AI Writing Assistant Skill

Use AI tools strategically to enhance your professional writing while maintaining authenticity and quality.

Keywords

ai, chatgpt, copilot, grammarly, prompt, draft, writing assistant, voice, tone, refinement, editing, automation

When to Use This Skill

This skill provides guidance when developers need to:

• Draft professional content with AI assistance
• Refine and improve existing drafts using AI
• Maintain authentic voice while using AI tools
• Choose appropriate AI workflows for different writing tasks
• Verify and polish AI-generated content
• Collaborate between AI drafts and human editing

Core Philosophy

AI as collaborator, not replacement.

AI writing tools work best when you:

1. Provide clear direction - Good prompts produce good drafts
2. Iterate on output - First draft is never final
3. Inject your voice - Add personality and expertise
4. Verify everything - AI makes confident mistakes
5. Know when NOT to use AI - Some tasks need pure human judgment

The Two Workflows

Workflow 1: AI-First Drafting

Use when: Starting from blank, need structure, time-pressured

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  1. PROMPT                              │
│  Provide context, constraints, examples │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  2. GENERATE                            │
│  Let AI produce initial draft           │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  3. EVALUATE                            │
│  Check accuracy, tone, completeness     │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  4. REFINE                              │
│  Add voice, fix errors, enhance         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  5. VERIFY                              │
│  Final quality check before sending     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

Best for:

• First drafts of emails
• Outline generation
• Template creation
• Brainstorming options
• Summarizing content

Workflow 2: Human-First Refinement

Use when: You have ideas, need polish or alternatives

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  1. DRAFT                               │
│  Write your rough version first         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  2. ASK                                 │
│  Request specific improvements          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  3. COMPARE                             │
│  Evaluate AI suggestions vs original    │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  4. MERGE                               │
│  Combine best of both versions          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  5. VERIFY                              │
│  Final quality check                    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

Best for:

• Improving clarity
• Finding better phrasing
• Expanding or condensing
• Tone adjustment
• Grammar and style fixes

Prompt Patterns by Task

Email Prompts

Basic email draft:

Write a professional email to [recipient role] about [topic].

Context:
- [Relationship/history]
- [Goal of this email]
- [Any constraints]

Tone: [professional/friendly/urgent/casual]
Length: [brief/detailed]

Email refinement:

Improve this email for clarity and professional tone:

[Paste your draft]

Keep the core message but:
- Make it more concise
- Fix any awkward phrasing
- Ensure call-to-action is clear

Feedback Prompts

Structuring feedback:

Help me structure feedback for a team member using the SBI model.

Situation: [When and where]
Behavior: [What I observed - facts only]
Impact: [Effect on team/project/outcomes]

Make it constructive and specific. Avoid vague language.

Preparing for difficult conversation:

I need to have a difficult conversation about [topic].

Context: [Background]
My concern: [What I want to address]
Desired outcome: [What I hope to achieve]

Help me:
1. Plan my opening statement
2. Anticipate possible responses
3. Prepare redirects if conversation derails

Presentation Prompts

Outline generation:

Create an outline for a [duration] technical presentation on [topic].

Audience: [Who they are, their level]
Goal: [What should they learn/do after]
Key message: [Main takeaway]

Use the What-Why-How structure:
- What: Hook and problem statement
- Why: Why this matters to them
- How: The solution/approach
- Close: Key takeaways and CTA

Slide content:

Create slide content for: [Section topic]

Requirements:
- Title: Action-oriented, 5-8 words
- Bullets: 3-5 points, 5-7 words each
- One main idea only

This slide is about: [Specific point]

LinkedIn/Content Prompts

Post creation:

Create a LinkedIn post about [topic].

Frame: [learning/win/behind-the-build/contrarian/quick-tip]
Hook: Start with something that makes people click "see more"
Length: 150-250 words
End with: Question to drive engagement

My angle/experience: [What makes my perspective unique]

Content repurposing:

Turn this [blog post/documentation/talk] into a LinkedIn post:

[Paste content]

Extract the most interesting insight and structure as:
1. Hook (attention-grabbing opening)
2. Story/context (brief setup)
3. Insight (the key learning)
4. CTA (question for engagement)

Voice Preservation Techniques

The Voice Sample

Before using AI for your content, create a voice sample:

Analyze my writing style from these samples:

[Paste 3-5 paragraphs of your writing]

