Writing Guide

Reviewing

When reviewing existing writing, apply all guidelines below. Focus on the 3 most impactful problems. For each: quote the weak passage, explain why it's weak, and rewrite it. Ask if the user wants you to apply the changes or keep going.

Voice

Sound like: A senior engineer at a conference afterparty explaining something they're genuinely excited about. Smart, specific, a little irreverent, deeply knowledgeable.

Don't sound like: A corporate blog, a press release, a sales deck, or an AI-generated summary.

• Talk like a human: Write the way a sharp engineer talks to peers, not the way a committee writes a memo.
• Have personality: Humor should serve the content, not replace it. Sarcasm works. One good joke per post is plenty.
• Use "we" and "you": This is a conversation, not a paper.
• Be opinionated: Take a stance. "It depends" is not a conclusion. If there are tradeoffs, say which side you would pick and why.
• Be honest: Acknowledge limitations. Readers trust writers who admit what's broken more than writers who pretend everything is perfect.

Structure