Write the Book.
Ship the Story.

[CITY] — The city council voted 7–2 on [day] to approve a 1,200-unit riverfront housing development, the largest residential project the city has cleared in a decade, over objections from neighborhood groups who said the plan moves too fast.

The vote clears the way for construction to begin as early as [month], according to [official, title], who called the project "[direct quote from the meeting]."

Opponents, led by [group], argued the plan lacks [specific objection]. "[Counter-quote]," said [name, title], who voted against it.

What the plan includes

• [Key fact — units, cost, timeline]
• [Key fact — affordability terms, zoning changes]
• [Key fact — what was amended before the vote]

What happens next

[The next concrete step, with a date. Who to watch. What remains unresolved.]

[Reporter contact / how this story was sourced.]

[Open in scene: one person, one moment that embodies the whole story. Two or three paragraphs — concrete detail, no throat-clearing.]

[The nut graf: what this story proves, why it matters now, and the scale of it. One paragraph, no hedging.]

What the records show

[The evidence, walked through in order. Every claim attributed — documents, data, named sources. Quote the paper trail directly.]

[The single most damning line from a document or interview.]

Who knew, and when

[The accountability section. What officials said then vs. what they say now. Include the response you got when you asked.]

What happens to [the people affected]

[Return to the human stakes. End on the person you opened with.]

[The hook: a moment, stat, or contradiction that makes the reader need the next paragraph. Two sentences.]

[Your thesis, stated plainly. One sentence the reader could quote at dinner.]

[Why now — the news peg that makes this urgent this week, not any week.]

The case

[Your strongest evidence first. One point per paragraph, each ending a step closer to the conclusion.]

[Second line of evidence — data, history, or expert authority.]

The steelman

[The best version of the opposing view, stated fairly — then why it fails. This is the paragraph that earns trust.]

What should happen

[The ask: specific, doable, addressed to someone who could actually do it.]

[The kicker: land back on the opening image with the argument now loaded into it.]

[Who this person is and why this conversation, now — two paragraphs. Where you met, what surprised you. Set the scene.]

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

[Your first question — start where the news is.]

[Their answer.]

[Follow-up that pushes on the interesting part of that answer.]

[Their answer.]

[Pull the best line of the interview out here.]

[The question they probably didn't want asked.]

[Their answer — including the pause, if there was one.]

[The closer: what's next / what would change their mind.]

[Their answer.]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[CITY, State — Month DD, YYYY] — [Company], the [one-line description], today announced [the news in one sentence — what, for whom, available when].

[Paragraph two: why it matters — the problem this solves, sized with a number if you have one.]

"[Quote from your CEO or lead — say something a human would say, not a mission statement]," said [Name], [Title] of [Company]. "[Second sentence that adds a fact, not adjectives.]"

[What's actually in it — three concrete capabilities or terms, as prose or a short list:]

• [Capability / term one]
• [Capability / term two]
• [Capability / term three]

"[Customer or partner quote — the outside voice that makes it credible]," said [Name, Title, Company].

[Availability and pricing. Where to get it, starting when, for how much.]

About [Company]

[Boilerplate: two sentences, founded-in, based-in, the one stat you always cite.]

Media contact: [Name] — [email]

[The verdict, first. One paragraph a reader in a store aisle could act on: what it is, whether it's good, who it's for.]

How I tested it

[Your methodology in three sentences — duration, conditions, what you compared it against. This is what separates a review from an ad.]

What's great

[The best thing, with the specific moment you noticed it.]

[The second-best thing, with a number if you measured one.]

What's not

[The dealbreaker candidates, honestly weighted. Who each flaw will and won't bother.]

The competition

[The two alternatives a smart buyer is cross-shopping, and the case for each.]

Should you buy it?

[Yes/no by persona: "Buy it if…", "Skip it if…". End with the price and where it sits in the lineup.]

[Personal open — two sentences, one observation from your week that earns the next scroll. Write to one reader.]

The big thing

[The one story your readers should understand this week, explained in three paragraphs: what happened, why it matters, what's next.]

Quick hits

• [Headline one] — [one-sentence why-it-matters].
• [Headline two] — [one sentence].
• [Headline three] — [one sentence].
• [Headline four] — [one sentence].
• [Headline five] — [one sentence].

Worth your time

[One link — an essay, a video, a tool — and the two sentences that sell the click.]

[Sign-off: one line, same every week, yours. Then the ask: "Forward this to one person who'd like it."]

