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:

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