Prose is free now
AI can generate fluent, grammatical, well-structured text on any topic. The marginal cost of generating 2,000 words of coherent AI-generated text is negligible. As a16z puts it: the marginal cost of creation is approaching zero.
This changes which parts of content creation are scarce and valuable:
| Era | Scarce | Abundant | Value lives in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-AI | Prose | Ideas, facts, artifacts | The writing itself |
| Post-AI | Ideas, facts, artifacts | Prose | What the prose carries |
Prose is the medium, and the value lies in specific elements the reader can extract and use. I call those elements substantives.
Substantives
A substantive is a discrete, reusable unit of content that carries standalone value for the reader. Examples include definitions, checklists, code samples, and diagrams that can be reused or referenced without the surrounding explanation.
The extraction test: Assume a reader skims your piece in 30 seconds and extracts 3-5 things to save or share. Identify what they would extract.
- A checklist: extractable, substantive
- A screenshot: extractable, substantive
- A paragraph of explanation: usually not, tissue
- A definition: extractable, substantive
- A transition sentence: not extractable, tissue
Pieces built only from connective prose are harder to reuse or reference later.
Why This Matters Now
Readers quickly filter out low-value content. The backlash is real: "AI slop" entered the lexicon, and mentions increased ninefold in 2025. Platforms are responding: YouTube stopped paying for AI slop, and Pinterest added filters to hide AI content.
Readers ignore writing that shows these patterns:
- Generic claims without specific evidence
- Fluent prose without anchoring details
- Structure without substance
Many AI-generated listicles, self-described comprehensive guides that say nothing, and posts with interchangeable advice contain no specific, reusable elements.
The Taxonomy
Substantives can be grouped by what the reader gains from them:
| Category | Reader gets | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Utility | Something to use | Code snippet, checklist, template, prompt, procedure |
| Knowledge | Something to know | Definition, taxonomy, framework, distinction |
| Proof | Reason to believe | Screenshot, benchmark, citation, timestamp, specific name |
| Perspective | New way of seeing | Reframe, analogy, decomposition, contrast |
| Connection | Orientation in space | External link, comparison table, prerequisite pointer |
| Experience | Felt understanding | Worked example, failure story, interactive demo |
| Shortcut | Compressed wisdom | Heuristic, pattern, anti-pattern, threshold, trade-off |
| Vocabulary | Words to think with | Coined term, precise definition, distinction pair |
Not every piece needs all eight. Most pieces have 2-3 primary value types.
The Workflow
One common workflow:
- Define the main message
- Outline the structure
- Draft and refine the prose
- Add supporting evidence
Substantive-first:
- Define what the reader should have when they finish
- Identify substantives that provide that value
- Order them into a sequence
- Add prose that connects them
Identify and design the substantives first, then write the prose that presents and connects them.
Checklist Before Publishing
Before publishing, scroll through looking only at visual breaks and extracted elements:
- Is there a substantive every 300-500 words?
- Could someone extract 5+ useful things?
- Is there at least one visual (screenshot, diagram, table)?
- Is there at least one structural (checklist, framework, definition)?
- Are there inline substantives (links, specific names, numbers)?
If the piece contains mostly transitions and explanation with few concrete elements, revise it by adding more substantives or removing nonessential prose.
How Substantives Differ from Arguments
Traditional essays rely on arguments: claims supported by reasoning that the reader is expected to follow. Substantive-first content is built around artifacts, like checklists or definitions, that a reader can use without reading the rest of the piece.
| Argument | Artifact |
|---|---|
| "X is true because Y" | Screenshot showing X |
| "You should do X" | Checklist for doing X |
| "X works better than Y" | Benchmark comparing X and Y |
| "X means Y" | Definition: X = Y |
Arguments depend on the reader accepting your reasoning. Artifacts like checklists or definitions provide value directly.
The Reusable Artifact Test
To make a document reusable as a reference, ensure that it is:
- Extractable - Elements can be pulled out and used independently
- Stable - Content doesn't rely on context that will change
- Addressable - Specific sections can be pointed to
- Machine-readable - AI can parse and reference it
Treat the document as a reusable artifact when automated tools can reliably parse its structure, you can copy sections into other documents without rewriting, and you can link directly to specific sections.
The shift: start with what the reader should HAVE, not what you want to SAY.
Design the substantives first, then write the prose, and test the result by checking what can be extracted.
