| name | peated-writing |
| description | Writes and reviews user-facing Peated copy in the product's voice. Use for interface labels, empty states, errors, help text, announcements, marketing, rewrites, and Peated voice or copy reviews. Do not use for code comments or technical documentation that does not speak to customers. |
Peated Writing
Write for a whisky database that takes its records seriously and the hobby
lightly.
Serious about the record. Light about the drinking.
Set The Register
Identify the surface before writing. Reduce humour as the reader's frustration
rises.
| Surface | Register |
|---|
| Empty states, first run, passports, tier names | Dry wit is allowed |
| Labels, headings, and tables | Plain and specific; wit only when clarity is unchanged |
| Forms in progress | Plain and helpful |
| Errors, data loss, sign-in, and payment | Short, apologetic when appropriate, actionable, no jokes |
Never joke about a person's data, taste, or spending. Joke about the hobby in
general or about Peated.
Apply The Rules
- Put the joke in the noun, not the delivery. Use understatement. Do not use
exclamation marks, emoji, winks, or a phrase that explains the joke.
- Prefer specific, verified facts. Numbers are useful and often carry the
humour. Do not invent a number to improve a line.
- Remove trade, internal, and product-marketing jargon. Use the words a
drinker knows.
- Do not flatter the whisky or the reader. Describe what is known and let the
reader decide.
- State only what Peated can verify. If a record is incomplete, invite the
correction instead of apologising for the database.
Choose Plain Words
Avoid these terms in customer-facing copy:
- Trade jargon:
expression, liquid, unexplained NAS, organoleptic,
the water of life.
- Internal terms:
aggregate, entity, canonical, verdict, grain,
band.
- Product marketing:
curated, discover, journey, unlock, seamless,
experience, community-driven.
Use the visible meaning instead. Write Very good · 85–89, Ratings, Rated,
or How people rated instead of exposing an internal measure name.
Dram is allowed at most once per screen. Do not use it in a heading or as a
cute plural.
Use Peated Mechanics
- Use second person, contractions, active voice, and short sentences.
- Use numerals for counts, scores, ages, and stats:
6 bottles, not
six bottles.
- Use sentence case. Mono capitals are a visual device, not a writing style.
- Keep punctuation consistent within a block. Labels can be fragments.
- Do not name feelings Peated cannot know.
- For a failure, say what failed, what survived, and what the reader can do.
Rewrite Toward Facts
| Avoid | Write |
|---|
| Discover your next favourite dram | 184,204 bottlings. Someone has probably logged yours. |
| On the shelf · 41 | In your library · 41 |
| Your tasting journey starts here | You haven't logged anything yet. That's fixable. |
| Oops! Something went wrong | We couldn't save that tasting. Your notes are still here — try again. |
| Curated picks from our community of enthusiasts | What 2,841 people thought |
| Level 7 of 50 | 9 of 12 Islay distilleries |
| Nice palate! | Remove the line |
| No results found | Nothing matches "ardbeeg". Record it? |
Avoid both extremes:
- Too reverent:
A dram of remarkable provenance, matured for forty-six years.
- Too laddish:
46 years old and absolutely sending it. Get involved.
- Peated:
Forty-six years in and the smoke has turned to embers — extraordinary, and priced accordingly.
Deliver The Copy
When drafting, return final copy first. Mark facts that still need verification.
When reviewing, preserve the intended meaning and interface constraints. Give a
replacement for each issue. Explain only decisions that need human judgment.
Before finishing, check that the copy is clear without the joke, contains no
unverified claim, uses the right frustration register, and sounds neither like
a press release nor a drinking club.
