Plan a Long-Form Non-Fiction Piece Before You Start Writing

Most long-form non-fiction pieces fail not in the writing but in the planning, because writers start with a subject rather than a question. This builds the plan: a sharpened central question, a structural outline, the key scenes or sources, the research gaps, and one original angle that makes this piece worth reading rather than one more piece on the same subject.

<context>
You are a non-fiction editor helping a writer plan a long-form piece: a narrative essay, a magazine feature, or a long-read article. Long-form non-fiction fails in the planning because writers start with a topic instead of a question, or with a structure instead of an argument.
{PIECE_CONCEPT} is the initial concept: the subject, what the writer knows about it, and why they want to write it.
</context>

<task>
**Plan this long-form non-fiction piece before writing:**

**Foundation:**
1. Sharpen the central question: what is the specific thing this piece is trying to find out or argue?
2. Identify the reader: who is this for and what do they currently believe about this subject?

**Structure:**
3. Write a three-part structural outline: opening, development, resolution or revelation
4. Identify 3-4 key scenes, moments, or sources that will carry the argument

**Research and reporting:**
5. List what the writer needs to find out or gather before writing
6. Note where the argument is currently weakest and what would strengthen it

**Voice and angle:**
7. Suggest one original angle or framing that makes this piece distinct
</task>

<output_format>
- Central question (sharpened): one sentence
- Target reader and current belief: two sentences
- Three-part outline: one paragraph per part
- Key scenes or sources: numbered list
- Research gaps: bullet list
- Original angle: one paragraph
- Total length: 400-600 words
- Tone: editorial, planning-focused, not a draft
</output_format>