ericmjl Coherent Writing
Usage
Use this skill whenever a user wants writing to read as one connected argument rather than disconnected points.
Target common requests such as:
- "Make this paragraph coherent."
- "Smooth the transitions."
- "This draft feels jumpy and repetitive."
- "Keep my voice, but make the logic flow."
Requirements
Require from the user when missing:
- Draft text to revise.
- Intended audience.
- Desired tone (formal, conversational, technical, persuasive).
- Non-negotiable constraints (length, keywords, claims that must remain).
What It Does
Perform coherence-first editing:
- Diagnose where flow breaks (topic jumps, missing bridge sentences, abrupt section shifts).
- Enforce one clear job per paragraph (claim, support, implication).
- Add or rewrite transitions so each paragraph answers "why this next?"
- Remove duplicates and reorder sentences for progressive logic.
- Preserve facts, intent, and voice unless user asks for deeper rewriting.
How It Works
Follow this workflow in order:
- Read the full draft once without editing. Identify the thesis, section goals, and expected logical path.
- Mark coherence breaks:
- abrupt shift in subject
- unsupported assertion
- repeated point without added value
- pronoun/reference ambiguity
- Perform structural edits before sentence polish:
- reorder paragraphs or sentences for cause -> evidence -> implication flow
- add one bridging sentence where a reader would otherwise ask "why now?"
- Perform local edits:
- tighten topic sentences
- strengthen transition phrases
- remove redundant qualifiers and repeated claims
- Run a final coherence pass:
- each paragraph links back to the section goal
- each section links back to the thesis
- no paragraph starts from unexplained context
- Return the revised text plus short notes on major structural changes.
Use this checkpoint rubric during revision:
- Continuity: Does each sentence naturally follow from the prior one?
- Progression: Does each paragraph add something new?
- Signposting: Are transitions explicit where needed?
- Alignment: Does every section support the core claim?
For additional transition templates and anti-patterns, read references/coherence-patterns.md.