Editorial templates
Three reusable shapes for everything published on this site. Copy a block into a new post, replace the bracketed parts, delete what you do not need.
The templates exist so that a reader can recognise the structure within a few seconds: a claim, the evidence behind it, and the condition under which the author would abandon it. Structure is not decoration; it is what makes a piece falsifiable.
Template 1 — Weekly essay
Use this for the long-form piece published each week. Roughly 900 to 1,300 words.
<p class="lede">One sentence stating the claim this piece will defend.</p>
<h2>Why this question matters now</h2>
<p>Two to four sentences of context. No throat-clearing, no "in today's world".</p>
<h2>What most people assume</h2>
<p>The default view, stated as fairly as you can manage.</p>
<h2>Where that assumption breaks</h2>
<p>One concrete example, one piece of evidence, or one personal observation.</p>
<h2>What I do differently now</h2>
<p>A behaviour change you actually made, not advice for other people.</p>
<h2>What would change my mind</h2>
<p>Name the observation that would falsify the argument.</p>
<p><em>One essay a week on thinking in public. <a href="/journal/">Read the archive</a>.</em></p>Template 2 — Prediction entry
Use this when you are willing to be scored later. The confidence number and the resolution rule are the parts that matter; everything else is commentary.
<p><strong>Claim:</strong> state the outcome in one sentence.</p>
<p><strong>Confidence:</strong> 60% · <strong>Resolve by:</strong> 2027-03-31</p>
<h2>What I expect</h2>
<p>The outcome, in plain language, with a number if a number is involved.</p>
<h2>Why I believe it</h2>
<ul><li>First reason, with a source.</li><li>Second reason, with a source.</li></ul>
<h2>What would prove me wrong</h2>
<p>The specific observation that would make you withdraw the claim.</p>
<h2>Resolution rule</h2>
<p>Which public source decides the outcome, and on what date you will check it.</p>
<p><em>Filed under <a href="/category/prediction-journal/">Prediction Journal</a>.</em></p>Template 3 — Journal note
Use this for something short: a single observation, a fragment you want to keep, a question you are not ready to answer in full.
<p class="lede">The short version, in one sentence.</p>
<h2>What happened</h2>
<p>Facts only. What you saw, read, or did.</p>
<h2>What I noticed</h2>
<p>The pattern, tension, or surprise. This is the part worth keeping.</p>
<h2>What I will do next</h2>
<p>One concrete next step, or an honest "nothing yet".</p>Before you publish
Six checks, in the order they usually catch problems:
- The title carries the phrase a person would actually type into a search box, and the body delivers what the title promises.
- One idea per section. No section runs longer than four short paragraphs.
- Every factual claim has a source, an example, or is explicitly marked as a personal opinion.
- At least two internal links, pointing to related pieces in the archive rather than to the homepage.
- Any image has plain-English alt text describing what it shows, not what it is called.
- Read it aloud once. Any sentence that needs a second pass gets cut or split.
The editorial bar itself lives in Community standards. Behaviour in comments and forums lives in Community guidelines. If a template and a standard disagree, the standard wins.