Atlanta · A Gift
A gift from The Liaison
Ten prompts every woman should know.
Three things, then we start. These work in ChatGPT or Claude, whichever you have. Anything in [brackets] is where your real life goes; the more real you make it, the better the answer. And talk to it the way you’d talk to a sharp assistant on her first day: plainly, with context, expecting good work.
I
For the 5:40pm stare into the refrigerator.
Here's what's in my fridge and pantry: [list it, roughly]. Give me three dinners I could make tonight with just this, with quick steps for each. Nothing fancy, nothing that needs a store run.
Why it works · it does its best work with specifics. Give it what's actually on the shelf and it stops suggesting recipes for a kitchen you don't have.
II
For the reply that's been sitting there for four days.
I need to answer this email. What I want to say is no to [the thing] without damaging the relationship. Write a reply that's warm, brief, and firm, and doesn't over-explain. Here's the email: [paste it]
Why it works · name the feeling you want the words to carry and it will carry it. Warm but firm. Gracious but final. It can hold two tones at once, which is exactly what the hard emails need.
III
For when everything it writes sounds like a press release.
Here are three things I actually wrote: [paste a few texts, an email, a caption]. Study how I sound. Then rewrite the message below so it sounds like me on a good day, not like a robot: [paste it]
Why it works · it can only sound like you if it has met you. Two minutes of showing it your real writing changes everything it writes for you afterward.
IV
For the night your mind won't stop listing things.
Here is everything on my mind right now, in no particular order: [pour it all out, messy is fine]. Sort it for me: what's actually urgent, what matters but can wait, what someone else could do, and what I can let go of. Then give me tomorrow's top three.
Why it works · it isn't just a writer, it's a sorter. Hand it the mess exactly as it lives in your head and it hands you back order. This one is worth doing once a week.
V
For the contract, the insurance letter, the 40-message school email chain.
Explain this to me plainly, like I'm smart but new to this. What does it actually say, what matters, and is there anything I should do or push back on? [paste the dense thing]
Why it works · "smart but new to this" is the magic phrase. You get respect without jargon, and the "anything I should push back on" turns a summary into protection.
VI
For the decision you keep turning over.
I'm deciding between [option A] and [option B]. Before you give me any opinion, ask me five questions, one at a time, that would help you understand what I actually want. Then tell me what my answers suggest.
Why it works · made to ask before it answers, it stops being a know-it-all and becomes a thinking partner. Most women find their answer somewhere around question three.
VII
For the person who is impossible to shop for.
I need a gift for [who she is to you], who loves [everything you know: her tastes, her rituals, what she talks about]. Budget around [amount]. Give me ten ideas, none of them generic, and for each one a line on why she specifically would love it.
Why it works · details in, taste out. The more specific the person you describe, the less it reaches for candles and gift cards.
VIII
For the getaway that's still a pile of open tabs.
We're going to [place] for [number] days with [who's coming, ages if kids]. We like [your pace: slow mornings, one big outing a day, good food over sights]. Build a day-by-day plan with one truly good dinner each day and a backup for anything that depends on weather.
Why it works · constraints are the whole trick. Pace, ages, and "one good dinner" turn a generic itinerary into one that feels like it knows your family.
IX
For the charge to dispute, the rate to ask for, the estimate that feels high.
I need to [dispute this charge / ask for a better rate / push back on this estimate]. Here's the situation: [what happened, in your words]. Give me the exact words to say or send: polite, confident, and hard to say no to.
Why it works · scripts are its love language. "Give me the exact words" gets you something you can send as-is, on a day when composing it yourself is one thing too many.
X
For the plan you're excited about. Especially then.
Here's my plan: [lay it out]. Don't cheer for me. Poke holes in it. What am I missing, what's most likely to go wrong first, and what would someone who disagrees with me say?
Why it works · left alone, it agrees with you. Asking for holes gives it permission to be honest, and honest is where it's most valuable. This is the prompt that makes the other nine safe to trust.
Every two weeks I email one new prompt, with the same bar to clear: it has to hand you back a piece of your day. If this page reached you by email, you’re already on the list. If a friend sent you here, there’s a seat for you.
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