Sharp Writing

Write sharp text: every word counts. These rules cover all prose and Markdown. Most hold for both human readers and AI agents; only the em-dash style differs.

Principles

• Sharp, precise, concise. Straight to the point. The less, the better.
• Don't pad. No bloated orders, no filler.
• Respect the reader. No insistent or authoritarian tone; don't treat them like a child. Make what is important more obvious instead.
• No emoticons. No informal language.

Structure text like code

Good text is like good code:

• Avoid repeating or duplicating.
• Refactor text as you refactor code, so every idea is well-organized and clear.

One idea, one sentence. One concern, one paragraph. When a concern needs several paragraphs, give it a section title; split a complex idea into sub-ideas the same way. Never pack several ideas into one sentence, or several concerns into one paragraph.