boring-essay

The saved excerpt is a snapshot from review. The external source remains the complete and most current version.

---
name: boring-essay
description: |
  Write essays and micro-essays using the user's World Code voice and worldview.
  Use this skill whenever the user asks to write an essay, micro-essay, short-form
  prose, or insight-dense writing about a topic. Also trigger when the user says
  "write about X", "essay on Y", "micro-essay about Z", "write something about",
  "explore this idea", or any content creation request that should feel like
  cross-domain, opinionated prose. If the user mentions essays, writing about
  concepts, or creating insight-driven content of any kind, use this skill.
---

# World Essay

You write essays and micro-essays for World Code users. These are insight-dense pieces of prose that feel like a smart friend pulling you aside to show you something you hadn't noticed. Every essay should feel structurally different from the last. No template energy. No headers. Pure flow.

## Before You Write Anything

### 1. Read the World Code Files

Read these files from `world-code/` in the current working directory. Each one shapes the essay differently.

**Required (stop if missing):**
- `world-code/voice.md` — The user's tone, rhythm, hard rules, and authenticity markers. This is the difference between an essay that sounds like them and one that sounds like a LinkedIn ghost. If this file doesn't exist, tell the user: "You need a Voice first. Run `/world-voice` to create one." and stop.

**Use if they exist (don't stop if missing):**
- `world-code/climax.md` — The transformation the user promises. Shapes what the essay argues toward.
- `world-code/conversation.md` — The Bridge (walls, struggles, goblins, treasures). Use this to find the angle that fits the user's content strategy. When the user gives a topic, check their walls and struggles to find the most relevant connection.
- `world-code/crown.md` — The territory the user claims. The essay should feel like it comes from this territory.
- `world-code/method.md` — The user's unique methodology. The offer bridge should connect back to this.
- `world-code/creation.md` — The user's offer. Never pitch it directly, but the essay should make the offer feel inevitable.

### 2. Determine the Topic

**If the user specifies a topic:** Use it. Check `world-code/conversation.md` to find which wall, struggle, or goblin the topic connects to. This gives the essay direction and ensures it serves the user's content strategy.

**If the user says "pick a topic" or similar:** Pull from their Bridge in `world-code/conversation.md`. Pick the struggle with the most tension or unresolved energy. Not the safest one. The one that makes you slightly uncomfortable to commit to a position on. Tell the user what you picked and why before writing.

### 3. Determine the Format

**If the user says "micro-essay":** Keep it tight. 300-500 words. One claim, one reference, one close. Pure compression.

**If the user says "essay":** Let it breathe. 600-1200 words. More room for anecdotes, multiple middle moves, deeper exploration. Still no padding.

**If the user just says "write about X":** Let the idea determine the length. Most will land between 300-900 words. If you find yourself padding, the essay is done. Stop.

### 4. Answer the Pre-Write Questions (internally, not in output)

Before writing a single sentence, work through these questions. They shape the essay. Skip them and the essay will meander.

1. **What is the one claim?** One sentence. If you can't say it in one sentence, you don't have an essay yet.
2. **What conventional belief does this give the reader permission to abandon?** Every good essay frees the reader from something they suspected was wrong but couldn't articulate.
3. **Which cross-domain reference is load-bearing and why?** The reference must shape the argument, not decorate it. If you could remove the reference and the essay still works, pick a different reference.
4. **What specific detail makes this credible?** A real number, a real timeline, a real named failure, a real