# Long Form Weekly Newsletter > Weekly newsletter — the parent piece of the week. ~600-1200 words. Drafted Sunday. Spawns 5-7 derivative short-form pieces for X / LinkedIn / Threads via /write Phase 5. The recurring Sunday default. - Skill: `r-bart/long-form-weekly-newsletter` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add r-bart/long-form-weekly-newsletter` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/r-bart/long-form-weekly-newsletter/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: r-bart (https://skillmd.com/u/r-bart) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/r-bart/long-form-weekly-newsletter --- ## Metadata - **inherits**: `../writing-style/SKILL.md` - **length target**: 600-1200 words - **cadence**: weekly # long-form-weekly-newsletter The long-form parent piece of the week. Drafted Sunday. Designed so each section can be spun out into a short-form piece during the week (thread, observation, x-vs-y, listicle, carousel). If a section can't be spun out, it shouldn't be in the newsletter. This is the default Sunday recurring piece — the one that anchors the week. Voice and tone come from `writing-style/SKILL.md` — this skill only owns the format and the spin-out contract with `/write --repurpose`. ## Structure ``` [Title: "Mw{N} — "] [1-line subtitle: what this week was actually about] [Opener — 2-3 sentences. Name what this week was about. Set the tone. No housekeeping, no "before we begin".] [Theme 1 — ~150-250 words] The biggest thing of the week. One concrete change, observation, or decision. Lead with the number or the noun, never with "This week I…". Change → context → takeaway. [Theme 2 — ~150-250 words] Same shape. Second-most-important thread of the week. [Theme 3 — ~100-200 words] Tighter. A smaller observation, a conversation that stuck, or a frame that clicked. Optional fourth theme only if it earns its place. [Insights / What I learned — 3-4 bullets, each 1-2 sentences] - Observations from THIS week. Not evergreen wisdom. - Each one tied to a thing that actually happened. - If the bullet could've been written 6 months ago, cut it. [Looking ahead — 2-3 concrete things shipping or shifting next week] Concrete. Dated where possible. No "keep building". [Closer — 1-2 sentences] Question, stake, or clean stop. No "let's see where it takes us". ``` > **Every theme should be spinnable into at least one derivative.** If a section has no plausible thread / observation / x-vs-y / listicle / carousel angle, cut it or merge it. ## Rules specific to this format - Lead with a number, a noun, or a concrete fact. Never with "This week was…". - Length cap: 1200 words. If you blow past, you're writing a manifesto or a devlog — move it to `long-form-monthly-devlog` or split. - 3-4 themes max. More than that → you're recapping, not selecting. - Insights are dated to THIS week. If the insight could've been written 6 months ago, cut. - Each theme must have a derivative angle in mind before you write it (see Workflow step 2). - No section break should be wasted on housekeeping (no "before we begin…", no "quick housekeeping note"). - Numbers stay honest. €0 is €0. If conversion was 1.2% say 1.2%, not "early signal". - Title format: `Mw{N} — ` where N is the week number of the month-week sequence. The hook is a noun phrase or a stake, not a vibe. ## Anti-patterns specific to this format - "This week was a good week." — start with content, not summary judgment. - More than 4 themes — pick the ones that matter, kill the rest. - A theme that has no derivative angle — kill it or merge it into another theme. - Coach-speak (transformational, journey, embark, unleash, unlock) — strike on sight. - "Not just X but Y" — banned construction. - Three-adjective stacks ("clear, focused, intentional") — pick one. - Soft closer ("Let's see where it takes us", "Onwards", "Here's to next week") — banned. - Insights that read like LinkedIn quotes — kill on sight. - TL;DR at the top — the structure IS the TL;DR. - Emoji headers (this is the long-form piece). ## Workflow 1. Open with: what was the **single biggest thing** this week? That's Theme 1. If you can't name it in one sentence, you haven't found it yet. 2. Pick 2-3 supporting themes. For EACH, jot the derivative angle in 5 words max ("→ thread on shipping vs launching"). If you can't, drop the theme. 3. Draft each theme: change/observation → context → takeaway. Lead with the concrete. End with a frame, a feeling, or a next step — pick one, not all three. 4. Write the insights bullets — each tied to something that actually happened this week. 3-4 max. 5. Looking ahead: 2-3 concrete shippables. Dated where possible. 6. Closer: pick one shape (question / stake / clean stop). Re-read the last line aloud. If it fades, rewrite. 7. Run `editing-pass` and `ai-slop-check`. 8. Annotate which sections will spin out into which derivatives — this annotation is what `/write --repurpose` reads later. Use the spin-out map block below. ## Spin-out map (annotate as a comment in your draft) Add this as an HTML comment at the bottom of the draft. `/write --repurpose` parses it to generate the week's short-form pieces: ```markdown ``` Format rules for the map: - One line per derivative. - `: → ()`. - Source must reference a real section or bullet in the draft. - Aim for 5-7 derivatives total per newsletter. Fewer than 5 means the newsletter is under-mined; more than 7 means you're stretching.