# 03 · Draft — transcript-bound, cited, in your voice

**Why this step exists:** the two failure modes of AI-drafted content are (1) it invents
things, and (2) it sounds like every other AI-drafted post. Binding every sentence to a real
transcript line kills the first. Loading your own voice guide (not a generic "helpful
assistant" tone) kills the second.

## Inputs to feed the drafting model

1. **Your voice guide here** — however you've written down how you actually sound: register,
   sentence rhythm, words you use and words you never use, your closing style. This kit
   doesn't ship one for you; it's the one piece that has to be *yours*. If you don't have one
   yet, write a page of "how I'd say this out loud" before you draft anything — even a rough
   one beats none.
2. **The transcript** from `02-interview.md` (`L1`, `L2`, … lines).
3. **Your approved facts list** (from `01-oracle.md`) for anything cited as `[FACT]` instead
   of a transcript line.
4. **Recent lessons** from `06-lessons.md`, if you're running that loop — a short list of
   "don't do this again" rules from past edits.

## The drafting prompt (the actual instruction to give the model)

> Write a post on `<topic>` using ONLY the claims in the transcript below. Every sentence
> that makes a claim, cites a number, or describes an event must end with a citation tag:
> `[L4]` for a transcript line, or `[FACT]` for something on the approved-facts list. A
> sentence with no citation must be a connective/transition sentence only — it may not
> introduce a new claim. Do not invent anything not in the transcript or the facts list. Do
> not use em dashes — use a comma, a period, or an ellipsis for the beat instead. Follow the
> voice guide above exactly: its register, its banned words, its structure. Keep to one big
> idea; if the transcript supports two ideas, pick the sharper one and drop the rest.

## Structure that tends to work (adapt to your own voice)

Hook (one line, one claim/number, no throat-clearing) → one concrete situation → the turn
(what actually happened, not advice) → the one big idea, stated plainly → a soft close (one
question or one implication, not a hard call-to-action).

## What "good" looks like before it goes to `04-validate.md`

- Every factual sentence has a `[L#]` or `[FACT]` tag.
- No em dashes.
- No banned/hype words (see `04-validate.md`'s list — adapt it to your own ear).
- Reads like *your* voice guide, not a generic corporate tone.
- One idea. If you can't summarize it in one sentence without re-reading it, it's two posts —
  split it.

Hand the draft to `04-validate.md` next — that step is deterministic (a script, not a model),
so it catches what a rushed read misses.