Identify:
1. Sentence structure patterns
2. Word choice tendencies
3. Tone and formality level
4. Unique phrases or expressions
5. How I open and close sections

Then use in subsequent prompts:

Write in a style that matches this voice profile:
[Paste analyzed voice profile]

Now write: [Your request]

The Injection Method

Add personal touches after AI drafting:

1. Add your examples - Replace generic examples with real ones
2. Insert your phrases - Add expressions you actually use
3. Include specifics - Add names, dates, details AI couldn't know
4. Add opinions - AI stays neutral; add your actual take
5. Include humor - If that's your style, add it yourself

The Hybrid Paragraph

Write key paragraphs yourself, let AI fill in the rest:

Complete this draft, matching the style of paragraphs I've written:

My paragraphs (keep exactly as-is):
[Your key paragraphs]

Fill in sections marked [AI DRAFT]:
1. [AI DRAFT - Introduction]
2. [Your paragraph]
3. [AI DRAFT - Transition]
4. [Your paragraph]
5. [AI DRAFT - Conclusion]

Quality Checkpoints

Checkpoint 1: Accuracy Check

Before sending anything AI-assisted, verify:

• All facts are correct (AI makes up statistics)
• Names and titles are accurate
• Technical details are right
• Links work (AI invents URLs)
• Quotes are real (AI fabricates quotes)
• Dates and numbers are correct

Checkpoint 2: Tone Check

Read aloud and ask:

• Does this sound like me?
• Would I actually say this in person?
• Is the formality level appropriate?
• Are there phrases I'd never use?
• Does it feel authentic?

Checkpoint 3: Content Check

• Is the main point clear?
• Is it the right length?
• Does it answer the recipient's actual question?
• Is the call-to-action obvious?
• Would I be proud to have my name on this?

Checkpoint 4: Risk Check

For sensitive content:

• Could this be misunderstood?
• Is anything potentially offensive?
• Am I sharing anything I shouldn't?
• What if this were forwarded/screenshot?
• Should a human review this?

When NOT to Use AI

Tasks Requiring Human Judgment

• Layoff or termination communications - Too sensitive for AI
• Legal or compliance content - Needs expert review
• Highly personal feedback - Requires genuine human care
• Crisis communications - Stakes too high
• Salary or promotion discussions - Requires human touch
• Content about specific people - Risk of inaccuracy

Tasks AI Struggles With

• Nuanced cultural context - AI may miss subtlety
• Company-specific jargon - AI doesn't know your abbreviations
• Recent events - Training cutoffs limit knowledge
• Highly technical accuracy - AI confidently makes mistakes
• Sarcasm or subtle humor - Often misses the mark

Common AI Writing Mistakes

Mistake 1: Over-Formality

AI writes: "I am writing to inform you that..."

Fix: Replace with natural phrasing: "Quick update on..."

Mistake 2: Hedge Words

AI writes: "It might be potentially beneficial to perhaps consider..."

Fix: Be direct: "I recommend..."

Mistake 3: Hollow Phrases

AI writes: "In today's fast-paced world..."

Fix: Delete or replace with specific context

Mistake 4: Excessive Structure

AI writes: "Firstly... Secondly... Thirdly..."

Fix: Vary sentence structure, remove unnecessary markers

Mistake 5: Generic Examples

AI writes: "For example, Company XYZ..."

Fix: Replace with real, specific examples

Tool-Specific Tips

ChatGPT/Claude

• Use system prompts to set context
• Iterate with follow-up requests
• Ask for multiple versions
• Request specific changes, not vague "improve"

Grammarly

• Good for grammar, punctuation, clarity
• Be skeptical of tone suggestions
• Disable suggestions that change your voice
• Use as final polish, not primary drafting

GitHub Copilot (for Documentation)

• Good for code comments and docstrings
• Verify technical accuracy carefully
• Adjust for your team's style
• Use for boilerplate, edit the substance

References

For detailed guidance, see:

• references/ai-prompt-patterns.md - Comprehensive prompt templates by use case
• references/voice-preservation.md - Techniques for maintaining authenticity

Related Commands

• /soft-skills:draft-email - Generate professional emails
• /soft-skills:craft-linkedin-post - Create engaging posts
• /soft-skills:prepare-feedback - Structure feedback using SBI

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

• Sending AI output without reading it
• Using AI for highly sensitive content
• Trusting AI facts without verification
• Letting AI override your authentic voice
• Over-relying on AI for tasks you should learn
• Copy-pasting prompts without customization