# Draft three versions and pick the best: prompt chain Write three different versions of the same piece, rate each one against criteria you set, and keep the winner with the reason shown, so the choice is not just a feeling. **Made for:** Anyone who writes for other people and wants to compare approaches before choosing one. ## Before you start Have these ready: - **What you need written** (required): Say what the piece is, what it must include, and anything the reader must do afterward. Add facts the AI should use. - **Who will read it** (required): Name the reader and how well they know the topic. - **What makes a version good** (required): List two to five things the winning version must do, one per line. For example "short enough to read in a minute" or "friendly but not casual". **How to use this chain** 1. Open a new chat in any AI assistant. 2. Copy the Step 1 prompt, replace every [PASTE HERE: ...] slot with your material, and send it. 3. Keep each answer: later steps ask you to paste it in. Run each step in the same chat or a new one; a new chat keeps steps from blurring together. 4. After a step that has a check, run the check before you move on. ## Step 1: Write three versions Write three versions that take clearly different approaches. Copy this prompt: ````text You are an experienced writer who drafts for a wide range of readers. Your task is to write three versions of the piece described below. Each version must take a different approach. For example: Version A is direct and brief, Version B opens with the reason or a short example, Version C is warm and conversational. You may choose other approaches if they suit the piece better. What is needed: [PASTE HERE: What you need written] Who will read it: [PASTE HERE: Who will read it] Rules: - Use only the facts in the brief. Do not invent dates, names, numbers or promises. - Keep all three versions complete and ready to send, not outlines. - Do not make the three versions differ only in a few words. They should read differently from the first line. Return the three versions in this shape and nothing else: Version A (approach in a few words) (the full text) Version B (approach in a few words) (the full text) Version C (approach in a few words) (the full text) ```` **You get back:** Three complete versions, each labeled with its approach. **Check after Step 1: All three versions are there** Check by eye: The answer includes the words "Version C". If it does not pass: Run the step once more, and add what was wrong to the end of the prompt. If it still does not pass, fix it by hand and make a note of it. ## Step 2: Rate each version against your criteria Rate every version on every criterion, with a reason that points to the text. Copy this prompt: ````text You are a tough, fair editor who judges drafts only against the criteria given. Your task is to rate each version below against each criterion, one criterion at a time. The criteria: [PASTE HERE: What makes a version good] Who will read it: [PASTE HERE: Who will read it] The three versions: [PASTE HERE: the answer from Step 1 (Write three versions)] Rules: - Give each rating as exactly one word: strong, partly or weak. - Give a reason for every rating. Quote the words in the version that earned it. - Judge only against the listed criteria. Do not add your own criteria and do not give an overall rating yet. - Do not favor a version because it is longer or has more detail. Return one markdown table with one row for every version and criterion pair, and nothing else: | Version | Criterion | Rating | Reason | ```` **You get back:** A table with a rating and a reason for every version against every criterion. **Check after Step 2: Every rating is strong, partly or weak** Check by eye: Every row of the table has one of "strong", "partly" or "weak" in the Rating column. If it does not pass: Run the step once more, and add what was wrong to the end of the prompt. If it still does not pass, fix it by hand and make a note of it. ## Step 3: Keep the winner and say why Pick the version that best meets the criteria, and show the reason in the open. Copy this prompt: ````text You are an editor making a final choice between drafts. Your task is to choose the winning version from the ratings below, and hand it back ready to use. The criteria: [PASTE HERE: What makes a version good] The three versions: [PASTE HERE: the answer from Step 1 (Write three versions)] The ratings: [PASTE HERE: the answer from Step 2 (Rate each version against your criteria)] Rules: - Choose the version with the most strong ratings and no weak rating on a criterion that matters most. If two are close, say so and choose by the criterion listed first. - Fix only plain mistakes in the winner (typos, a missing fact from the brief). Do not rewrite it. - If a good line from a losing version would fit the winner, you may suggest it, but do not paste it in. - Do not pick a winner the ratings do not support. Return in this shape and nothing else: Winner: Version (letter) Why: (two or three sentences that name the criteria and point to the ratings) Final text: (the winning version, ready to send) Worth borrowing: (a line from another version, or "Nothing") ```` **You get back:** The winner named with the reason, its final text, and any line worth borrowing. **Check after Step 3: A winner is named** Check by eye: The answer includes the words "Winner: Version". If it does not pass: Run the step once more, and add what was wrong to the end of the prompt. If it still does not pass, fix it by hand and make a note of it. ## Final checks Run these on the finished result. **Final check 1: The reason follows the ratings** Open a new chat (so the check is not swayed by the work) and paste this check prompt: ````text You are a careful reviewer. You do not fix or rewrite the work; you only decide whether it passes one check. The check: The reason follows the ratings Read the winner and the reason in the last answer next to the ratings table. Does the reason name criteria the person set, and do the ratings really support choosing that version? Answer FAIL if the reason uses criteria that were not listed or contradicts the table. The criteria: [PASTE HERE: What makes a version good] The ratings: [PASTE HERE: the answer from Step 2 (Rate each version against your criteria)] The work to check (the answer from Step 3 (Keep the winner and say why)): [PASTE HERE: the answer from Step 3 (Keep the winner and say why)] Reply with exactly PASS or FAIL on the first line. On the second line, say in one sentence why. If it fails, name the exact item or line that fails. Do not add anything else. ```` If it does not pass: Run the step once more, and add what was wrong to the end of the prompt. If it still does not pass, fix it by hand and make a note of it. **Final check 2: Every rating has a reason** Check by eye: Every row of the table has something written in "Reason" (a blank or a dash does not count). If it does not pass: Run the step once more, and add what was wrong to the end of the prompt. If it still does not pass, fix it by hand and make a note of it. **Final check 3: No facts were added** Open a new chat (so the check is not swayed by the work) and paste this check prompt: ````text You are a careful reviewer. You do not fix or rewrite the work; you only decide whether it passes one check. The check: No facts were added Compare the final text with the brief below. Does every date, name, number and promise in the final text come from the brief, with nothing invented? The brief: [PASTE HERE: What you need written] The work to check (the answer from Step 3 (Keep the winner and say why)): [PASTE HERE: the answer from Step 3 (Keep the winner and say why)] Reply with exactly PASS or FAIL on the first line. On the second line, say in one sentence why. If it fails, name the exact item or line that fails. Do not add anything else. ```` If it does not pass: Run the step once more, and add what was wrong to the end of the prompt. If it still does not pass, fix it by hand and make a note of it. **Final check 4: You agree with the winner** Ask yourself: Read the final text as the reader would. Is it the one you would send? If not, which version would you pick instead, and which criterion did the ratings miss? If it does not pass: Carry on, but write down the problem so whoever uses the result knows about it. ## What you end up with - The final text of the winning version, ready to use. - Two other versions and a table of ratings, in case you want to borrow from them. - A plain reason for the choice. ## Changing this chain - To get a different mix of approaches, name them in the first step, for example "formal, plain, and with a question first". - To compare two versions instead of three, delete Version C in the first step and in its check. - For a piece that must stay under a set length, add the limit to the criteria and to the first step's rules. - If you already have a draft, paste it into the brief and ask for one version that improves it and two that take other approaches. --- From Logic Lab (logiclabhq.com). Free to use and adapt, with credit.