Managing Blog Ideas

Create and evolve blog post ideas from initial concept to publication-ready draft.

Location

All blog ideas live in

content/blog-ideas/

Mode Detection

1. List mode: User asks "what blog ideas" or "list blog ideas" → list all files in

   content/blog-ideas/

2. Update mode: User provides slug/title that exists → load and update
3. Create mode: New topic → create fresh blog idea

CREATE Mode

Phase 1: Gather Information

1. If topic not provided, ask:

   question: "What topic would you like to write about?"
   header: "Blog Topic"
   

2. Search Second Brain for related notes:

   Grep pattern: "{topic keywords}" glob: "content/*.md"
   

3. Present found connections to user

Phase 2: Generate Blog Idea

Frontmatter:

---
title: "Working Title"
status: idea
tags:
  - tag-1
  - tag-2
core_idea: "Single sentence thesis"
target_audience: "Vue/Nuxt developers who..."
reader_outcome: "After reading, they will [think/feel/do X]"
created: {today YYYY-MM-DD}
updated: {today YYYY-MM-DD}
---

Body structure:

1. Core Idea section (1-2 sentences)
2. Outline with 3-5 sections (H3 headers with bullet points)
3. Source Notes (wiki-links to related Second Brain notes)
4. Open Questions (what needs research/clarification)

Phase 3: User Review

Present the generated content and ask:

question: "Does this blog idea look good?"
header: "Review"
multiSelect: false
options:
  - label: "Save"
    description: "Create the blog idea file"
  - label: "Edit"
    description: "Tell me what to change"

Phase 4: Save

Generate slug: lowercase title, spaces to hyphens, remove special characters. Save to

content/blog-ideas/{slug}.md

Confirm creation with file path and summary.

UPDATE Mode

Phase 1: Load Existing

1. Find the file:

   Glob: content/blog-ideas/{slug}*.md
   

2. Read and display current state:
   • Status
   • Last updated
   • Current outline structure
   • Source notes count

Phase 2: Choose Update Action

question: "What would you like to do with this blog idea?"
header: "Update"
multiSelect: false
options:
  - label: "Expand outline"
    description: "Add more sections or detail to existing sections"
  - label: "Draft a section"
    description: "Write content for one of the outline sections"
  - label: "Polish & Edit"
    description: "Cut filler, tighten prose, improve skimmability"
  - label: "Find sources"
    description: "Search Second Brain for more related notes"
  - label: "Update status"
    description: "Move to next stage (idea → outline → draft → ready)"
  - label: "Refine core idea"
    description: "Sharpen the thesis or angle"
  - label: "Prep for distribution"
    description: "Create teaser, thread points, and pull quotes"

Phase 3: Execute Update

Expand outline:

• Read current sections
• Ask which section to expand OR add new section
• Generate additional bullet points / subsections

Draft a section:

• Present section titles
• User picks one
• Generate draft prose following writing-style skill (especially Alexander's Voice Profile)
• Insert under

  ## Draft Sections

Polish & Edit:

• Review draft sections for filler and bloat
• Apply the Ruthless Editing Checklist:
  • Cut 20-30% of word count
  • Remove filler phrases: "very", "really", "just", "actually", "in order to", "basically", "essentially"
  • Replace "in terms of" with direct language
  • Cut redundant qualifiers ("completely unique" → "unique")
  • Delete weak sentence starters ("I think that", "It seems like", "In my opinion")
• Improve skimmability (see Skimmability Guidelines)
• Suggest reading the draft aloud to catch awkward phrasing

Find sources:

• Extract keywords from title/outline
• Search Second Brain
• Present candidates
• Add selected links to Source Notes

Update status:

• Validate readiness for next stage
• Update frontmatter status field

Refine core idea:

• Present current core_idea
• Discuss with user
• Update frontmatter

Prep for distribution:

• Generate teaser hook (2-3 sentences to post before publishing)
• Extract 3-5 thread points (key insights as standalone posts)
• Identify 2-3 pull quote candidates (shareable insights)
• Add to

  ## Distribution

  section

Phase 4: Save

• Apply edits
• Update

  updated

  date
• Confirm changes

Status Definitions

idea

outline

draft

ready

Blog Idea Template

---
title: "[Action Verb] + [Specific Outcome] + [Context/Tool]"
status: idea
tags:
  - topic-1
core_idea: "Single sentence thesis"
target_audience: "Vue/Nuxt developers who..."
reader_outcome: "After reading, they will [think/feel/do X]"
created: YYYY-MM-DD
updated: YYYY-MM-DD
---

## Core Idea

[1-2 sentences: What's the main argument? What will readers take away?]

## Outline

### 1. [Hook: Problem Statement or Observation]
- Open with pain point or personal observation
- First person welcome
- Never "In this post, we will..."

