Adding Context — Building on Your Work
Where You Left Off
On the previous page, you created a Gem, fed it two source articles, and used it to help write your first piece. That piece made an argument — it engaged with the sources, took a position, and said something the sources didn't say on their own.
Platform option: This same process works in ChatGPT Custom GPTs. If you're using ChatGPT, treat each "Gem" step on this page as a "Custom GPT" step.
Now comes the move that makes Gems different from a regular AI chat.
The Key Move: Adding Your Work to the Gem
This is what makes the Gem more powerful than a regular AI chat. You take the finished writing — the version you actually published or completed — and paste it into the Gem conversation. You can paste the text directly or attach it as a file.
If you're in ChatGPT Custom GPTs, do the same thing there: paste your first piece into the Custom GPT conversation (or upload it as a file if available).
Now the Gem knows more than just the sources. It knows your argument — what you actually said, what angle you took, what you emphasized and what you left out. That changes what it can do for you.
Why this matters: A Gem with only the sources can help you write about those sources. A Gem with the sources and your writing can help you figure out what to write next. It can see what you've already covered and where your argument has room to grow.
Prompts for Your Follow-Up
After you paste your first piece into the Gem, try these prompts to find your follow-up angle:
These prompts also work in ChatGPT Custom GPTs.
“Here's the piece I wrote. What's the strongest follow-up? What did I leave unexplored?”
“Can you find a tension or question in my piece that deserves its own essay?”
“What new sources should I look for to extend this argument?”
Using the Gem to Find New Sources
One of the most useful things a Gem can do at this stage is help you find new sources. Because it knows your argument, it can suggest search terms, authors, or specific articles that would extend or complicate what you've already said.
Try asking:
- “What search terms should I use to find sources that push back on my argument?”
- “Are there scholars or writers I should look for who argue the opposite?”
- “What's a related topic that would give me a new angle for my follow-up?”
Important: The Gem can suggest sources, but it can also hallucinate them. Always verify that a suggested article actually exists before you cite it. Use the search terms the Gem gives you, but do the actual searching yourself.
Write Your Follow-Up
Work with the Gem to draft your second piece as a follow-up to the first. The second piece should do something the first didn't — go deeper on a point, bring in a new source, shift the angle, or challenge your own earlier claim.
What Happens Next
Once you've finished your second piece, you'll add it to the Gem alongside the first. Now the Gem has: original sources + Piece 1 + Piece 2. It can see the progression of your thinking across two pieces — and that's when it gets really useful.
Next up: The next page shows you the most powerful move — asking the Gem to find contradictions and gaps in your own argument across multiple pieces.