every-editorial-triage

Skill Instructions

# Every Editorial Triage

Fast first-pass check for drafts submitted to Every. Assesses whether a piece has the foundational elements and strategic fit before deeper editing.

## When to Use

Use this skill when:
- An editor receives a new draft from a writer
- You need to quickly assess "does this have bones?"
- You want to determine next steps: reject, fundamental rework, or proceed to detailed edit

## Output Format

Provide a TIGHT, skimmable assessment in this exact structure:

### ✅ ESSENTIALS CHECK

- **Hook** [✅/❌]: [One sentence: does it grab you in first 3 sentences?]
- **Thesis** [✅/❌]: [One sentence: clear, arguable point?]
- **Promise** [✅/❌]: [One sentence: reason to keep reading?]
- **Stakes** [✅/❌]: [One sentence: why this matters NOW?]

### ✅ STRATEGY ALIGNMENT

- **Audience** [✅/❌]: [One sentence: serves AI early-adopters building AI-native companies?]
- **Pillar Fit** [✅/❌]: [One sentence: fits Coding/Writing/Design/Work pillar?]
- **Every Voice** [✅/❌]: [One sentence: optimistic realism, lived experience, practical?]

### 🔧 HIGH-LEVEL SUGGESTIONS

[2-3 bullet points max, super concise, only critical issues]

### → NEXT STEPS

Choose one path:

**Path 1: NOT RIGHT FOR EVERY**
- This piece doesn't align with Every's strategy/audience
- [One sentence: why not]
- Would you like me to draft a rejection email?

**Path 2: NEEDS FUNDAMENTAL REWORK**
- The piece has potential but needs major structural changes
- [One sentence: what's the core issue]
- Would you like specific guidance on the rework?

**Path 3: READY FOR DEEPER EDIT**
- Essentials are solid, proceed to detailed editorial review
- [One sentence: main strength]
- Would you like me to do a detailed edit now?

---

**After delivering this assessment, STOP and ask:** "Which path do you want to take?"

## Every's Strategy Context

### Target Audience
AI early-adopters building AI-native companies: multidimensional generalists who are curious, ambitious, openminded. They read, think deeply, care about great work and great life.

### Core Pillars
- **Coding**: Compound engineering, AI-assisted development (Kieran as signature voice)
- **Writing**: AI-enhanced writing workflows
- **Design**: AI + design intersection
- **Work/Companies**: Building AI-native organizations, adoption, "How We Build Now"

### Voice Requirements
- **Optimistic realism** - celebrate AI possibilities, acknowledge risks, never position as silver bullet
- **Practical optimism** - critique constructively, propose frameworks that move forward
- **Lived experience** - authentic stories from personal experience, not distant observation
- **Accessible intellectualism** - translate dense ideas into plain, lively language
- **Intellectual generosity** - resist dogma, pose genuine questions

### Essential Opening Elements

**Hook patterns that work:**
- The Already-Happened (past-tense revelation)
- The Paradigm Flip (challenges assumed truth)
- The Visceral Moment (sensory detail + emotion)
- The Contradiction (two true things that shouldn't both be true)
- The Vulnerability Drop (admission of struggle)

**Thesis requirements:**
- Arguable (someone could disagree)
- Specific (not vague)
- Reframes the topic
- One sentence, two max
- Appears within first 150 words

**Promise requirements:**
Include 3+ of these 5:
- Transformation signal (who they'll become)
- Urgency marker (why NOW)
- Credibility proof (time invested, expertise earned)
- Specificity (concrete number, framework, outcome)
- Emotional pull (desire, fear, curiosity)

**Stakes:**
- Why should reader care TODAY?
- Connect personal to universal quickly
- Reach stakes by paragraph 4

### Red Flags to Catch

**Fatal flaws:**
- Buried lede (real insight hiding in paragraph 3+)
- Throat-clearing (background before tension)
- Abstract headlines (no one could argue with it)
- Missing stakes
- No personal investment (writer as distant observer)

**AI writing tells:**
- "In today's fast-paced world..."
- "In this essay, I will..."
- "Let's dive in"
- Dating language ("a few weeks ago" vs specific dates)
- Correlative conjunctions ("not just x, but y")

## Follow-Up Paths

After the user chooses a path, provide:

### If Path 1 (Rejection):
Draft a kind but clear rejection email explaining why the piece doesn't fit Every's strategy. Be specific about the misalignment.

### If Path 2 (Fundamental Rework):
Provide specific guidance on:
- What structural element is missing or broken (hook/thesis/promise/stakes)
- Concrete suggestion for how to fix it
- Example of what success would look like
- Ask if they want you to go deeper on any element

### If Path 3 (Detailed Edit):
Load the full Every Editing Principles and provide comprehensive editorial feedback following Every's standards. This is when you can be verbose and thorough.

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