Interview First, Write Second: A Better AI Workflow for Client Stories
Share
AI Writing Assistance · Applied Publishing · Public Lesson 45
This block applies the system to manuscripts, client work, repurposing and content-library operations.
When you are writing about another person, the biggest mistake is drafting before you have enough of their actual language, context and priorities.
The Jack Righteous approach
Use AI to help conduct and organize the interview before it becomes the writer.
Use this workflow
- Start with the client's purpose and intended audience.
- Ask for stories, examples and exact language rather than polished answers.
- Follow contradictions or emotionally important moments.
- Summarize what you heard and ask the client to correct it.
- Draft only from the approved interview record.
Why this matters
Real projects introduce consequences that prompt demos often ignore: other people's identities, source accuracy, client approvals, continuity, public links, repurposing decisions and the cumulative consistency of a whole library. The workflow has to survive those conditions, not just generate attractive prose.
A prompt you can actually use
Copy and adapt:
Help me conduct a client interview about this topic. Ask one useful question at a time. Prioritize examples, stories, exact language, motivations and boundaries. Do not draft the final copy until the interview record is confirmed.
What a useful AI response should do
A useful response should make the material easier to inspect and the next human decision easier to see. It should not hide uncertainty, invent missing approval, turn interpretation into fact or substitute clean wording for responsible publication.
Your five-minute exercise
The client's purpose is: ______________________________
The strongest story they gave me is: ______________________________
A phrase worth preserving is: ______________________________
Something I still need to confirm is: ______________________________
What the human still decides
AI can organize, compare, adapt and flag risk. The writer, creator or client still decides what is true, fair, intentional, approved and ready to publish. That responsibility does not disappear because the workflow got faster.
Continue from here
If you are reading publicly: return to the AI Writing & Story Development Library and choose the workflow that matches the project you are actually trying to complete.
If Find Your Voice training is included in your access: continue with FIND Practice 3 — Define the First Reader Situation. That link enters the deeper practice layer and may require you to log in.
If you are unsure where to go next, use How to Use Jack Righteous and start with one project, one blocker and one useful next action.
Jack Righteous principle: Use AI to extend your capacity without giving away authorship, judgment or accountability.
Continue the Public Series
