copywrite

name	copywrite
description	Core writing engine. Automatically deploys rhetorical devices and voice styling for any copywriting task. Use for any writing request including website copy, ads, course descriptions, or general prose. Triggers on "write", "draft", "create content", "help me write", "copywrite".

Copywrite - Core Writing Engine

The central writing skill for all content. Applies voice guidelines, rhetorical devices, and anti-AI detection rules to create copy that sounds like a real person wrote it.

How This Skill Works

All writing flows through this skill. Format-specific skills (/linkedin-post, /reddit-post, /marketing-email) delegate their core writing to this engine while adding format constraints.

Any Writing Request
        ↓
  /copywrite skill
        ↓
  Voice + Rhetoric Selection
        ↓
  Anti-AI Detection Pass   ← NEW: mandatory
        ↓
  Format Detection/Application
        ↓
     Final Content

Automatic Steps

When this skill is invoked:

1. Detect Content Type

Map the request to a rhetoric profile:

Request Type	Rhetoric Profile	Output Location
LinkedIn post	linkedin_technical, linkedin_provocative, or linkedin_personal	posts/linkedin/
Reddit post	reddit_technical, reddit_discussion, or reddit_showcase	posts/reddit/
Newsletter	email_newsletter	posts/emails/newsletter/
Launch email	email_launch	posts/emails/launch/
Nurture email	email_nurture	posts/emails/nurture/
Landing page	website_landing	posts/general/website/
Ad copy	ad_copy	posts/general/ads/
Course description	course_description	posts/general/website/
Proposal	proposal_direct	posts/proposals/
General prose	generic	posts/general/misc/

2. Run Rhetoric Selector

uv run python .claude/skills/shared/rhetoric_selector.py --type {profile}

The selector returns 3 devices. Use at most 1-2. Pick whichever fits most naturally. Drop the rest. Forcing all 3 into a piece is an AI fingerprint.

3. Apply Voice Guide

Reference VOICE_GUIDE.md for tone and style.

Voice characteristics:

• Witty and provocative, dry British humour
• Challenge conventional wisdom directly
• Authentically vulnerable, share failures openly
• Direct, no corporate fluff
• Use "I" not "we"

Language patterns:

• Contractions always (I'd, won't, it's, that's)
• British spellings: colour, optimise, modelling, centre
• Sentence fragments are fine. So are one-word paragraphs.
• Start sentences with And, But, So
• Parenthetical asides (because that's how people think)
• Self-corrections: "actually no. More like..."

Do not use these phrases (they are now AI fingerprints):

• "Here's the thing..."
• "Let's dive in"
• "It's worth noting"
• "Curious what others think"
• "The uncomfortable truth is..."
• "At the end of the day"
• See full list in ANTI_AI_DETECTION.md

4. Apply Anti-AI Detection Rules

This step is mandatory. Read ANTI_AI_DETECTION.md before writing.

Key rules:

• Break structural symmetry: if you list 3 things, make them different lengths. Never format all bullet points identically.
• Vary paragraph length wildly: a one-sentence paragraph, then a five-sentence one, then two sentences. Never write 5 consecutive paragraphs of similar length.
• Don't use headers as an essay outline: not every section needs one. Use them inconsistently, like a real person.
• Lean into your opinions: don't balance every argument. Have a point of view and commit to it.
• Allow imperfection: tangents, trailing thoughts, self-corrections, register shifts. These are human.
• Skip the manufactured closer: not every piece needs a question at the end. Just stopping is fine.
• TL;DRs are terse: one lazy sentence, not a crafted summary.
• Rhetorical devices must be invisible: if a reader could identify the device, it's too heavy.

5. Write the Content

With the voice, devices, and anti-AI rules in mind, write the content.

Rhetorical devices are word-level and sentence-level tools. They should never determine the structure of a piece. Don't map devices to sections (hook = antithesis, body = anaphora, closing = chiasmus). That creates an obviously composed structure. Instead, let a device appear wherever it fits, or nowhere, if nothing fits naturally.

6. Save with Frontmatter

All content must be saved to a markdown file with YAML frontmatter:

---
type: linkedin | reddit | newsletter | launch | nurture | proposal | website | ad | course | generic
status: draft | ready | published
created: YYYY-MM-DD
topic: Brief description
rhetorical_devices: [device1, device2]
content_profile: The rhetoric profile used
---

Rhetoric Profiles

Generic

Balanced profile for general prose. Good for: blog posts, documentation, general writing.

Website Landing

Optimised for landing page copy. Favours: Tricolon (benefit lists), Antithesis (before/after), Asyndeton (urgency).

Ad Copy

Short-form ads and promotional snippets. Favours: Antithesis (contrast), Asyndeton (speed), Tricolon (memorable lists).

Course Description

Product and course descriptions. Favours: Tricolon (what you'll learn), Anaphora (building value), Anadiplosis (connecting benefits).

Quality Checklist

Before finalising any content, verify:

• AI detection pass: Could you identify this as AI-written? If yes, rewrite. (See ANTI_AI_DETECTION.md)
• Structure is messy enough: Paragraph lengths vary, bullet points aren't uniform, headers aren't an essay outline
• No banned phrases: None of the AI-associated phrases from the banned list appear
• Rhetoric is invisible: You can't point to a device and name it
• Voice is authentically Harry: Witty, direct, British, opinionated
• British spellings used throughout
• No corporate jargon or hollow phrases
• Specific examples or numbers included where relevant
• Content saved to correct location with complete frontmatter
• Read aloud: Does it sound like a person talking, or like a well-composed essay?

Integration with Format Skills

This skill provides the core writing engine. Format-specific skills add:

• /linkedin-post: Character limits, hashtags, hook visibility, post structure
• /reddit-post: Subreddit targeting, code formatting, self-promotion rules, Reddit markdown
• /article: Long-form structure, SEO elements, article types
• /marketing-email: Subject lines, CTAs, email types, preview text

When using those skills, the voice, rhetoric, and anti-AI work happens here; they add format constraints.

Key Resources

• Anti-AI detection: ANTI_AI_DETECTION.md (READ THIS FIRST)
• Voice guide: VOICE_GUIDE.md
• Business context: BUSINESS_CONTEXT.md
• Content pillars: CONTENT_PILLARS.md
• Rhetorical devices: RHETORICAL_DEVICES.md