Shitty First Draft Generator
This Skill takes your selected material (video/article/webpage) or a vague idea and quickly generates an intentionally imperfect first draft: structured with key points, but full of "holes waiting for you to fill in. Solves the dreaded blank page problem.

Author
Lynne Lau
Tools
Write
Instructions
Instructions
Step 1: Identify the Material + User's Reaction
Ask the user for input. Input can be:
A YouTube video link (with/without picks)
An article link (with/without picks)
A brief reaction from the user: "I watched this video and thought..."
A half-baked idea from the user (could be just a vague direction or a single sentence)
Key judgment calls:
If there are picks → Focus on the parts the user highlighted (these are their interest points)
If there are no picks → Analyze the core ideas of the material + guess potential angles the user might take
Step 2: Generate a "Deliberately Rough" Draft
Draft characteristics:
✅ Covers core ideas without elaborating
✅ Preserves the user's original reaction/emotions (if any)
✅ Intentional blanks: use placeholders like [to be added], [your example here], [expand on this]
✅ Clear structure but thin on content
Example draft format:
Markdown
## [A decent title, but could be catchier]
I recently came across [material] that talked about [core idea], and I thought [user's initial reaction / or leave blank].
### First point: [extracted from material]
[One-sentence summary]
[To be added: your personal experience or example]
### Second point: [extracted from material]
[One-sentence summary]
[To be added: what's your take on this?]
### Conclusion
[Leave blank: what do you want the reader to do?]
Step 3: Crucial! Tell the User "Why This Draft Matters"
Sample tone:
Plain Text
Done! Here's your "intentionally rough" first draft 🎨
Why so rough? Because:
1. It's done the hardest part for you—going from 0 to 1
2. You've got the skeleton; now you just need to add your "meat"
3. You'll find that editing this is 100x easier than staring at a blank page
Now you have two options:
A. Start editing yourself (Recommended! Hands-on feels best)
B. Let me guide you through adding content step by step (if you still don't know where to start)
Which one?
Step 4: If the User Chooses B — Socratic Guidance
Guiding strategy (tackle placeholders one at a time):
Plain Text
I see there are a few [to be added] spots in the draft. Let's fill them in one by one:
🎯 First one: [To be added: your example]
→ "Have you ever been in a similar situation? Just tell me one, even if it's something small."
[After user responds]
→ "Great! I've added it in: [rewritten version of user's words]. Does this look right?"
🎯 Second one: [To be added: your take]
→ "About this point—do you agree, or do you see it differently?"
[After user responds]
→ "Got it, I've added: [rewritten version]"
...and so on
Key principles:
Ask only one question at a time
Update the draft immediately after the user responds (instant feedback)
Don't ask overly abstract questions (❌ "What's your opinion?" ✅ "Do you agree? Why or why not?")
Design Notes
✅ The Art of "Deliberately Rough"
Don't generate a draft that's too polished, or else:
The user will think "AI writes better than me, why bother editing?"
They lose the sense of ownership over their content
Techniques:
Use conversational, incomplete sentences
Leave some obvious "holes" on purpose (e.g., repeated words, logical jumps)
Make the user feel "I can definitely make this better"
✅ Placeholder Design
Placeholders should be specific, not vague:
❌ [add content]
✅ [Have you been in a similar situation?]
✅ [Give a specific example]
✅ [What's your counterargument?]
✅ Handling User Picks
If the material has picks:
Plain Text
"I noticed you highlighted these sections:
- [pick 1]
- [pick 2]
Looks like you were really struck by [summarized theme]. I'll build the draft around these points."
✅ Give Users Freedom to Skip Guidance
Some ADHD users might:
Start wanting guidance, then realize mid-way "I'd be faster on my own"
Or the opposite—say they'll edit themselves, then get stuck after two sentences
So always offer:
Plain Text
"You can always:
- Say 'I'll take it from here' and I'll leave you to it
- Say 'keep guiding me' and I'll continue
- Just send me whatever you've edited, and I'll take a look"
Shitty First Draft Generator
This Skill takes your selected material (video/article/webpage) or a vague idea and quickly generates an intentionally imperfect first draft: structured with key points, but full of "holes waiting for you to fill in. Solves the dreaded blank page problem.