### 2. The Problem
- Concrete example of the pain point
- Real scenario, specific details

### 3. The Solution
- High-level approach
- Why this works

### 4. [Implementation Step]
- Code + explanation
- Before/after with ❌/✅ if applicable

### 5. When to Use This
- Specific scenarios where this applies

### 6. When NOT to Use This
- Honest assessment of limitations
- Alternative approaches

### 7. Conclusion
- Key insight (1-2 sentences)
- Ask a question to spark discussion
- Clear call-to-action
- Optional: related content links

## Source Notes

[Wiki-links to Second Brain notes that inform this post]

- [[note-slug]] - How this informs the post

## Draft Sections

[Write draft content following the Drafting Guidelines below]

## Distribution

[Prepare content for social promotion]

### Teaser Hook
[2-3 sentences to post before/when publishing - create curiosity]

### Thread Points
[Key insights as standalone posts for social threads]
1.
2.
3.

### Pull Quotes
[Shareable insights that stand alone]
-

## Open Questions

- Question I need to answer before writing
- Research needed

Title Formula

Good titles combine curiosity + value promise. The reader should know what they'll learn AND be intrigued enough to click.

Formula

[Action Verb] + [Specific Outcome] + [Context/Tool]

Examples

Bad titles:

• "Vue Reactivity" (too vague)
• "How I Use Composables" (no clear benefit)
• "Some Thoughts on Testing" (weak, unclear)

Good titles:

• "Stop Fighting Vue Reactivity: The Mental Model That Finally Clicked"
• "3 Composable Patterns That Eliminated 500 Lines of Duplicate Code"
• "Why Your E2E Tests Are Slow (And the 80/20 Fix)"

Checklist

• Would I click this in a busy feed?
• Does it promise a specific outcome?
• Does it create curiosity?
• Is it honest about what the post delivers?

Skimmability Guidelines

Most readers skim before committing to read. Make your post scannable.

Paragraph Rules

• 2-4 lines max per paragraph (phone screens are narrow)
• One idea per paragraph
• If a paragraph has two ideas, split it

Subheading Rules

• Add subheading every 3-5 paragraphs
• Subheadings should be informative, not clever ("The Fix" not "Plot Twist")
• Reader should understand the post from subheadings alone

Emphasis Rules

• Bold the key insight in each major section (one per section)
• Use bold for emphasis, not ALL CAPS or italics
• Don't over-bold; if everything is bold, nothing is

Visual Breaks

• Use bullet lists for 3+ related items
• Add code blocks, diagrams, or callouts to break up text walls
• Empty lines between sections

Ruthless Editing Checklist

Apply when polishing drafts:

Filler Phrases to Cut

• "very", "really", "just", "actually"
• "in order to" → "to"
• "basically", "essentially", "fundamentally"
• "in terms of" → rephrase directly
• "the fact that" → cut entirely
• "I think that", "I believe that" → just state it

Redundancies to Remove

• "completely unique" → "unique"
• "absolutely essential" → "essential"
• "past experience" → "experience"
• "end result" → "result"

Target

• Cut 20-30% of first draft word count
• If you can remove a word without losing meaning, remove it

The Read-Aloud Test

• Read the draft aloud
• Mark where you stumble or run out of breath
• Those spots need shorter sentences or clearer phrasing

Quality Checklist

Before saving:

• Title is specific and compelling (Action Verb + Outcome + Context)
• Title creates curiosity AND promises value
• Core idea is a clear thesis (assertion, not description)

• reader_outcome

  explicitly states what they'll gain
• At least 3 outline sections
• At least 2 wiki-links to source notes
• Tags match existing taxonomy
• Status accurately reflects completeness

For drafts, also check:

• Opens with problem/observation, never "In this post..."
• Uses first-person where appropriate ("I", "In my experience")
• Paragraphs are 2-4 lines max
• Key insight bolded in each section
• Includes ❌/✅ markers for comparisons
• Has at least one visual element (diagram, table, or callout)
• Acknowledges limitations or alternatives
• Ends with question or clear CTA
• Uses everyday words, not jargon
• Has teaser/thread candidates identified (for

  ready

  status)

Validation

Wiki-link check: Each

[[link]]

content/

Status progression:

• Don't advance to

  outline

  without 3+ sections
• Don't advance to

  draft

  without prose content
• Don't advance to

  ready

  without all sections drafted

Drafting Guidelines

When generating draft content, apply Alexander's voice from writing-style skill:

Opening Paragraphs

Write openings that:

1. Start with a problem or observation, not "In this post, we will..."
2. Use first-person when sharing experience
3. Hook with a relatable developer struggle

Example openers:

• "I once worked on a project that wanted to..." (personal anecdote)
• "After [event], I started thinking about..." (observation)
• "Manual [task] gets old fast." (pain point)
• "Here's the thing: [unexpected insight]" (hook)

Body Structure Pattern

For each major section:

1. State the problem this section solves
2. Show before/after with ❌/✅ where appropriate
3. Provide working code with inline comments
4. Acknowledge limitations or when this doesn't apply

Code Examples

• Include realistic context (real file names, plausible data)
• Add comments explaining the "why", not just the "what"
• Show progressive refinement when teaching patterns

Visual Elements to Include

• At least one Mermaid diagram for complex flows
• Comparison table if presenting multiple options
• File tree for architectural posts
• Callout boxes for tips and warnings

Conclusion Pattern

End with:

1. Brief summary of key insight (1-2 sentences)
2. Honest assessment of trade-offs
3. Ask a question to spark discussion (e.g., "What patterns have you found for X?")
4. Clear call-to-action (try it, share feedback, etc.)
5. Optional: Link to related posts or resources