[Start inside a moment — the anecdote that made you want to write this. No preamble; the reader arrives mid-scene.]

[Widen out: what the moment made you realize. Name the idea plainly.]

[Complicate it: where the idea breaks down, the counterexample you can't shake. Personal essays earn trust by admitting friction.]

[The line you want quoted back at you — the idea in one sentence.]

[Bring it home: what you're doing differently now, or what you're still unsure about. Small and honest beats grand and vague.]

[Sign-off: one question for the reader to reply to. Replies are the whole point.]

[One-paragraph open: the theme that emerged from this week's reading, if any — or just the best sentence you read.]

1. [Piece title] — [Publication]

[Two sentences: what it argues, and the detail that stuck with you.]

2. [Piece title] — [Publication]

[Two sentences.]

3. [Piece title] — [Publication]

[Two sentences.]

4. [Piece title] — [Publication]

[Two sentences.]

5. [Piece title] — [Publication]

[Two sentences. Keep going to eight — or stop at five strong ones.]

From the archive

[One older piece that pairs with this week's theme.]

[Sign-off + the standing ask: "Send me the best thing YOU read this week."]

[One-line open: the theme of this release cycle in plain words.]

✨ The headline feature

[What it is, in the customer's words — the job it does, not the code you wrote. One screenshot-worthy sentence.]

[How to try it: the exact click path or link.]

Improvements

• [Feature area] — [what changed and the annoyance it removes].
• [Feature area] — [what changed].
• [Feature area] — [what changed].

Fixes

• [Bug that mattered enough to name] — fixed.
• [Bug] — fixed.

Coming next

[One teaser, honestly hedged. Invite feedback: "Reply and tell us what you'd want it to do."]

[Open with your protagonist in motion — mid-action, mid-decision, mid-lie. The reader should learn who they are by what they do in the first 500 words, not by description.]

[Ground the scene: where are we, what does it smell like, who else is here. One paragraph of world, woven through action.]

[The inciting disturbance arrives — the letter, the knock, the body, the offer. End the chapter the moment after it lands, before anyone reacts.]

[Open with the story that made you write this book — the client, the failure, the data point that didn't fit.]

[The promise: what the reader will be able to do by the last page, stated as a contract.]

[The map: your framework in one paragraph, and how the chapters walk through it.]

[Start at the hinge — not the beginning of your life, the beginning of the story. A scene you can still smell. Present tense is allowed.]

[Let the reader meet you-then without you-now interrupting. Save the reflection; render the moment.]

[End the chapter on the detail that, at the time, you didn't know was important.]

[The opening lines — introduce your character in their ordinary world. Read it aloud; the rhythm is the writing.]

Art note: [what the illustration shows — the character, the setting, the mood. The words should NOT describe what the art already shows.]

[Begin as close to the end as you can. First line does double duty: voice and unease.]

[One conflict, two characters, few rooms. Everything that doesn't serve the effect goes.]

[The turn — earned but not announced. Then get out: the last paragraph should arrive about a page sooner than feels safe.]

[The door poem — the one that teaches the reader how to read the rest. Line breaks are the instrument: break where the breath or the meaning turns.]

This Services Agreement ("Agreement") is made as of [DATE] between [PROVIDER NAME] ("Provider") and [CLIENT NAME] ("Client"), together the "Parties."

1. Services

Provider will perform the services described in Exhibit A (the "Services"). Work outside Exhibit A requires a written change order signed by both Parties before it begins.

2. Compensation

Client will pay Provider [$AMOUNT] [per hour / per month / fixed fee], invoiced [monthly / on milestones]. Invoices are due within [15/30] days. Late amounts accrue [1.5]% per month. [Deposit: $AMOUNT due on signing, credited to the final invoice.]

3. Term & termination

This Agreement begins on [DATE] and continues until [DATE / the Services are complete]. Either Party may terminate on [14/30] days' written notice. On termination, Client pays for all work performed through the termination date.

4. Intellectual property

Upon full payment, deliverables specified in Exhibit A are assigned to Client. Provider retains ownership of pre-existing materials and general know-how, and grants Client a perpetual, non-exclusive license to any embedded in the deliverables.

5. Confidentiality

Each Party will protect the other's non-public information with reasonable care and use it only to perform this Agreement, for [2/3] years after termination.

6. Warranties & liability

Provider warrants the Services will be performed in a professional and workmanlike manner. NEITHER PARTY IS LIABLE FOR INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES; total liability is capped at fees paid in the [6/12] months before the claim.

