90% of people fail to write prompt words well because they fall into these three pitfalls!

This article will expose the three most common misunderstandings about prompt words and teach you how to truly master prompt words starting from the basic level of ability.

Don't keep you in suspense, just get straight to the point.

The first misunderstanding: not daring to write, thinking that the prompt words are very professional

Some people start to get anxious when they hear the word "prompt word", as if it is an exclusive skill for programmers, engineers, and prompt engineers.

I always feel that the prompt words should be written like the title of a paper, with a complete structure, clear logic, and precise grammar. It would be best if it also contains a few English words so that it looks "very advanced".

wrong.

The prompt words are actually human language.

For example, you say to your friend:

"Help me write a funny joke about how workers relieve stress," this is the prompt.

You can also say this when you talk to AI.

Many times, it’s not that you don’t know how to write the prompt words, but that you think it’s too difficult.

You have to know that AI was invented so that humans can communicate with it using natural language.

I often tell students in my writing classes to just write freely and say out everything they know.

If you can't write well, use voice, just say it the way you want.

The second mistake: copying other people’s prompts and blindly using templates

There is another type of people who go to the other extreme - the crazy collectors of prompt words.

As soon as I opened Zhihu, WeChat official accounts, and Xiaohongshu, my eyes lit up when I saw all kinds of "100 efficient prompt words" and "collection of super powerful prompt words", and I copied them all.

Just because you copy the prompt words, it doesn't mean you copy the results.

Because the quality of a prompt word is not determined by how exquisite it is or how complex its structure is, but by whether it is tailor-made for your task .

Everyone’s application scenarios and needs are different, and many of the prompts you copied have never been tested or iterated, or are simply generated in batches using AI.

Do you think you can write something good?

The clue word is not a magic wand, but more like a key. The key is that it must be able to open your lock.

So instead of collecting "advanced prompt words" used by others, it is better to practice "how to organize language according to your own needs."

The third misunderstanding: not practicing expression skills from the basic level

What is the nature of the prompt word?

It is you who are talking to the AI, and it is you who are using language to clearly tell it what you want.

So the fundamental question is not whether you can use "what template" or "a few keywords", but whether you have the ability to clearly express your needs.

Many people have trouble writing prompt words. The reason is not that AI is too difficult to use, but that they themselves cannot even clearly express what they want to do.

for example:

"Write an in-depth article"

“Help me polish this text.”

This is like saying nothing.

What does it mean to have depth? Does polishing mean changing the language style or enhancing the persuasiveness? If you don’t explain it clearly, it’s hard for AI to understand.

So if you want to really write good prompts, you have to start by practicing "expression skills":

Learn to make the vague ideas in your mind concrete;

Break an abstract sentence into several specific questions;

Can explain a writing task clearly using What-Why-How.

This is the "muscle" for writing prompts. If you don't practice this, you will always have to rely on others.

To summarize:

Failure to write prompt words well is not a technical problem, but a problem of expression.

It seems that AI doesn’t understand you, but in fact it is because you didn’t explain yourself clearly.

Instead of copying others, it is better to practice your own expression skills.

Ultimately, prompts are not instructions for AI, but a mirror of your way of thinking.

The more clearly you can express yourself, the better the AI ​​will understand what you want.

Instead of pursuing a "universal prompt word", it is better to make expression practice a daily routine.

Because the underlying ability to write prompt words is never skill, but thinking + expression.