# Week Author

> Drafts a complete course week in Alan Hirsch's voice, grounded in corpus material and following a canonical transformation-loop structure.

- Skill: `joshuashepherd/week-author` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds add joshuashepherd/week-author`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/joshuashepherd/week-author/raw
- Safety review: PASS (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Productivity
- Tags: Alan Hirsch, Corpus, Course Authoring, Transformation Loop, Trello
- Author: JoshuaShepherd (https://skillmd.com/u/joshuashepherd)
- Updated: 2026-08-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/joshuashepherd/week-author

---


Author a complete course week: $ARGUMENTS

$ARGUMENTS should include: course slug and week number (e.g., `forgotten-ways 3`). Optionally: specific sections to draft if not the full week. If incomplete, ask the user.

---

## Phase 0 — Load the Authoring System

Read these files in order. Do NOT begin writing until all are loaded.

1. `courses/COURSE_STRATEGY.md` — canonical structure, section order, word counts, Week 1/8 variants
2. `courses/ALAN_HIRSCH_VOICE_PROMPTING_MASTER_GUIDE.md` — full voice system (five markers, failure modes, antithesis prohibition, argument patterns, signature elements, rhetorical posture)
3. `courses/CONTENT_QUALITY_GUIDE.md` — checklist (Part 1), scoring rubric (Part 2), and craft guide (Part 3) — use the checklist during authoring and the rubric during self-audit
4. `research/core-content/voice-style-reference/style-patterns.md` — concept introduction, example usage, transition, conclusion, technical term, and narrative structure patterns
5. `.claude/skills/alan-voice/SKILL.md` — voice skill reference (markers table, failure modes checklist, argument patterns)
6. `.claude/skills/course-author/SKILL.md` — section specs, transformation loop reference, and chat section format requirements

---

## Phase 1 — Resolve the Week's Corpus and Prompt

### 1a. Read the Trello prompt card (if available)

The week prompt cards are generated by `scripts/tfw_alan_voice_week_prompts.py`. Read the relevant function in that file for the week's:
- **Outcomes** (from `course-manifest.json`)
- **Assets to draft**
- **Primary TFW chapters** (corpus paths)
- **Handbook chapters** (corpus paths)
- **Additional corpus** (reJesus, 5Q, research, etc.)
- **Shared sources** (pathways, articles, research, planning docs)

### 1b. Read all primary corpus files

Read every corpus file listed for this week. These are the theological source material — all teaching must be grounded in what Alan actually wrote.

For Week 3 specifically:
- `corpus/alan_hirsch/the-forgotten-ways/the-forgotten-ways-ch04-the-heart-of-it-all-jesus-is-lord.md` (PRIMARY)
- `corpus/alan_hirsch/the-forgotten-ways-handbook/the-forgotten-ways-handbook-ch02-the-heart-of-it-all.md`
- `corpus/alan_hirsch/the-forgotten-ways-handbook/the-forgotten-ways-handbook-ch03-disciple-making.md`
- `corpus/alan_hirsch/rejesus/rejesus-ch05-the-shema-schema.md`
- `corpus/alan_hirsch/rejesus/rejesus-ch04-ive-got-a-picture-of-jesus.md`
- `corpus/alan_hirsch/rejesus/rejesus-ch07-the-church-that-jesus-built.md` (select sections)

### 1c. Read existing course content for context

Check what already exists in:
- `courses/courses/[slug]/` — course manifest, existing modules
- `courses/forgotten-ways-course-content/` — any drafted modules
- `courses/forgotten-ways-content-creation/` — any section-level drafts

Understand what came before this week (prior weeks' themes, arc position) and what comes after.