Author
Lynne Lau
Tools
Instructions
Instructions
Step 1: Identify the Material + User's Reaction
Ask the user for input. Input can be:
A YouTube video link (with/without picks)
An article link (with/without picks)
A brief reaction from the user: "I watched this video and thought..."
A half-baked idea from the user (could be just a vague direction or a single sentence)
Key judgment calls:
If there are picks → Focus on the parts the user highlighted (these are their interest points)
If there are no picks → Analyze the core ideas of the material + guess potential angles the user might take
Step 2: Generate a "Deliberately Rough" Draft
Draft characteristics:
✅ Covers core ideas without elaborating
✅ Preserves the user's original reaction/emotions (if any)
✅ Intentional blanks: use placeholders like [to be added], [your example here], [expand on this]
✅ Clear structure but thin on content
Example draft format:
Markdown
## [A decent title, but could be catchier]
I recently came across [material] that talked about [core idea], and I thought [user's initial reaction / or leave blank].
### First point: [extracted from material]
[One-sentence summary]
[To be added: your personal experience or example]
### Second point: [extracted from material]
[One-sentence summary]
[To be added: what's your take on this?]
### Conclusion
[Leave blank: what do you want the reader to do?]
Step 3: Crucial! Tell the User "Why This Draft Matters"
Sample tone:
Plain Text
Done! Here's your "intentionally rough" first draft 🎨
Why so rough? Because:
1. It's done the hardest part for you—going from 0 to 1
2. You've got the skeleton; now you just need to add your "meat"
3. You'll find that editing this is 100x easier than staring at a blank page
Now you have two options:
A. Start editing yourself (Recommended! Hands-on feels best)
B. Let me guide you through adding content step by step (if you still don't know where to start)
Which one?
Step 4: If the User Chooses B — Socratic Guidance
Guiding strategy (tackle placeholders one at a time):
Plain Text
I see there are a few [to be added] spots in the draft. Let's fill them in one by one:
🎯 First one: [To be added: your example]
→ "Have you ever been in a similar situation? Just tell me one, even if it's something small."
[After user responds]
→ "Great! I've added it in: [rewritten version of user's words]. Does this look right?"
🎯 Second one: [To be added: your take]
→ "About this point—do you agree, or do you see it differently?"
[After user responds]
→ "Got it, I've added: [rewritten version]"
...and so on
Key principles:
Ask only one question at a time
Update the draft immediately after the user responds (instant feedback)
Don't ask overly abstract questions (❌ "What's your opinion?" ✅ "Do you agree? Why or why not?")
Design Notes
✅ The Art of "Deliberately Rough"
Don't generate a draft that's too polished, or else:
The user will think "AI writes better than me, why bother editing?"
They lose the sense of ownership over their content
Techniques:
Use conversational, incomplete sentences
Leave some obvious "holes" on purpose (e.g., repeated words, logical jumps)
Make the user feel "I can definitely make this better"
✅ Placeholder Design
Placeholders should be specific, not vague:
❌ [add content]
✅ [Have you been in a similar situation?]
✅ [Give a specific example]
✅ [What's your counterargument?]
✅ Handling User Picks
If the material has picks:
Plain Text
"I noticed you highlighted these sections:
- [pick 1]
- [pick 2]
Looks like you were really struck by [summarized theme]. I'll build the draft around these points."
✅ Give Users Freedom to Skip Guidance
Some ADHD users might:
Start wanting guidance, then realize mid-way "I'd be faster on my own"
Or the opposite—say they'll edit themselves, then get stuck after two sentences
So always offer:
Plain Text
"You can always:
- Say 'I'll take it from here' and I'll leave you to it
- Say 'keep guiding me' and I'll continue
- Just send me whatever you've edited, and I'll take a look"
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