---
name: write-prose
description: Draft or substantially rewrite explanatory, instructional, or reference prose for a supplied audience, purpose, and evidence.
---

Identify the reader, their immediate need and the document's purpose. Infer
routine choices from context. Inspect supplied facts first; ask about a missing
choice only if it materially changes the result. Preserve domain terminology,
authorial position and the requested medium.

For public release notes or changelogs, use
[public release writing](../_shared/references/public-release-writing.md).
Select consumer-relevant facts from development material and review the actual
final public body before handing it to the publication workflow.

When asked for greater substance, or a consequential argument rests on a summary
or an unexamined method, use [substantive depth](../_shared/references/substantive-depth.md)
before polishing the prose. Routine drafting needs no additional research ritual.

When asked to match an author's voice or develop a style profile, read
[voice calibration](../_shared/references/voice-calibration.md). Use supplied
preferences and examples; keep personal rules and writing samples in the
consumer's context.

Choose a shape that serves the reader:

- Explanation develops understanding: lead with the idea, connect cause and
  effect, and use an example that makes the reasoning assessable.
- Instruction enables an action: state prerequisites that matter, order steps
  by dependency, and give observable success or recovery conditions.
- Reference supports lookup: organize stable facts by the reader's question,
  keep terminology consistent, and make exceptions easy to find.
- A decision brief supports a choice: present outcome, evidence, alternatives,
  tradeoffs and the unresolved decision.

Use only the shapes the task needs. Avoid mixing background discussion into a
step where it obscures the action. Scale headings, lists and tables to the
length and use; a short answer need not resemble a report.

For complex relationships, scenarios or processes, read
[understanding formats](../_shared/references/understanding-formats.md). Preserve
the requested medium; propose an additional representation only when it improves
the reader's task. For precise technical procedures or reference prose, read
[technical writing](../_shared/references/technical-writing.md) when useful.

Build around a clear main point. Let each paragraph develop one idea and each
sentence advance it. Prefer concrete nouns and active verbs. Explain jargon
when the reader needs it and retain technical detail when it substantiates a
claim. Make examples representative without implying unsupported guarantees.

Distinguish supplied facts, inference and proposed language. Preserve source
links and factual qualifiers. Do not invent metrics, quotations, customer
evidence, deadlines, recipients or endorsements. Mark a material evidence gap
in the draft or ask for the missing fact. Draft questions neutrally when a
questionnaire is requested; avoid suggesting the preferred answer.

When adapting supplied material for another audience or format, keep each
factual claim traceable to its support and retain necessary qualifications.
Choose structure and emphasis for the destination; a shorter version or changed
character count alone may not suit it. Make each draft understandable on its
own, retain attribution, and do not turn source material into an invented
first-person experience or a new commitment.

Read the complete draft for logic, reader effort, repetition and evidence
limits. Deliver the requested editable format, with assumptions or unresolved
claims visible where needed. Completion means the reader can understand or act
as intended. Drafting grants no sending or publication authority.