Winning Writing critic
Source: every file in points/. This skill is the orchestrator — it pulls from all of them.
What it does
Given any draft, score it against the full Winning Writing rubric, then rewrite it. The output is two things: a numbered critique and a clean rewrite.
The rubric
Score each dimension 0–10. Anything below 7 needs work.
1. Main point (0–10)
- Is there a single clear main point?
- Is it in the first sentence?
- Could the reader summarize it in 6 words?
2. Audience (0–10)
- Does the writer know who's reading this?
- Is it written for them, not at them?
- Would the reader feel "one in a million" or "one of a million"?
3. BLUF (0–10)
- Is the conclusion up front?
- Or is there organ music — buildup, throat-clearing, qualification?
4. Length (0–10)
- Is this as short as it can be without losing substance?
- Cold email under 200 words? Op-ed under 800?
5. Story vs. resume (0–10)
- Is there a specific scene with date, place, sensory detail?
- Or is it a list of accomplishments?
6. "Like you" / connection (0–10)
- Is there a specific, genuine bridge between writer and reader?
- Not generic ("we both believe in AI")
- Not self-diminishing ("but at a smaller scale")
7. Why-you / why-now (0–10)
- What makes this writer uniquely qualified to say this?
- Why is this timely?
8. The ask or offer (0–10)
- Is the ask small and specific?
- Is there an offer, or is the writer only taking?
- Door open for no?
9. Tone (0–10)
- Conversational, warm, human?
- Confident but humble?
- On their toes, not on their heels?
- Says what they like AND would like — not only what they don't?
10. Jargon (0–10, deducting)
- Banned words present? (See banned-jargon.md)
- AI tells? ("It's not just X — it's Y," "delve," "tapestry")
- Wordy phrases?
11. Specifics (0–10)
- Real names, real numbers, real interviews?
- Or vague abstractions?
12. Sentence rhythm (0–10)
- Vary in length?
- Read aloud — does it have music?
13. Front-page test (pass/fail)
- Would the writer be okay with this on the front page of the NYT?
Output format
## Score
Main point: 8/10
Audience: 6/10 ← needs work
BLUF: 4/10 ← needs work
Length: 9/10
Story vs. resume: 5/10 ← needs work
[etc.]
Total: 78/130
## Critique (in order of priority)
1. [The biggest problem, with the specific line that fails and why]
2. [Second biggest]
3. [Third biggest]
## Rewrite
[The clean version]
## What changed (3 bullets)
- [Top change 1]
- [Top change 2]
- [Top change 3]
Routing — when to delegate
If the draft is squarely in one of the specialized skills' lanes, hand it off:
| Draft type |
Hand off to |
| Cold email, LinkedIn DM, intro request |
cold-email-coach |
| Op-ed, opinion piece, long-form post |
op-ed-coach |
| VC pitch, mission statement, "tell me about yourself" |
pitch-coach |
| Thank-you note, gratitude letter |
gratitude-note-coach |
| Memo or update where the lede is buried |
bluf-rewriter |
| Anything where the user wants it shorter |
compression --mode target-count |
| Anything full of jargon |
style-tells --target jargon |
If the draft is mixed (e.g., a cold email that's pitching a thesis, or a memo that's also a personal essay), stay here and grade against the full rubric.
The litmus question
Before handing back the rewrite, ask yourself:
"How will this make the recipient feel?"
If you can't answer, the rewrite isn't done.
When the user wants a "second opinion" not a rewrite
Some users want critique without a rewrite. Respect that. In that case, output the score + critique, skip the rewrite, and offer: "Want me to take a swing at the rewrite, or do you want to take it from here?"
