How a writing session works: outline, draft, critique, revise

Writing a post in Wren is a collaboration. Instead of handing you one finished post, Wren works in stages so you can shape the direction at each step. You drive the workflow — nothing moves to the next stage, and nothing publishes, until you ask for it.

The four stages

A typical session moves through four stages, in this order:

1. Outline — Wren proposes a structure for your post along with two to three hook options to open it. You pick the direction and hook that fit.
2. Draft — Wren turns the chosen outline into a full draft, written in your voice.
3. Critique — Wren evaluates the draft, gives it a score, and points out specific recommendations to improve it.
4. Revise — Wren rewrites the draft using that feedback. Revise is just the draft stage run again, this time informed by the critique.

You can stop at any stage, ask follow-up questions, or loop back. For example, you might draft, read the critique, and decide to revise twice before you're happy.

Steering each stage with @mode hints

You guide the session by typing a mode hint at the start of your message:

• @interview — Wren asks digging questions to fully develop your idea first
• @outline — build or rework the outline and hook options
• @draft — turn the outline into a full draft
• @feedback — evaluate the current draft with a score and recommendations
• @image — explore image concepts for the post

If you don't add a hint, Wren stays in conversation mode: it acts as a guided collaborator, asks clarifying questions, and suggests which mode to use next.

You stay in control

The most important thing to know is that the stages never run on their own. Wren does not automatically chain from outline to draft to critique — each step happens only when you ask for it. This lets you change course whenever you want.

Publishing is also a deliberate action — finishing a draft in chat never posts anything to LinkedIn. When you're ready, you publish from the Posts area. (You can optionally arm auto-publish on a scheduled post, and Wren will publish it for you at the scheduled time — see Managing your posts.)

Saving your work

When Wren produces something you like, use the save action on that message to send it to your post draft (or, if you're working from the idea bank, to your idea). Your draft is yours to keep editing until you decide it's ready.

A good rule of thumb: outline first to lock the direction, draft once you like the structure, run @feedback to pressure-test it, then revise. Repeat the critique-and-revise loop as many times as you need.