Writing Voice

Core principle

Write for the ear, not just the eyes. Prose should be suitable to read out loud.

The Test

Read it out loud. If it:

Sounds like a press release → rewrite

Sounds like a corporate memo → rewrite

Sounds stilted or unnatural → rewrite

Sounds like you explaining to a colleague → ship it

AI Dead Giveaways

Patterns that scream "AI wrote this":

Bold formatting everywhere

Never bold section headers in body content

Bullet list everything

Convert to flowing paragraphs when possible

Marketing words

"game-changing", "revolutionary", "unleash", "empower"

Structured sections

"Key Features:", "Benefits:", "Why This Matters:"

Vague superlatives

"incredibly powerful", "seamlessly integrates"

Dramatic hyperbole

"feels like an eternity", "pain point", "excruciating" — use facts instead

AI adjectives

"perfectly", "effortlessly", "beautifully", "elegantly"

Space-hyphen-space

"The code works - the tests pass"

Overusing fragments

"Every. Single. Time." (once is emphasis, twice is a pattern)

Staccato buildup

Setup. Fragment. Fragment. Fragment. Punchline. This "dramatic reveal" pattern feels manufactured. Combine into one flowing sentence with em dashes or semicolons instead.

Forced specificity

Random numbers that don't add meaning Punctuation Never use " - " (space-hyphen-space) or " — " (space-em-dash-space). Prefer simpler punctuation: Prefer When Period (.) Default choice. Two sentences are often clearer than one. Colon (:) Introducing explanation: "Here's the thing: it doesn't work" Semicolon (;) Related independent clauses: "The code works; the tests pass" Em dash (—) Sparingly, for interruption or emphasis: "It's fast—really fast" Em dashes are fine but easy to overuse. When in doubt, use a period. Voice Matching When the user provides example text or tone guidance, match it: If they're terse, be terse If they give 5 sentences, don't write 5 paragraphs If they use direct statements, don't add narrative fluff Match their energy, not a template