Prompt Templates

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Module 8 · Section 2 of 4

Prompt Templates

Copy these directly. Modify them to fit your situation. They’re starting points, not sacred text.

Voice Analysis Prompt (Step 2)

Use this when you first build your style guide. Paste it into your AI tool of choice, then add your 5-10 writing samples below.

I'm going to share 5-10 writing samples. Analyze my writing voice and create a comprehensive style guide.

Focus on:

VOICE CHARACTERISTICS:
- Tone (formal/casual, serious/playful, etc.)
- Sentence structure patterns
- How I use emphasis (italics, bold, em-dashes)
- Paragraph length preferences
- My use of questions, rhetorical devices
- Whether I use contractions and how frequently

DISTINCTIVE PATTERNS:
- Phrases I use repeatedly
- My transition style
- How I introduce topics
- How I explain complex ideas
- My use of examples and analogies
- Conversational quirks

WHAT I AVOID:
- This is crucial: What DON'T I do?
- Words and phrases I never use
- Structures I avoid
- Formality I don't adopt

RHYTHM AND PACING:
- How I vary sentence length
- My use of short sentences for emphasis
- Whether I use long, meandering sentences
- My paragraph flow

[Paste your 5-10 writing samples here]

Create project instructions that capture these patterns so future AI assistance maintains my voice.

Save the output somewhere permanent. You’ll need it repeatedly. This isn’t a one-time exercise — it’s infrastructure.

Project Instructions Template (Step 3)

Take the analysis output and format it using this structure. This is what you paste at the start of any AI session where you want your voice maintained.

The full template is in the next section. Use it alongside this prompt to create your portable voice document.

Iteration Prompts

Once your style guide is built, these prompts handle the most common problems that come up in daily use.

When voice breaks down mid-piece

Something feels off but you can’t name it. Use this to diagnose the problem and update your guide so it doesn’t happen again.

Here's a piece I wrote with your help. Parts of it don't sound like me.

[Paste content]

Analyze where the voice breaks down. What patterns do you see in the sections that feel "off"? Suggest specific updates to my style guide to prevent this in future pieces.

When testing guide updates

You’ve made changes to your style guide and want to verify they actually fix the problem you identified.

I've updated my style guide with these changes: [list specific changes]

Rewrite this paragraph using the updated guide: [paste problematic paragraph]

Then explain what changed and why, referencing the specific guide updates you applied.

When checking voice consistency

Use this monthly to catch drift — the gradual slide toward more generic, more formal, more AI-like output.

Here are three pieces I've written recently: [paste excerpts from three different pieces]

Analyze voice consistency across them. Where does my voice get stronger or weaker? What patterns should I emphasize or avoid?

When expanding guide for context-specific usage

Your voice shifts slightly depending on what you’re writing. This prompt helps you document those shifts without losing your core identity.

I'm noticing I write differently when [specific context]. Help me create context-specific guidelines for:
- Technical deep-dives
- Opinion pieces
- Tutorial content
- Personal stories

What should change in each context while maintaining core voice?

A Note on Using These

These prompts work because they give AI specific things to look for. Vague instructions (“write in my voice”) produce vague results. Structured prompts with concrete categories produce analysis you can actually act on.

The most important resource is your own judgment. These templates are starting points. Adapt them to your voice. Break rules when they don’t serve you. Trust your ear. Add to your forbidden list. Refine your examples. Build on what works and discard what doesn’t.

You know what sounds like you. Everything in this guide exists to help you scale that knowledge — to work faster without losing what makes your writing distinctively yours.

The templates make the process efficient. Your judgment makes the output authentic.