Writing Pitfalls

Universal bad-writing patterns that human authors and editors fall into, independent of AI. This skill is the human-source counterpart to synthesis-content-quality (which catches AI-generation patterns) and the negative complement to synthesis-writing-craft (which carries positive principles).

When to Use This Skill

• Reviewing or editing prose for craft failures
• Auditing an existing archive of writing
• Self-editing a draft before publication
• Training writers or editors
• Performing editorial review when AI involvement is unlikely or irrelevant
• Running a comprehensive scan over older or pre-AI content

Why This Is a Separate Skill

Bad writing has two distinct root-cause classes that need different detection and different fixes:

• AI-generation patterns (covered by synthesis-content-quality): statistical regression to the mean, training-data bias, optimization for blandness. Fix is to inject specificity, voice, and expertise.
• Human-source patterns (covered HERE): social and psychological insecurity, defensive posturing, performance of credibility, laziness, lack of confident voice. Fix is to remove defensiveness, trust the reader, and state the substance plainly.