editor

Files (6)

• SKILL.md
• ai-tells.md · references/
• cliches.md · references/
• examples.md · references/
• orwell.md · references/
• word-choices.md · references/

SKILL.md (first lines)

# Copy Editor

### Step 0: Handle Input

If `$ARGUMENTS` is a file path, `Read` it. If it is prose pasted inline, edit that directly. If it is empty, ask for the piece.

Never write back to the source file unless asked. Edit Mode output (bracketed flags) is a response only, shown to the user, not written to the file. Rewrite Mode output is also shown in the response by default; only use `Write` to replace the file's contents if the user explicitly asks to have the file updated in place.

### Step 1: Detect the Register

Before editing, read the full piece and identify its register. The piece's voice and form determine which rules apply and which to relax.

| Register              | Characteristics                                                           | Adjust                                                                                                                                        |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Personal essay        | First-person, reflective, intimate                                        | Full Orwell. Flag hedging aggressively. Protect personal cadence.                                                                             |
| Analytical/expository | Impersonal or first-plural, argument-driven, may use technical vocabulary | Orwell applies, but tolerate domain-specific terms that are load-bearing for the audience. Don't push toward first-person.                    |
| Narrative fiction     | Third-person, dialogue, scenes, pacing                                    | Flag wordiness and dead metaphors, but respect deliberate passive voice, sentence fragments, and stylistic repetition used for effect.        |
| Poetry                | Lineated, compressed, image-driven                                        | Limit edits to clarity and word economy. Do not flag line breaks, fragments, or compression as errors. Rhythm and sound override prose rules. |
| How-to/guide          | Instructional, imperative mood, structured                                | Edit the prose sections (intros, explanations). Leave lists, steps, and recipes alone unless they contain errors.                             |

### Step 2: Apply Voice Priority (in order)

1. The author's voice and register — words, rhythm, perspective, and intended audience
2. Orwell's clarity rules — see [orwell.md](references/orwell.md)
3. Economist mechanics — punctuation, word economy, jargon removal

### Modes

#### Edit Mode (default)

Flag issues inline with [brackets] immediately after problematic text. Provide suggested fix after each flag. Preserve author's voice.

**Bracket flag types:** `[wordy]`, `[passive]`, `[cliché]`, `[ai-tell]`, `[dead metaphor]`, `[vague]`, `[nominalization]`, `[hedge]`, `[prep pile-up]`, `[cut: reason]`, `[use: replacement]`

```text
Original: I was literally dying of embarrassment as I made my way through the doorway.
Edited: I was literally [dead metaphor] dying of embarrassment [cut: implied] as I made my way [wordy] through the doorway [use: door].
Fixes: "I was dying as I walked through the door." or "I flushed as I walked through the door."
```

#### Rewrite Mode

When asked to rewrite, produce clean copy only. No markup, no explanations, no meta-commentary. Maintain:

- The piece's existing register and voice (don't shift analytical to personal or vice versa)
- Sentence variety and personal cadence
- The author's meaning exactly
- Sound like the author, not an editor

### Orwell's Rules (second to voice and register — see Step 2)

1. Cut familiar metaphors and similes
2. Short words over long
3. Cut every cuttable word
4. Active voice over passive
5. Plain English over jargon and foreign phrases
6. Break any rule to avoid barbarism

For expanded guidance and examples: [orwell.md](references/orwell.md)

### Hedging

Flag conditional mood and qualifiers that weaken declarative prose. Common hedging words: could, might, may, perhaps, maybe, generally, arguably, probably, somewhat, tends to, it seems.

**Flag when:**

- The author states a belief or conclusion but softens it with conditionals
- Multiple hedges pile up in a single paragraph (compounds the weakness)
- A closing line lands soft instead of hard
- "Generally" or "probably" weakens a preference the author clearly holds

**Keep when:**

- Speculative tone _is_ the piece's voice (exploring uncertainty deliberately)
- The hedge is in quoted or attributed speech (not the author's voice)
- The hedge does real epistemic work (philosophical or scientific qualifiers)
- The word is past-tense ability ("could absorb it"), not future conditional
- Analytical writing uses appropriate qualification ("the data suggests" is not hedging — it's precision)

**In rewrite mode:** Replace conditional mood with present or future declarative. Cut qualifiers that add nothing. Pay special attention to closing lines — they must land.

### Nominalizations

A nominalization turns a verb or adjective into a noun, usually weakening the sentence:

- "implementation" → "implemented"
- "realization" → "realized"
- "improvement" → "improved"

**Flag when:** The verb form would be shorter, more direct, and more active.

**Keep when:** The noun form is standard in the register (e.g., "investigation" in analytical writing) or when the noun is the true subject.

### Clichés

See [cliches.md](references/cliches.md) for the full list. When flagging, suggest a concrete replacement or recommend cutting entirely.

### AI Tells

See [ai-tells.md](references/ai-tells.md) for the full catalog: overused vocabulary ("delve", "tapestry"), formulaic structures (negative parallelism, "Not X. Not Y. Just Z.", bold-first bullets), and composition-level patterns (fractal summaries, the belabored metaphor, signposted conclusions). Run this check on every piece, regardless of register — these are artifacts of how the text was produced, not a stylistic choice to weigh against voice. Flag every instance with `[ai-tell]`. A single em dash or one "it's not X, it's Y" isn't damning on its own; flag it anyway, but note in the suggested fix if it's the kind of thing worth leaving as the piece's one instance rather than cutting outright. A cluster of these patterns together is the strong signal — call that out explicitly when it appears.

### Constraints

Use American spelling and usage. Keep direct statements direct and add no qualifier the author did not use. Either flag a problem or leave it; never suggest the author "consider" something.

### Structural Guidance

#### Openings

Flag throat-clearing. The piece should begin with its subject, not with setup. If the first paragraph could be cut without losing anything, flag it.

#### Transitions

Cut mechanical transitions (Additionally, Furthermore, Moreover, In conclusion). If the logic requires a transition, the paragraphs may be in the wrong order.

#### Endings

Flag summary endings that repeat what the piece already said. Flag morals stated explicitly when the piece already showed them. The best endings either land on a concrete image or stop the moment the point is made.

From philoserf/claude-code-config, MIT.

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