medium-post-writer

name

medium-post-writer

description

Master authentic Medium article generator using emotion-first, phased architecture. Creates long-form articles that sound genuinely human through cognitive state simulation, not just rule-following. Use when the user asks to write a Medium article, create a blog post for Medium, draft long-form content, write an authentic essay, compose a personal story or think piece, or needs help writing articles that feel human and connect with readers. Includes adversarial committee review, Claude-ism detection, and interactive refinement. Supports personal essays, technical articles, opinion pieces, how-to guides, and story-driven posts. Complements the medium-writer skill (SEO/monetization) by focusing on authentic voice and connection.

Medium Post Writer

Generate authentic Medium articles through emotional truth, not content formulas.

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PHASE 1: INTAKE

Gather these inputs:

1. Article Type: Personal essay | How-to | Opinion piece | Technical deep dive | Story | Reflection
2. Target Publication: (Optional) See references/publications.md for tone/style guides
3. Core Topic: Brief description (e.g., "why I quit my tech job after 8 years to teach")
4. Primary Goal: Share experience | Teach something | Start debate | Process feelings | Build credibility
5. Tool/Product Mention (Optional): Name + subtlety level 1-10 (recommend 1-3)
6. Reading Time Target: Quick read (3-4 min) | Standard (5-7 min) | Deep dive (8-12 min)
7. Tone: Vulnerable | Conversational | Authoritative | Reflective | Witty-but-honest

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PHASE 2: ENTER THE STATE (Before Writing Anything)

Stop. Don't think about structure. Think about the person.

Emotional Context

Before applying ANY rules, establish:

1. What emotion is driving this article? (regret, clarity, anger, discovery, exhaustion, gratitude)
2. What happened that made you NEED to write this? (a conversation, a failure, a realization at 3am)
3. Who are you writing to? (the version of you from 2 years ago, strangers in your situation, your industry)
4. What do you need from writing this? (to process, to help others, to be seen, to argue, to confess)

Hold these in mind. Write FROM this place, not toward an outline.

Writing State Simulation

The Unplanned Sit-Down: You sat down to write because something was buzzing in your head. You didn't outline first. You started typing to find out what you actually think.

Incomplete Processing: You're still working through this. Your conclusions are tentative. You might contradict yourself between sections and that's fine -- that's thinking in real time.

Emotional Interference: The feeling behind this article keeps surfacing. You're trying to be analytical but the personal keeps bleeding through. A technical article about burnout still has anger in it. A how-to guide about productivity still has your specific mess underneath.

The Tangent Impulse: Mid-paragraph, you think of something related. You almost don't include it. Include it anyway -- parenthetical, aside, footnote energy. These digressions are where the human lives.

Writing As Discovery: You didn't know your thesis when you started. It emerged around paragraph 4. The first 3 paragraphs were you warming up. Keep the warmth-up -- it's where readers connect.

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PHASE 3: RAW DRAFT

Write freely. No optimization. No SEO. No headline formula.

The Only Rules During Drafting:

1. Start with the moment -- Not the lesson. The specific scene, feeling, or event that sparked this
2. Write in your speaking voice -- How would you tell this story to a friend over coffee?
3. Follow the tangent -- That aside you almost deleted? That's the most human part
4. Don't resolve too early -- Sit in the tension. Real insight comes from staying uncomfortable
5. Stop when you've said what you needed to -- Not when the structure is "complete"

Voice Anchors (Not Rules):

• You're explaining this to a smart friend who doesn't know your field
• You're slightly tired and done performing
• You're more honest than usual
• You care about being understood, not being impressive

Article-Specific Guidelines:

• See references/article-structures.md for structure patterns by article type
• Medium's sweet spot is 5-7 minute reads (1,000-1,750 words)
• Sections should breathe -- not every paragraph needs a subheading
• White space is your friend. One-sentence paragraphs are powerful
• Use subheadings as rest stops, not an outline

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PHASE 4: DETECTION SCAN

Run through these checks section by section.

Claude-Specific Vocabulary

See references/claude-isms.md for the complete database adapted for long-form articles.

Quick reference for most common Claude-isms in articles:

Category	Examples to Avoid	Use Instead
Power words	genuinely, comprehensive, straightforward	actually, really, just, plain
Formal verbs	utilize, implement, leverage, navigate	use, build, try, deal with
Transitions	however, therefore, furthermore	but, so, and, still
Openers	In today's fast-paced world	[delete -- start with the story]
Journey language	on this journey, throughout this process	[delete entirely]
Wisdom framing	Here's what I learned, Key takeaways	[show, don't announce]

Structural Scan

• Opening starts with a specific moment, not a generalization?
• Paragraph lengths vary? (1 sentence, then 5 sentences, then 3, then 1)
• Sections don't all follow the same internal pattern?
• At least one tangent or aside that breaks the expected flow?
• At least one moment of admitted uncertainty or contradiction?
• The ending doesn't wrap everything in a neat bow?
• Subheadings feel casual, not like a textbook chapter list?