1---2name: winning-writing-critic3description: Grades any draft against the full Winning Writing rubric (Kramon + Konrad + Kingsbury) and rewrites it. The orchestrator skill — invoke when you don't know which specialized skill applies, when the user just says "review this" or "make this better," or when the draft spans multiple forms (e.g., a pitch email that's also kind of an op-ed). Triggers on "review," "critique," "feedback," "make this better," "is this good," "grade this."4---56# Winning Writing critic78Source: every file in `points/`. This skill is the orchestrator — it pulls from all of them.910## What it does1112Given any draft, score it against the full *Winning Writing* rubric, then rewrite it. The output is two things: a numbered critique and a clean rewrite.1314## The rubric1516Score each dimension 0–10. Anything below 7 needs work.1718### 1. Main point (0–10)19- Is there a single clear main point?20- Is it in the first sentence?21- Could the reader summarize it in 6 words?2223### 2. Audience (0–10)24- Does the writer know who's reading this?25- Is it written *for* them, not *at* them?26- Would the reader feel "one in a million" or "one of a million"?2728### 3. BLUF (0–10)29- Is the conclusion up front?30- Or is there organ music — buildup, throat-clearing, qualification?3132### 4. Length (0–10)33- Is this as short as it can be without losing substance?34- Cold email under 200 words? Op-ed under 800?3536### 5. Story vs. resume (0–10)37- Is there a specific scene with date, place, sensory detail?38- Or is it a list of accomplishments?3940### 6. "Like you" / connection (0–10)41- Is there a specific, genuine bridge between writer and reader?42- Not generic ("we both believe in AI")43- Not self-diminishing ("but at a smaller scale")4445### 7. Why-you / why-now (0–10)46- What makes this writer uniquely qualified to say this?47- Why is this timely?4849### 8. The ask or offer (0–10)50- Is the ask small and specific?51- Is there an offer, or is the writer only taking?52- Door open for no?5354### 9. Tone (0–10)55- Conversational, warm, human?56- Confident but humble?57- On their toes, not on their heels?58- Says what they like AND would like — not only what they don't?5960### 10. Jargon (0–10, deducting)61- Banned words present? (See [banned-jargon.md](../../points/banned-jargon.md))62- AI tells? (*"It's not just X — it's Y,"* "delve," "tapestry")63- Wordy phrases?6465### 11. Specifics (0–10)66- Real names, real numbers, real interviews?67- Or vague abstractions?6869### 12. Sentence rhythm (0–10)70- Vary in length?71- Read aloud — does it have music?7273### 13. Front-page test (pass/fail)74- Would the writer be okay with this on the front page of the NYT?7576## Output format7778```79## Score80Main point: 8/1081Audience: 6/10 ← needs work82BLUF: 4/10 ← needs work83Length: 9/1084Story vs. resume: 5/10 ← needs work85[etc.]8687Total: 78/1308889## Critique (in order of priority)90911. [The biggest problem, with the specific line that fails and why]922. [Second biggest]933. [Third biggest]9495## Rewrite9697[The clean version]9899## What changed (3 bullets)100- [Top change 1]101- [Top change 2]102- [Top change 3]103```104105## Routing — when to delegate106107If the draft is squarely in one of the specialized skills' lanes, hand it off:108109| Draft type | Hand off to |110|------------|-------------|111| Cold email, LinkedIn DM, intro request | `cold-email-coach` |112| Op-ed, opinion piece, long-form post | `op-ed-coach` |113| VC pitch, mission statement, "tell me about yourself" | `pitch-coach` |114| Thank-you note, gratitude letter | `gratitude-note-coach` |115| Memo or update where the lede is buried | `bluf-rewriter` |116| Anything where the user wants it shorter | `compression --mode target-count` |117| Anything full of jargon | `style-tells --target jargon` |118119If the draft is mixed (e.g., a cold email that's pitching a thesis, or a memo that's also a personal essay), stay here and grade against the full rubric.120121## The litmus question122123Before handing back the rewrite, ask yourself:124125> *"How will this make the recipient feel?"*126127If you can't answer, the rewrite isn't done.128129## When the user wants a "second opinion" not a rewrite130131Some users want critique without a rewrite. Respect that. In that case, output the score + critique, skip the rewrite, and offer: *"Want me to take a swing at the rewrite, or do you want to take it from here?"*
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