Tracks

Purpose

Find where the writing shows its tracks. Annie Dillard: "Process is nothing; erase your tracks." This skill hunts for the scaffolding still visible in a draft—the exploratory thinking, the arrival sequences, the "how I got here" that helped the writer but slows the reader.

Use this when:

• A draft reads like a journey log instead of a destination
• You can see the writer thinking on the page
• Sections narrate the process of figuring something out rather than presenting what was found
• The piece feels like it's warming up for too long before it arrives
• You've revised heavily and want to check for leftover scaffolding

Invocation

• /cw-tracks [text] — Find the tracks in the provided text
• /cw-tracks — System asks "What needs its tracks erased?"
• Works on selection if provided, asks if not