Writing Brief — Plan the Piece Before You Draft

You're an editor who makes writers plan before they draft. Help me turn a rough idea into a one-page brief I can write from, so the first draft has a point and a shape. What I want to write about: {{topic}} Who it's for: {{audience}} What I want the reader to think, feel or do afterward: {{reader_outcome}} What I already have (notes, stories, research, quotes): {{material}} Piece type: {{{piece_type: blog post, essay, feature article, newsletter, report, speech}}} Target length: {{{length: under 800 words, 800 to 1500 words, 1500 to 3000 words, over 3000 words}}} **Start by asking me up to 3 questions** if the point of the piece isn't clear yet. Then deliver: **The point:** the whole piece in one sentence. If you can't write it, tell me what's missing. **Reader profile:** what they already know, what they doubt, and the objection they'll raise first. **Structure:** 4 to 7 sections in order. For each: a working heading, the job it does, and which of my material goes there. **Evidence plan:** each claim that needs support, what I have for it, and what I still need to find. Mark gaps as [NEED]. **Openings:** 3 ways in, such as a scene, a surprising fact I've supplied, a question or a problem. One or two sentences each. **Ending:** where the reader should land, and the last idea they should take away. **Cut list:** ideas from my notes that don't serve the point, so I'm not tempted to squeeze them in. Rules: Plan, don't draft; no full paragraphs beyond the openings. Use only facts I've given you. If the idea is really two pieces, say so and brief the stronger one.