hebel. today · 11 November 202655 / 73
Culture · Creative Writing Craft
Turn daily communication into a narrative training ground
Hilary Gridley treats skill acquisition as a two-week learning sprint, dedicating half her waking hours to one specific objective to accelerate progress. She defines what 'good' looks like for a target skill, such as…
From 3 newsletters · 1 min read · one thing to try
Hilary Gridley treats skill acquisition as a two-week learning sprint, dedicating half her waking hours to one specific objective to accelerate progress (Hilary Gridley from writerbuilder). She defines what 'good' looks like for a target skill, such as writing punchlines, then instructs an AI coach to critique her drafts against those exact standards (Hilary Gridley from writerbuilder). This method forces her to internalize the feedback until she anticipates the notes before even asking the machine.
Gridley applies this practice to emails, video scripts, and presentation talk tracks, effectively shrinking the gap between learning and doing. She warns that users must resist letting the AI substitute its own taste for theirs, or they risk ending with a polished draft but no improvement in their own capabilities. Once she feels the AI has become a crutch, she stops using the coach and evaluates her progress by whether her own lines get quoted by others.
Other writers build narrative muscle through different constraints. Eli Ryder leads a 12-week course where participants commit to writing 5,000 to 8,000 words between sessions, solving specific narrative problems like character motivation when inspiration wanes (ATX Writing Club). Sarah Soltanowicz practices by imagining stories around mundane objects like a weathered door or a chipped plate to flesh out fictional worlds without the pressure of sharing them (Sarah Soltanowicz).
Try today · 20 min
Define a specific narrative attribute you want to improve, such as 'clarity of conflict' or 'pacing of reveals', and instruct an AI to critique your next three emails or drafts exclusively against that single standard.
Pick one attribute, not a general goal like 'better writing'.
You need
- A specific narrative goal
- Three recent drafts or emails
- Access to an LLM
Steps
- Identify the single narrative skill you are currently training.
- Write a prompt defining what 'good' looks like for that skill.
- Paste your draft into the LLM with your definition.
- Review the feedback to identify where your draft fails your specific criteria.
- Rewrite the draft based on the feedback.
- Repeat for all three drafts.