Writing with Claude

Claude plays two writing roles. Generator: it creates from scratch based on your prompt. Editor: it improves existing work you give it. Most people use only the Generator role. The Editor role is often more valuable because it starts from your ideas and your voice, then improves the execution. The distinction matters because the prompts are different. A Generator prompt says “write a memo about X.” An Editor prompt says “here is my draft memo. The opening buries the point. The third paragraph uses jargon my audience will not understand. Rewrite the opening to lead with the recommendation, and simplify the jargon without losing the technical accuracy.”

The revision loop technique combines both roles. You generate a draft, ask Claude to critique its own work (identifying the three weakest sentences and explaining why), then ask it to revise based on the critique. This separation of generation and evaluation produces better results than trying to get a perfect draft in a single pass.

Sample 1: The Overwritten Memo. A team update stuffed with corporate jargon: “leveraging cross-functional synergies,” “robust pipeline of deliverables,” “driving alignment across stakeholders.” The specific problem: every sentence contains at least one word that means nothing. The rewrite prompt tells Claude to strip the jargon, lead with the actual update, and limit the memo to 200 words. The teaching point: Claude can identify and remove jargon when told to, but the prompt must name what jargon looks like.

Sample 2: The Buried Lede Email. A price increase notification that buries the price change in paragraph four after three paragraphs of context about market conditions and cost pressures. The specific problem: the reader has to dig for the information that matters. The rewrite prompt says: “The price increase is the news. Put it in the first sentence. The context is the justification. Put it after.” The teaching point: Claude follows structural instructions precisely when they are clear.

Sample 3: The Jargon-Loaded Report. A quarterly performance report using phrases like “robust momentum,” “secular tailwinds,” “optimize our go-to-market motion.” The specific problem: the report sounds impressive and communicates nothing. The rewrite prompt tells Claude to replace every abstract phrase with a concrete fact or number. “Robust momentum” becomes “revenue grew 12% QoQ.” The teaching point: the rewrite prompt must define what “good” looks like. “Make it clearer” is insufficient. “Replace every abstract phrase with a specific number or fact” is actionable.