### 1d. Read the Trello authoring decisions

The Trello list "SSoT — Authoring & prompts (decisions)" contains doctrinal guardrails. Key cards:
- North star: engineer transformation, not "adapt the book"
- Content must earn its place (serve dissonance / action / cohort)
- Hold productive tension in teaching (don't close the loop in prose)
- Weeks 2-7 corpus map
- Weekly time & word budget

---

## Phase 2 — Plan the Week Before Writing

Before drafting any content, produce a brief **week plan** (do not output to the user yet — this is internal):

1. **This week's position in the arc**: What came before (prior week's theme, where the learner is emotionally/theologically), what this week must accomplish, what comes next
2. **Core tension**: The productive dissonance this week creates — what assumption does it unsettle?
3. **Core concept**: The theological reality this week recovers or awakens (not a topic to cover)
4. **Christocentric anchor**: How Jesus / Lord / Kingdom / Gospel is the spine of this week
5. **Action domain**: What concrete life-domain the action step enters
6. **Cohort conversation target**: What the group session needs to surface
7. **Argument pattern**: Which of the three patterns (A, B, or C) best serves the teaching — or a combination

---

## Phase 3 — Draft All Sections (Transformation Loop Order)

Draft each section in the canonical order below. For Weeks 2-7, this is:

### Section 1: Opening Video Script (`video`)
- **Word count:** 600-900 words (~5 min at ~145 wpm)
- **Structure:** Hook → concept → grounding → learner implication → closing question
- **Voice:** Conversational, direct, first-person. Alan to camera.
- **Rules:** This is NOT a lecture. NOT a summary of the reading. The video frames; the reading unpacks. End with a question that creates anticipation.
- **Argument pattern:** Usually Pattern B (Story → Tension → Scripture → Resolution → Application) or a compressed Pattern A

### Section 2: Dissonance Prompt (`chat_dissonance`)
- **Word count:** 200-350 words
- **Structure:** Tension statement (2-3 sentences) + question (1-2 sentences)
- **Voice:** Feels like Alan asking a hard question across a table. Intimate, unsettling, warm.
- **Rules:** Do NOT resolve the tension. Do NOT welcome or orient. This is a productive disruption that opens the learner before they encounter the teaching.

### Section 3: Main Teaching (`reading`)
- **Word count:** 2,000-3,500 words
- **Structure:** Opening hook → framework presentation → scriptural grounding → implications → application preview
- **Substructure:** 2-3 subheadings. 1-2 blockquotes from Alan's books or Scripture.
- **Voice:** Full Alan Hirsch — all five markers at full strength. This is the theological and pedagogical core of the week.
- **Rules:** Must advance the course's overarching narrative. Every paragraph earns its place by feeding dissonance, action, or cohort. Hold productive tension — do not close the loop in prose. Leave room for AI companion, field practice, and cohort.
- **Argument pattern:** Choose from Pattern A, B, or C based on the week plan. Patterns can nest.

### Section 3a: Scripture Element (`scripture`) — Week 3 only
- **Word count:** 300-500 words
- **Structure:** Scripture passage + theological unpacking + connection to the week's concept
- **Rules:** Week 3 includes this because "Jesus Is Lord" demands the scriptural weight of the Shema. Scripture is woven into argument, not proof-texted. This section sits between the main teaching and the case study.

### Section 4: Case Study / Witness (`case_study`)
- **Word count:** 300-600 words
- **Structure:** Setup → story → connection to concept → implication
- **Voice:** Narrative, concrete, specific. Not a summary of the teaching — a story that *shows* the concept at work.
- **Source preference:** Early church, Chinese underground church, Celtic movement, SMRC, Alan's ministry stories. Must be grounded in known historical examples from the corpus.

### Section 5: Action Step Prompt (`chat_action`)
- **Word count:** 150-250 words
- **Voice:** AI companion prompt. Warm, direct, concrete.
- **Rules:** One step. Time-boxed (this week). Named to someone (who will they tell or do this with?). Not a to-do list — a formation step.

### Section 6: Reflection Prompt (`chat_reflection`)
- **Word count:** 150-250 words
- **Voice:** AI companion prompt. Contemplative, honest, gentle.
- **Rules:** After the learner has acted. What happened? What got in the way? What do they want to carry forward? Gospel light on failure — grace, not guilt.

### Section 7: Cohort Meeting (`discussion`)
- **Word count:** 200-400 words
- **Structure:** Theme + opening question + 2-3 key discussion questions + closing practice
- **Voice:** Facilitator guide. Clear, warm, structured.
- **Rules:** Must create genuine shared risk. Not a book club discussion — a formation conversation.

