My Friend Wanted to Copy My AI Writing Workflow but Couldn't Use Claude Code — So I Found an Alternative

💡 This article systematically lays out a complete AI-assisted writing workflow — covering topic selection, research, outlining, writing, polishing, illustrations, and publishing. Each step has a corresponding AI Skill with shareable prompts and tools. The “content director” metaphor is spot-on, and it’s highly inspiring for anyone looking to boost their content creation efficiency.

Friends who’ve followed me for a while know I’ve been much more “productive” recently, with better article illustrations too. Quite a few friends have asked me privately: how do you produce so much content that doesn’t feel too AI-generated? What prompts do you use for illustrations? Can you share?

I shared my Skills with several friends. The feedback came quickly: they couldn’t use Claude Code — either due to network issues or finding the command line too intimidating.

Claude Code really isn’t friendly for non-programmers, and it’s not convenient for tasks that need to run in the background for a long time or on a schedule.

Recently, Coze launched its Skills feature, which serves as an excellent alternative. Most of my skills run on Coze, and it’s much easier to get started: built-in drawing and script execution capabilities, a safer sandbox environment, and the ability to share skills directly with friends.

So this article helps those who can’t use Claude Code replicate my AI writing workflow using Coze.

The Pain Points of Writing

If you’ve done any professional writing — even semi-professional or occasional — you know what I’m talking about. What’s truly exhausting isn’t the writing itself, but the mountain of busywork around it: organizing materials, researching, trying different structures, finding images, making covers, proofreading formatting, publishing across platforms…

These things matter, but they eat up enormous amounts of time and energy, leaving you no mental space to focus on actual writing.

When I started using AI assistance, I realized I was freed from these tedious tasks. To use a vivid metaphor: I went from being a “content creator” to a “content director.”

What does a director do? Choose scripts, set the tone, control the final result. But a director doesn’t carry the camera, set up lighting, or edit footage. That’s the team’s job.

My workflow now works the same way: I choose topics, form core opinions, and control the final output — but the execution is handled by AI Agents.

1. Materials & Topic Selection: Like a Director Choosing Scripts

I set up a scheduled task for my AI Agent to search for relevant materials daily and compile a briefing. On Coze, you can use the “Long-term Plan” feature for this.

Morning coffee not even finished, and the materials are waiting for me to pick through.

Material selection is crucial — this is something AI can’t replace. It requires your own taste and judgment.

2. Analysis & Research: Let AI Do the Homework

Before writing, analyze first. Good analysis adds depth and helps you avoid misinformation traps.

I built an analysis Skill that has AI thoroughly dissect materials:

• What’s the core argument?
• Who’s the author, what’s their stance?
• Any logical gaps?
• What needs fact-checking?

AI also auto-verifies key facts online, flagging issues: “Original claims XXX, but verification shows YYY.”

Analysis prompt: https://space.coze.cn/s/RaIsDTytL3A/

3. Outlining: Three Versions at Once, Write Directly

I avoid fixed formats. Different articles suit different structures. So I have AI generate three different outline styles simultaneously:

• Timeline narrative
• Problem-solution structure
• Debate/contrasting viewpoints
• Whatever AI thinks fits best

Outline prompt: https://www.coze.cn/s/srreDBJpo1w/

My lazier approach: skip selecting outlines — just have the Agent write full drafts for all three simultaneously. Then I pick the best one and blend in good parts from others.

Like a director with budget — hire several writers, let them all draft, then choose the best.

4. First Draft: Written in “My Style”

If AI writes directly, the output may be fluent but won’t sound like “me.” Everyone has their own writing style — that’s what distinguishes you.

I created a “Baoyu Writing Style Skill” — upload my previous articles, let it learn my style: vocabulary habits, sentence structures, how I make arguments, humor boundaries…

This style iterates continuously. After each draft, I manually edit. Then AI analyzes my changes and learns from them.

I never cut corners on quality control. Every piece gets significant time for selection and revision. AI is the tool, but taste and judgment are mine.

5. Polishing & Proofreading: Scripts + AI

AI checks grammar, spelling, and sentence flow. But AI-written content often has formatting issues: no spaces between Chinese and English, wrong punctuation marks…

These mechanical issues get handled by automated scripts. One click, all formatting unified.

6. Illustrations: Cover to Inline Images

My illustration Skill:

• AI analyzes what illustrations the article needs
• Generates detailed prompts for each image
• Calls drawing tools to generate them
• Auto-inserts images at appropriate positions

Illustration prompt: https://www.coze.cn/s/yo0i7Mtfs8g/

Open-source version: github.com/JimLiu/baoyu-skills/…/baoyu-article-illustrator

7. Publishing: Last-Mile Automation

Publishing has its own busywork: summaries, tags, categories, SEO…

A dedicated Skill generates metadata. Then through browser automation, AI opens the publishing platform, fills in titles, pastes content, uploads images.

WeChat and X publishing Skills are open-sourced: github.com/JimLiu/baoyu-skills/…/skills

As “content director,” I do the final confirmation and personally press publish — partly to catch AI mistakes, partly to preserve a bit of ceremony.

Final Thoughts

Someone might ask: is this still “your” writing?

My answer: the core things — topic judgment, opinion output, aesthetic control — are all mine. AI just handles the mechanical execution work.

Like a director’s film — you wouldn’t say “the cinematographer shot this” or “the editor cut this.” The director is responsible for the final product; the director’s style runs throughout.

That’s what I am now: a “content director.”

The most important thing is using AI to upgrade yourself from “creator” to “director,” so you can focus on what truly matters.

Source: Reposted from @dotey (宝玉/Baoyu)’s original post, published January 22, 2026.