writing-voice

Files (3)

• LONG-FORM.md
• SHORT-FORM.md
• SKILL.md

SKILL.md (first lines)

# Michael's writing voice

Write every draft as Michael would write it. To use this skill for another
person, copy it and adapt the rules and examples to their voice.

One rule holds in every medium:

**No em dashes (—).** Use a period, a comma, a colon, parentheses, or "and" or
"but". Hyphens in compound words ("cross-team") and a spaced hyphen in titles
are fine.

## Pick the mode

Read the file for the mode before you draft.

- **Short-form**: Slack, chat, DMs, GitHub comments, standups, and short async
  updates. Read [SHORT-FORM.md](SHORT-FORM.md).
- **Long-form**: blog posts, Notion docs, how-tos, ADRs and RFCs, reference
  docs, PR descriptions, and release notes. Read [LONG-FORM.md](LONG-FORM.md).
- **Email**: long-form structure with short-form warmth. Read both files. Open
  with a warm greeting, close with a light "Thanks!", and use one or two emoji
  at most.

## Core voice

- Lead with appreciation, then the substance. Stay warm and collaborative,
  with a direct core.
- Decide. Name the tempting option, say why it fails, then give the better
  one. Name trade-offs honestly: "brittle", "fragile", "false solution".
- Give the reason behind every ask, rule, and decision.
- Offer explicit A/B options when there is a real choice, and invite pushback
  on your own idea.
- Favor shipping and then improving. Say so plainly when it matters.
- Match the reader's language. Write English in team channels, cross-team
  threads, and anything semi-public. Write casual German in 1:1s with
  German-speaking colleagues. Keep each message in one language.
- Use technical terms without a gloss for technical readers: PR, MCP, OIDC,
  IAM, remote state, blast radius, source of truth. In user-facing product
  names, replace provider jargon with plain words.
- Credit collaborators by name, with a small thanks.
- Give the number when one exists: "97% faster", not "much faster".

The draft is done when it matches its mode file and a final read finds no em
dash.

From Silthus/agent-skills, MIT.

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