### Section 8: Exit Ticket (`reflection`)
- **Word count:** 150-250 words
- **Structure:** Three response options (cognitive takeaway, emotional response, commitment) + brief preview of next week
- **Voice:** Brief, invitational, forward-looking.

---

## Phase 4 — Voice Audit (Mandatory Before Delivery)

After drafting all sections, run a self-audit on every section. Check:

### Five Voice Markers
| Marker | Weight | Min | Check |
|--------|--------|-----|-------|
| Christocentric Anchoring | 30% | ≥0.7 | 2-3 Jesus/Christ/Kingdom/Gospel references per substantial section |
| Pastoral Warmth | 20% | ≥0.5 | We/you/I balance (~45/35/20); relational, invitational |
| Narrative Imagery | 15% | ≥0.6 | ~8.5 metaphors per 1000 words; movement/DNA, organic, journey |
| Theological Depth | 10% | ≥0.7 | Scripture woven; historical examples; frameworks named |
| Prophetic Intensity | 25% | 0.5-0.8 | Questions, urgency, challenge — balanced with warmth |

### Failure Mode Scan
- [ ] No corporate consultant language ("leverage," "optimize," "scalable," "best practices")
- [ ] No detached academic voice ("research suggests," "implications indicate")
- [ ] No antithesis patterns ("not X, but Y" / "rather than X" / "instead of X")
- [ ] No rushing to practice before theological grounding
- [ ] No homiletical mode / stacked proof-texts
- [ ] No generic motivational language
- [ ] Christocentric anchor present in every section (automatic failure if missing)
- [ ] First-person narrative present where appropriate

### Structural Checks
- [ ] All sections present in correct order
- [ ] Word counts within targets
- [ ] Dissonance actually creates tension (not a welcome message)
- [ ] Teaching advances the course narrative (not just covers a topic)
- [ ] Case study shows concept at work (not summarizes the teaching)
- [ ] Action step is concrete, time-boxed, and doable in 7 days
- [ ] Reflection looks backward at action taken
- [ ] Cohort meeting creates genuine shared risk
- [ ] Exit ticket offers three response types + next week preview

### Formation Loop Integrity
- [ ] Each section serves its role in the loop — dissonance unsettles, teaching grounds, witness shows, action moves, reflection integrates, cohort holds, exit sends forward
- [ ] Productive tension is maintained — the teaching does not resolve everything; room remains for AI companion, field practice, and cohort
- [ ] The Christocentric spine is visible across all sections

If any marker falls below minimum or any failure mode is detected, revise before delivering.

---

## Phase 5 — Output Format

Output the complete week as a single markdown document with clear section headers. Use this format:

```markdown
# Week [N]: [Title]
**Course:** [Course Name]
**Position in arc:** [What came before → this week → what comes next]
**Core tension:** [One sentence]
**Christocentric anchor:** [One sentence]

---

## 1. Opening Video Script
**Type:** `video` | **Target:** 600-900 words | **Actual:** [count]

[content]

---

## 2. Dissonance
**Type:** `chat_dissonance` | **Target:** 200-350 words | **Actual:** [count]

[content]

---

## 3. Main Teaching
**Type:** `reading` | **Target:** 2,000-3,500 words | **Actual:** [count]

[content]

---

[...continue for all sections]

---

## Voice Audit Summary

| Marker | Score | Notes |
|--------|-------|-------|
| Christocentric Anchoring | [score] | [notes] |
| Pastoral Warmth | [score] | [notes] |
| Narrative Imagery | [score] | [notes] |
| Theological Depth | [score] | [notes] |
| Prophetic Intensity | [score] | [notes] |
| **Overall Coherence** | [score] | |

**Failure modes detected:** [none / list]
**Word count total:** [sum] (target: 6,000-8,000)
```

---

## After Delivery

Suggest the output file path following the repository convention:
- Full module: `courses/forgotten-ways-course-content/module-[NN]/week-[N]-[slug].md`
- Or section-level: `courses/forgotten-ways-content-creation/[section-type]/week-[N]-[slug].md`

Ask the user whether to write the file or if they want to review and revise first.