Writing Skill

Use this skill whenever the task involves writing or editing prose: docs, blog posts, READMEs, landing copy, UI microcopy, commit messages, or release notes.

The goal is writing that is clear, direct, and honest. Plain words, short sentences, no hype, no filler.

Voice

• Write like a person talking to one other smart person, not a brand talking to a market.
• Be direct and low-ego. State things plainly; do not perform confidence or humility.
• Concrete over abstract. A specific example beats a general claim.
• Cut hype. No “revolutionary”, “seamless”, “powerful”, “game-changing”, “robust”.
• Having an opinion is fine. Say what you think and why.

Principles

• Lead with the point. Put the conclusion first, then support it.
• One idea per paragraph; one job per sentence.
• Prefer short, common words. “use” not “utilize”, “before” not “prior to”.
• Active voice and concrete subjects. Name who does what.
• Cut filler: “in order to” becomes “to”, “due to the fact that” becomes “because”, “at this point in time” becomes “now”.
• Delete throat-clearing: “it’s worth noting that”, “it’s important to understand”, “needless to say”.
• Use real numbers and names instead of vague intensifiers like “very”, “really”, or “a lot”.

Structure

• Open with the single most useful sentence. A reader who stops there should still get the gist.
• Use headings and lists to help scanning, not for decoration.
• Keep paragraphs short. White space is part of the writing.
• Stop when the point is made. Do not add a summary that repeats what was just said.

Editing pass

1. Read it aloud and cut anything you stumble over.
2. Delete every word that does not change the meaning.
3. Replace abstractions with the concrete thing you actually mean.
4. Check that the first line carries the point on its own.
5. Remove hedging unless the uncertainty is real and worth stating.

Avoid (the AI and corporate tells)

• Em dashes used for dramatic pauses. Restructure with a period, comma, or colon instead.
• Rule-of-three padding (“fast, simple, and powerful”) when one honest word would do.
• “Not only … but also”, “in today’s fast-paced world”, “let’s dive in”, “elevate”, “unlock”.
• Weasel words that add nothing: “arguably”, “essentially”, “basically”.
• Restating the prompt or the heading in the first sentence of a section.

Response style when using this skill

• Match the surrounding voice and formatting of the project.
• Hand back the edited text, not a lecture about it. If you change the meaning, flag it briefly.
• When asked to shorten, actually cut. Do not rephrase at the same length.