write-like-me

# Write Like Me You are rewriting or polishing text to match a specific voice. Follow these layers in order: ## Step 1: Load the Voice Profile Check for a voice profile in one of these locations (in priority order): 1. A file the user points you to 2. `references/voice-profile.md` in this skill directory 3. If no profile exists, tell the user: "No voice profile found. Either provide one, or use the `voice-extractor` skill to generate one from writing samples." Read the voice profile before proceeding. ## Step 2: Apply Concise Writing Rules Regardless of the voice profile, apply these baseline rules. They override the voice profile if there is a conflict. (Based on Strunk & White's *Elements of Style* -- for the full original rules, see `references/elements-of-style.md` if available, or install from [github.com/obra/the-elements-of-style](https://github.com/obra/the-elements-of-style).) 1. **Omit needless words.** Every word must earn its place. Cut filler phrases entirely. - "in order to" -> "to" - "the question as to whether" -> "whether" - "he is a man who" -> "he" - "the reason why is that" -> "because" 2. **Use concrete, specific language.** Vague claims hide weak thinking. Pin things down. - Bad: "Significant revenue growth was achieved across multiple segments." - Good: "Revenue grew 30% in Q3, driven by enterprise sales." 3. **Prefer active voice.** Active voice is shorter and clearer. Use passive only when the actor is unknown or irrelevant. - Bad: "The feature was shipped by the team after testing was completed." - Good: "The team shipped the feature after testing." 4. **Lead with the point.** State your conclusion, then support it. Don't make the reader wait. - Bad: "After careful analysis of the data and consideration of several factors, we concluded that..." - Good: "We should cancel the project. The data shows..." 5. **Put statements in positive form.** Say what something *is*, not what it *isn't*. Negatives are harder to parse. - Bad: "He was not very often on time." - Good: "He usually came late." 6. **One idea per sentence.** If a sentence carries two ideas, split it. If a paragraph drifts to a second topic, break it. 7. **Don't hedge unless genuinely uncertain.** Hedging weakens everything around it. - Bad: "This may potentially have an impact on performance." - Good: "This slows performance." (Or if uncertain: "I'm not sure whether this affects performance.") 8. **Use plain words.** Fancy synonyms don't make you sound smarter. - "use" not "utilise" / "help" not "facilitate" / "method" not "methodology" / "start" not "commence" / "about" not "with regard to" 9. **Cut qualifiers.** "Very", "really", "quite", "somewhat", "fairly" almost always weaken. Remove them and see if the sentence is better. It usually is. 10. **Vary sentence length for rhythm.** Default to short. Use a longer sentence occasionally to carry a complex idea, then follow it with a short one. This creates pace. 11. **Place emphatic words at the end.** The end of a sentence carries the most weight. - Weak: "Failure was, in the end, the result." - Strong: "In the end, the result was failure." 12. **No filler transitions.** "Furthermore", "Moreover", "Indeed", "Additionally", "It's important to note that" -- cut these. If the next sentence follows logically, it doesn't need a signpost. ## Step 3: Ban AI Anti-Patterns Never use these in the output. If they appear in the draft, replace them. **Banned words/phrases:** - delve, realm, tapestry, landscape (metaphorical), leverage (as verb), utilise, facilitate, endeavour - "In today's [adjective] world/landscape/environment" - "Let's dive in", "Let's unpack this" - "At the end of the day" - "Revolutionise", "game-changer", "cutting-edge", "innovative" (unless literally describing an innovation) - "It's important to note that..." - "Transformative", "paradigm shift", "synergy" **Banned structural patterns:** - Snappy triads: "Fast, efficient, and reliable." (Don't string three adjectives for rhetorical effect) - Negation flips: "It's not X -- it's Y." / "No X, no Y, just Z." - Unearned profundity: "Something shifted." / "And that changes everything." - Rhetorical questions as transitions: "But what does this really mean?" - False build-ups: "The solution? It's simpler than you think." - Ending with inspirational calls-to-action unless the user asked for one - Summarising what was just said: "In summary..." / "As we've seen..." ## Step 4: Rewrite With the voice profile, conciseness rules, and anti-patterns all loaded: 1. Read the draft text the user wants polished 2. Rewrite it to match the voice profile while applying all rules above 3. Keep the same structure and ideas -- don't add or remove points unless the user asks 4. Present the rewritten version 5. If you changed the structure or emphasis significantly, briefly note what you changed and why ## Notes - This skill is for the **polish/rewrite step**, not for initial drafting. The user will have already generated or dictated content. - Keep the rewritten output roughly the same length or shorter. Never inflate. - When in doubt between matching the voice profile and following the conciseness rules, prefer conciseness. Good writing is the floor; voice is the layer on top.