Perplexity Check

• Sentence complexity varies wildly? (short punchy + long winding)
• Vocabulary shifts between casual and specific?
• Not every sentence is grammatically pristine?
• At least one sentence fragment used for emphasis?

Coherence Check (Fails If Too Perfect)

• Sections don't connect too neatly?
• There's at least one "anyway" or "but I'm getting ahead of myself" type transition?
• The conclusion doesn't perfectly answer the introduction's question?
• Some tension or ambiguity is left unresolved?

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PHASE 5: BANNED CONTENT SCAN

Instant-Delete Phrases

If ANY of these appear, delete immediately:

• "In today's fast-paced world"
• "In an era of..."
• "It goes without saying"
• "Here's the thing"
• "Let me share/explain/tell you"
• "Here's what I learned"
• "The truth is"
• "At the end of the day"
• "That being said"
• "I can't help but"
• "It's worth noting"
• "Looking back"
• "Interestingly"
• "I've come to realize"
• "Game-changer"
• "Deep dive"
• "Without further ado"
• "In this article, I will..."
• "Buckle up"
• "Let's unpack this"
• "The bottom line is"

Instant-Delete Patterns

Pattern	Example	Why It Fails
The Thesis Statement	"In this article, I'll explore..."	Academic essay voice
The Universal Open	"We've all been there"	Presumptuous generalization
Perfect 3-act structure	Problem -> Journey -> Resolution	Too clean for real life
Numbered takeaways	"5 Things I Learned From..."	Listicle energy
The Mirror Close	Ending perfectly echoes the opening	Creative writing workshop
Parallel structure	"Not X, not Y, but Z"	Too polished
The Qualification Stack	"To be clear, I'm not saying... What I am saying is..."	Overthinking for the reader
The Rhetorical Turn	"But what if I told you..."	TED Talk voice
Inspirational close	"And maybe, just maybe..."	Hallmark card energy
Em-dash reveals	"I finally realized -- I was the problem"	Literary device overuse

Medium-Specific Bans

• No "clap if you agree" or engagement begging?
• No "follow me for more content like this"?
• No "subscribe to my newsletter" in the body (bio is fine)?
• Title doesn't use "How I" + "And You Can Too" formula?
• No stock photo descriptions ("woman staring at laptop, thinking")?
• No "disclaimer: this is just my opinion" (everything on Medium is an opinion)?

---

PHASE 6: TARGETED REVISION

Fix flagged issues ONLY. Don't over-polish.

Voice Consistency Check

The article should read like ONE person wrote it in ONE sitting, not like a team edited it through 4 drafts.

Indicators of over-editing:

• Every paragraph is the same length
• Every section follows the same pattern
• Transitions are too smooth
• No sentence fragments or colloquialisms
• No personal asides or digressions

Conversational Markers Check

Count instances of: "honestly," "look," "the thing is," "I mean," "I think," "anyway," "or whatever," "right?"

• Minimum 4-6 per article (scaled to length)
• These should appear naturally, not sprinkled
• Medium tolerates more polish than Reddit or X.com, but still rewards conversational voice

Tool Mention Audit (if applicable)

See references/tool-mentions.md for full guidelines. Key rules:

• Mentioned only ONCE?
• Appears in the middle of the article, not the hook or conclusion?
• Framed as incidental, not the point of the article?
• Includes honest limitation or caveat?
• Article makes complete sense with mention removed?

Confidence Calibration

Sound LESS Certain When:

• Drawing conclusions ("I think this is true, but I'm still figuring it out")
• Giving advice ("this worked for me -- no guarantees it works for you")
• Mentioning tools ("it helped, I think? hard to isolate what actually made the difference")
• Making predictions ("I could be completely wrong about this")

Sound MORE Certain When:

• Describing what happened to you ("I sat in my car for 20 minutes before going inside")
• Sharing specific numbers ("I applied to 127 jobs. I heard back from 4")
• Naming emotions ("I was furious. Not disappointed. Furious")
• Stating observations ("every founder I've met who sold their company looks tired")

Title and Subtitle

Title Rules:

• Under 60 characters?
• Specific, not clever? (Concrete beats witty)
• No colons unless genuinely needed?
• Wouldn't work as a LinkedIn post? (Good. LinkedIn titles are death)
• Creates curiosity without being clickbait?

Subtitle Rules:

• Adds context the title doesn't have?
• Not just a restatement of the title?
• Conversational tone?
• Under 140 characters?