7. Independent contractor; general

Provider is an independent contractor, not an employee. This Agreement is governed by the laws of [STATE], is the entire agreement, and may be amended only in writing.

[This template is a starting point, not legal advice — have counsel review before signing.]

Signatures

Provider: ______________________ Date: ________

Client: ______________________ Date: ________

Exhibit A — Scope of services

• [Deliverable 1 — description, format, due date]
• [Deliverable 2]
• [What is explicitly OUT of scope]

This Mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement ("Agreement") is made as of [DATE] between [PARTY A] and [PARTY B] to explore [PURPOSE — e.g., a potential business relationship] (the "Purpose").

1. Confidential Information

"Confidential Information" means non-public information disclosed by either Party, in any form, that is marked confidential or that a reasonable person would understand to be confidential — including business plans, financials, customers, technology, and product roadmaps.

2. Exclusions

Confidential Information does not include information that: (a) is or becomes public through no fault of the recipient; (b) the recipient knew before disclosure; (c) is independently developed without use of the discloser's information; or (d) is rightfully received from a third party without restriction.

3. Obligations

Each Party will: use the other's Confidential Information only for the Purpose; protect it with at least reasonable care; and share it only with employees and advisors who need it for the Purpose and are bound by comparable obligations.

4. Compelled disclosure

A recipient may disclose Confidential Information when legally required, after giving the discloser prompt notice (where lawful) and reasonable cooperation to seek protective treatment.

5. Term

This Agreement runs for [1/2] years from the date above; confidentiality obligations survive for [3/5] years from each disclosure. On request, each Party will return or destroy the other's Confidential Information.

6. General

No license, partnership, or obligation to proceed is created. Governed by the laws of [STATE]. This is the entire agreement regarding its subject and may be amended only in writing.

[Template, not legal advice — have counsel review before signing.]

Signatures

[PARTY A]: ______________________ Date: ________

[PARTY B]: ______________________ Date: ________

The situation

[The client's problem, in their words — quote the discovery call. If this section doesn't make them nod, nothing after it matters.]

What success looks like

[The measurable outcome: "[metric] moves from [X] to [Y] by [date]." Agreeing on this IS the sale.]

Our approach

[The plan in three phases:]

• Phase 1 — [Name] ([weeks 1–2]): [what happens, what they get].
• Phase 2 — [Name] ([weeks 3–6]): [what happens, what they get].
• Phase 3 — [Name] ([weeks 7–8]): [what happens, what they get].

Investment

[Three options, anchored high:]

• [Premium] — [$X]: [everything, plus the accelerators].
• [Recommended] — [$Y]: [the core engagement described above].
• [Minimal] — [$Z]: [the smallest useful version].

Why us

[One paragraph, one proof: the most comparable result you've delivered, with a number and a name (with permission).]

Next step

[The single action: "Reply by [date] and we start [date]." Include validity: this proposal holds for [30] days.]

Executive summary

[The whole paper in five sentences: the question, the method, the three findings, the recommendation. Written last, read first — most readers stop here, so make it complete.]

The problem

[Why this question matters now — the market shift, the regulation, the cost curve. Frame with data, not adjectives.]

Methodology

[What you studied and how: sample, time period, definitions. Two paragraphs of honesty that buy credibility for everything that follows.]

Finding 1: [The headline finding]

[The data, then what it means. One chart described per finding.]

Finding 2: [The surprising finding]

[The counterintuitive result readers will cite — with the caveat stated plainly.]

Finding 3: [The actionable finding]

[The gap between leaders and laggards, quantified.]

Implications

[What a smart operator does differently starting Monday — three recommendations, each tied to a finding.]

About this research

[Who conducted it, disclosures, how to get the dataset or ask questions.]

[Customer] · [Industry] · [Size] · [The headline number: "3.2× pipeline in two quarters"]

The challenge

[Their world before: the process that was breaking, sized with a number. Quote the champion on what it felt like.]

"[The before-state quote — frustration in their own words]." — [Name, Title, Customer]

The solution

[What they implemented and how — the decision, the rollout, the one integration detail that made it stick. Honest timeline included.]

The results

• [Metric 1]: [before] → [after] ([% change])
• [Metric 2]: [before] → [after]
• [Metric 3]: [the unexpected win they mentioned unprompted]

"[The after-state quote — the one that sells]." — [Name, Title]

What's next

[Where they're expanding — the quiet proof of satisfaction. End with the reader's next step.]