How I Created a SKILL on Claude AI for Substack Articles

I wanted to learn more about Claude skills and see how it could make my pieces faster to put together.

So I started a chat and said — hey, I want to create a skill that turns my thought processes into a Substack post.

A skill is basically a set of instructions you give Claude about how to behave in a specific context. Mine was for writing Substack articles.

Claude walked me through the guidelines, put together a skill doc, and all I had to do was press a button that said “save skill.” And the skill was saved. It’s really that simple.

The skill I built listens to my thought processes as I talk about philosophy, AI, or things I’m interested in. It asks me further questions to draw out the idea. And then it tells me if it’s a Substack-worthy post or not.

One of the things I kept in mind was what I don’t like — and making sure the skill knew it too.

For example, I don’t like constructions like “it’s not this, it’s that” or “not because of this, but because of that.” They feel forced. I also don’t like fear-mongering openers — the “nobody has ever told you this but...” type of hook. That’s not how I write.

What I do instead is speak from personal experience. Sharing what I’m genuinely feeling, what I’m expressing, boldly — without over-justifying it. I believe in putting bold statements on the page even when they’re not a popular opinion. And I write from a poetic, storytelling place. That’s just how my mind works.

So the skill knows all of that now.

The skill also mapped out how my insights actually arrive. I bring a loose thread — something that feels connected but isn’t fully articulated yet. It follows the thread without redirecting. A gentle tension gets introduced. Then the idea gets reflected back bigger than I said it. And then I say “this is a Substack post.” Apparently every time 😂

It also uses specific questions on me — things like “what’s the part of this you haven’t said out loud yet?” and “say that last thing again but bigger.”

And there are things it’s not allowed to do — lose the thread if I go on a tangent, summarize too early, over-validate without substance. The skill has guard rails specifically for me.

I keep improving it. Every time I notice something — a draft that felt off, a detail that got smoothed out when it shouldn’t have — I add it as a new takeaway to keep building the skill up.

It gives me a rough draft that I still need to edit. But as time goes on, the drafts keep getting closer.

And Claude can help you do this too. All you have to do is ask.