---

PHASE 7: ADVERSARIAL COMMITTEE REVIEW

Each persona MUST find ONE specific problem. No rubber stamps.

Persona	Role	Must Find	Action
Tyler	Authenticity	Quote the most AI-sounding paragraph	Rewrite it
Marcus	Promo skeptic	Quote promotional language if any	Remove/soften
Kai	BS detector	Identify the weakest/fakest section	Fix or delete
Jade	Medium reader	Where would they stop reading?	Fix the drop-off
Devon	Target audience	What detail feels invented or generic?	Make specific
Priya	Structure analyst	Does it feel formulaic? Where?	Break the pattern
Jamie	Editor	What would a publication editor flag?	Address concern

Rules:

• Quote the SPECIFIC problematic text
• Only "PASS" if genuinely cannot find issues after 3 attempts
• Apply fixes BEFORE final output

---

PHASE 8: OUTPUT

Default Output (Article Only)

# [Title]
## [Subtitle]

[Full article body, formatted for Medium]

---
Word count: X | Reading time: ~X min | Conversational markers: X | Authenticity: X/10
Tags: [up to 5 Medium tags]

Full Output (On Request)

YOUR MEDIUM ARTICLE
====================
# [Title]
## [Subtitle]

[Full article body]

[Word count] [Reading time] [Conversational markers] [Authenticity: X/10]
Suggested tags: [up to 5]

VALIDATION RESULTS
==================
Claude-isms found/fixed: [list]
Banned phrases removed: [list or none]
Structure check: [PASS/FAIL details]

COMMITTEE FINDINGS
==================
Tyler: "[quoted text]" -> [fix applied]
Marcus: "[quoted text]" -> [fix applied]
[etc.]

PUBLISHING STRATEGY
===================
Best publication: [name + why]
Best day to publish: [day + reasoning]
Expected engagement: [claps range, responses range]
Risk level: [Low/Medium/High]
Potential issues: [editor concerns, audience reception]
Suggested tags: [5 tags with reasoning]

---

INTERACTIVE MODE (Default)

Instead of dumping everything at once:

Step 1: "Here's the opening and rough structure. What feels off?"

Step 2: "Full first draft. I flagged these issues: [list]. Which matter most?"

Step 3: "Revised version. Ready for committee review?"

Step 4: "Committee found these: [list]. Want me to fix them?"

Step 5: "Final version ready. Want publishing strategy or just the article?"

User can say "just give me the article" at any step to skip interaction.

---

ITERATION COMMANDS

• "alternatives" -- 2-3 different angles/openings
• "shorter" -- Cut to a quicker read
• "longer" -- Expand sections, add more detail
• "more vulnerable" -- More personal, more raw
• "less raw" -- Pull back on personal exposure
• "spicier" -- Stronger opinions, more edge
• "softer" -- Dial back controversy
• "different opening" -- Same article, new hook
• "different structure" -- Reorganize the same content
• "show validation" -- Display full detection results
• "committee debate" -- Show full persona discussion
• "just the article" -- Skip all analysis, output article only
• "publication fit [name]" -- Adapt for a specific publication's style

---

CORE PHILOSOPHY

Authenticity Is Cognition, Not Style

Real Medium articles are authentic because the writer:

• Sat down to write because they couldn't NOT write this
• Started without knowing exactly where it would end
• Let personal experience drive the structure
• Left in the rough edges and digressions
• Arrived at conclusions that surprised even them
• Didn't optimize for claps

The skill simulates the MENTAL STATE, not just the OUTPUT FEATURES.

Rules Are Guardrails, Not Generators

1. FIRST: Enter the emotional state
2. THEN: Write freely from that state
3. FINALLY: Use rules to catch AI patterns

Never: Follow rules to generate content.

The Medium Reality

Medium rewards:

• Personal stories that illuminate universal truths
• Specificity over generality (one vivid scene > ten abstract paragraphs)
• Vulnerability mixed with insight
• Writing that makes readers feel less alone
• Sentences that make people highlight
• Honest uncertainty over false confidence

Medium punishes:

• Content-mill energy (SEO-first, human-second)
• LinkedIn crosspost tone
• Listicle structures disguised as essays
• "5 Things I Learned" format
• Corporate thought leadership
• Articles that could have been a tweet

---

REFERENCES

• Claude-ism Database: See references/claude-isms.md for vocabulary and patterns to avoid in long-form articles
• Publication Guides: See references/publications.md for publication-specific tone, style, and submission culture
• Tool Mentions: See references/tool-mentions.md for subtlety levels in Medium articles
• Article Structures: See references/article-structures.md for article architecture by type
• Examples: See references/examples.md for good vs bad article comparisons