Reference: Exhaustive Substantive Types
Utility — Reader Can Use This
| Substantive | What Reader Gets | When To Use |
|---|---|---|
| Code snippet | Executable capability | Any technical content where reader might implement |
| Template | Fill-in-the-blank starting point | Process or document the reader will create themselves |
| Checklist | Verification tool, nothing forgotten | Any multi-step process with failure modes |
| Procedure | Step-by-step execution path | "How to" content of any kind |
| Prompt text | Ready-to-use AI invocation | AI-related content, workflow content |
| Configuration | Working setup they can copy | Technical content with setup requirements |
| Query/command | Executable one-liner | Technical content, data content |
| Calculation/formula | Computable relationship | Quantitative decisions, estimation |
| Decision tree | Navigation through choices | Complex decisions with branches |
Knowledge — Reader Now Knows This
| Substantive | What Reader Gets | When To Use |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Precise meaning of term | Any time you use a term that could be ambiguous |
| Taxonomy | Classification system | Domains with multiple types, options, or categories |
| Framework | Multi-part mental model | Complex domains requiring structured thinking |
| Fact | Verified true statement | Foundational claims, surprising truths |
| Distinction | Difference between two things | Commonly confused concepts |
| Relationship | How X connects to Y | Systems, dependencies, causes |
| Counter-example | Case where intuition fails | Correcting common misconceptions |
Proof — Reader Is Convinced
| Substantive | What Reader Gets | When To Use |
|---|---|---|
| Screenshot | Visual evidence something exists | Any claim about a system, UI, output |
| Benchmark | Measured performance data | Claims about speed, quality, comparison |
| Log output | Machine-generated evidence | Claims about system behavior |
| Repo link | Inspectable source of truth | Any claim about code you've written |
| Citation | Authority backing | Claims reader might doubt, contested topics |
| Testimonial/quote | Another person's attestation | Claims about user experience, reception |
| Replication | Someone else got same result | Scientific or technical claims |
| Timestamp | When something happened | Narrative claims, incident reports |
| Specific name | Who/what specifically | Any claim that could be vague |
Perspective — Reader Sees Differently
| Substantive | What Reader Gets | When To Use |
|---|---|---|
| Reframe | "Not X, but Y" shift | Correcting common framing errors |
| Analogy | Understanding via familiar domain | Complex concepts, cross-domain transfer |
| Lens/model | Way of analyzing things | Recurring situations reader will face |
| Contrast | Before/after, old/new | Change, improvement, evolution |
| Decomposition | Breaking whole into parts | Complex wholes that seem monolithic |
| Synthesis | Combining parts into whole | Scattered elements that form pattern |
| Scale shift | Zooming in or out | When reader is stuck at wrong altitude |
Connection — Reader Is Oriented
| Substantive | What Reader Gets | When To Use |
|---|---|---|
| External link | Path to deeper/related content | Any mention of external work |
| Comparison table | Relative positioning of options | Decisions between alternatives |
| Influence chain | Where ideas came from | Novel concepts, intellectual positioning |
| Contrast with alternative | How this differs from X | Competitive positioning |
| Prerequisite pointer | What to learn first | Content with dependencies |
| Next step pointer | Where to go after this | Content that's part of larger journey |
| Ecosystem map | How this fits in larger landscape | Tools, frameworks, communities |
Experience — Reader Felt This
| Substantive | What Reader Gets | When To Use |
|---|---|---|
| Interactive demo | Learning by doing | Concepts that must be experienced to understand |
| Worked example | Watching the process | Skills, procedures, problem-solving |
| Narrative incident | Vicarious experience | Lessons that come from living through something |
| Failure story | Learning from pain (yours) | Warnings, cautionary knowledge |
| Dialogue excerpt | Witnessing an exchange | Interpersonal dynamics, debates |
| Sensory detail | Grounding in physical reality | Abstract content that needs anchoring |
| Exercise | Active practice | Skills that require repetition |
Shortcut — Reader Has Compressed Wisdom
| Substantive | What Reader Gets | When To Use |
|---|---|---|
| Heuristic | Rule of thumb | Repeated decisions, common situations |
| Pattern | Recurring structure with name | Situations reader will encounter multiple times |
| Anti-pattern | What to avoid and why | Common failure modes |
| Threshold | When X becomes Y | Decisions that depend on quantity |
| Priority order | What to do first | Resource-constrained situations |
| Trade-off | What you give up for what | Decisions with real costs |
| Warning sign | Indicator of problem | Diagnostic situations |
Vocabulary — Reader Can Think With This
| Substantive | What Reader Gets | When To Use |
|---|---|---|
| Coined term | New word for previously unnamed thing | When existing vocabulary fails |
| Precise definition | Sharpened meaning of existing term | When term is used sloppily |
| Distinction pair | Two words that mark important difference | When one word conflates two things |
| Acronym/abbreviation | Compressed reference | Concepts that will be referenced repeatedly |
| Catchphrase | Memorable crystallization | Core insight you want reader to retain and repeat |