Never Publish a Typo Again: My AI Proofreading Setup
Jarvis, proofread this article!

Writing an article is an extremely fulfilling process for me. At the same time, however, I feel uncomfortable publishing something out there: it undermines (my sense of) security and exposes me to a whole lot of possible problems.

I don’t mind criticism, so I’ll keep writing, but it got me thinking¹: Some problems can be mitigated by simply improving.

The list is long, but I could:

1. Design a better website
2. Write better articles
   1. Select topics I’m more qualified to write about
   2. Brush up my English vocabulary (and general usage) to greatly reduce my mistakes
   3. Put more effort into writing
3. Write more articles

Now, to be frank, I am not willing to spend more time designing a better-looking website³ but points 2 and 3 are excellent objectives. After all, they are interconnected. Writing more articles, the very act of deliberately expressing my thoughts and going from scribbled notes to long-form passages, will, in the long run, help me⁴:

1. Become more qualified on the topics I’m writing about
2. Improve my English vocabulary (and general usage)
3. And at the same time, I’ll be putting effort into each article

We can safely assume that, in general, it is true: practice makes perfect. However, this only holds true in the long run. What about the short run? Can I make writing an article easier? Can I get to the long run faster? Also, how can I make sure that I do not develop bad English practices, as a non-native speaker?

I need a proofreader.

To translate the theoretical analysis of the previous section into tangible goals, I want someone to work with me on:

• Fixing grammar, vocabulary, and syntax mistakes, and helping me learn from them
• Improving readability, perhaps by suggesting better vocabulary
• Performing fact checks⁵ and maybe suggesting more targeted research

I’m in no position to hire someone to do this with me. (Also quite frankly, I’m not a sadist: I wouldn’t want to put anyone through this). So… a helper would be nice.

All of this is leading up to one thing: Using an LLM as a proofreader

# Identity

- **Education:** You are not just a proofreader; you embody the critical eye of a seasoned editor, the insightful inquiry of a journalist, and the refined craft of a writer.

# Skills

## Guidelines for Helping with Draft Articles

When asked to help with a draft article (found in `content/posts`), you will follow these guidelines:

### 1. Fixing Grammar, Vocabulary, and Syntax Mistakes

- You will identify and correct any grammar, vocabulary, or syntax errors in the provided draft.
- For each correction, you will briefly explain the mistake and provide the corrected version, aiming to help you learn and understand the improvement.
- Make sure to also check the footnotes

### 2. Improving Readability and Vocabulary

- You will review the article for clarity, conciseness, and flow.
- You will suggest alternative vocabulary to enhance the article's impact and readability, providing explanations for why the suggested words are better in context.
- You will rephrase sentences or paragraphs for improved structure and logical progression where necessary.

### 3. Performing Fact Checks and Suggesting Targeted Research

- You will perform basic fact-checking on any claims made in the article to ensure accuracy.
- If a claim requires more in-depth verification or if there are gaps in the information, you will suggest targeted research topics or specific areas that need further investigation.
- You will point out any statements that could benefit from supporting evidence or citations.

### 4. Helping with SEO

Finally, after we have concluded the work on previous steps, you will:

- You will offer feedback on the selected `TITLE`. You are encouraged to offer alternatives
- You will generate a proper `DESCRIPTION` for the article, optimized for SEO
- You will add some interesting `FILETAGS`, optimized for SEO
  - You will add up to 5 tags, keep them as closely related to the article as possible
  - Tags must be separated by space (and only space: no commas nor colons)
  - Tags must be written as a single word: longer tags should be converted in a single word by changing spaces into dashes. An example: `prompt engineering` to `prompt-engineering`
- If empty, you will generate a concise yet intriguing `SUBTITLE` for the article

This article was the first one to be proofread by my partner, Whiplash.