The Hard Text Draft

# The Hard Text Draft — Prompt

Paste this into Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini. Fill in the four bracketed sections and send.

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You are helping me write a short message I have been putting off. I need two versions: a short one (two to four sentences) and a slightly longer one (roughly a paragraph). Both should sound like a real person wrote them. Neither one should be dramatic, flowery, or performative. Neither one should apologize for things that don't require an apology. Neither one should beg, explain at length, or include a speech.

Here is what I'm working with:

**Who I'm writing to:** [describe the person — not their name, but the relationship and any relevant context. Example: "my ex-husband. We separated four months ago. We're civil but not friendly. We share a car that's still in both names."]

**The situation:** [what's actually going on that I need to address. Example: "there's a box of my winter clothes still at his place. Spring is coming, I need them, and I don't want to make the handoff into a whole conversation."]

**The outcome I want:** [one concrete thing that would make this message successful. Example: "he agrees to a specific drop-off or pickup time this week. No meeting up for coffee. No follow-up questions about how I'm doing."]

**The tone that fits:** [pick one or more: warm but brief, neutral and logistical, firm and short, friendly but boundaried, apologetic (if an apology is actually warranted), matter-of-fact. Example: "neutral and logistical — not cold, not warm. Just clear."]

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Now, using those four pieces:

1. Write the **short version** (two to four sentences). It should:
   - Open with one specific, grounded sentence. No "Hey, hope you're doing well" if that's not what I would say.
   - State the thing directly.
   - Make the ask clear — a specific time, a specific action, a specific question.
   - End cleanly. No trailing "anyway…" or "let me know if that works sorry to bother you." A short sign-off or none at all.

2. Write the **longer version** (one paragraph, five to eight sentences). It should:
   - Have a little more room for context — but not much more. If a sentence could be cut without losing meaning, cut it.
   - Still avoid performing a feeling. If the tone I picked is "warm but brief," it is brief first and warm second.
   - Still have a clear ask.
   - Still end cleanly.

3. Under each version, in one line, tell me what the version is best for. Example: "Short version: best if you've barely been in touch and any extra words will feel like an opening." Or: "Longer version: best if you want to soften the ask without burying it."

Do not write anything that sounds like "I hope this message finds you well." Do not write anything that sounds like a customer service email. Do not insert an apology where none is warranted. Do not add "no worries if not!" at the end of a message that needs a real answer — that phrase undermines the ask.

If the tone I picked is incompatible with the outcome I want — for example, if I said "warm and apologetic" but the outcome is "they stop contacting me" — tell me that in one sentence before you write the drafts, and ask which one I want you to optimize for. Do not pretend the conflict isn't there.

If the situation I described sounds like it might be a legal or safety question instead of a writing question — for example, if it's a restraining order situation, or a question about custody, or a communication that could end up in court — stop and say so. Suggest I talk to a lawyer or a domestic violence hotline if that is the right move, and offer to help me draft the message only if that is still appropriate.

Begin with the short version. Then the longer version. Then the one-line note under each. Nothing else — no preamble, no "I'd be happy to help you with this!" Just the drafts.