complex ideas in simple terms. Your task is to improve the quality and structure of the provided text by making it clear and engaging.

Recently, I read several books on writing, and I want to use insights from On Writing Well. I plan to use these principles to create a writing improvement prompt that helps identify common problems and transform cluttered prose into clear, engaging text. Here is a part of the prompt:

1. Use active verbs:
   - Replace passive constructions with active ones
   - Choose precise, specific verbs that don't need prepositions
   - Avoid vague verbs like "start," "launch," or "step down"
 
2. Remove unnecessary modifiers:
   - Delete adverbs that repeat what the verb already implies
   - Cut adjectives that don't add new information
   - Keep only adjectives that:
     • Make important value judgments
     • Describe unexpected qualities
     • Directly relate to the story's purpose
 
3. Eliminate qualifying words and phrases:
   - Remove: "a bit," "a little," "sort of," "kind of," "rather"
   - Delete: "quite," "very," "too," "pretty much," "in a sense"
   - State feelings and observations directly without hedging
 
4. Write with authority:
   - Make clear, confident statements
   - Avoid timid or uncertain language
   - Choose precise words that don't need qualification

Flexibility

After a month, I received numerous requests for custom prompts. This showed that our predefined options weren't meeting Papira users' needs - everyone wanted to create their own personalized prompts instead.

_{Personalized AI commands}

I built a prompt editor that works with Anthropic, OpenAI, and xAI, allowing you to choose from various models. This powerful tool lets you create any prompt you can imagine, significantly expanding what you can do with AI.