Writing Well

writing-well

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• The user asks to "audit", "review", "improve", "edit", or "rewrite" text.
• The user shares writing and asks for feedback on clarity or impact.
• The user mentions this skill directly (writing-well or writing audit).

Workflow

Run all 7 checks in order. For each finding:

• Quote the exact offending text.
• Explain why it is weak.
• Propose a tighter rewrite.

Check 1: Sentence Length (max 30 words)

Flag sentences longer than 30 words.

Action: Split or tighten so each sentence carries one idea.

Check 2: Clutter Phrases

Replace wordy phrases with simpler forms.

Also flag any phrase where one word can do the same job.

Check 3: Unsupported Adjectives/Adverbs

Flag subjective modifiers without evidence.

Examples:

• "Sales increased significantly in Q4" -> "Unit sales increased 40% in Q4 2024 vs Q4 2023"
• "We made the application much faster" -> "We reduced server-side p90 latency from 10 ms to 1 ms"
• "This will be extremely successful" -> "This will increase output by 2.5%"

Common words to flag: significantly, substantially, greatly, very, extremely, considerably, remarkably, tremendously, much, quite, really, incredibly, fairly, pretty (as adverb), a lot.

Action: Ask for a number; if none is available, remove or soften the claim.

Check 4: Weasel Words

Flag non-committal language: would, might, should, could, arguably, nearly, practically, virtually, somewhat, relatively, potentially.

Action: Replace with a concrete commitment, specific number, or explicit uncertainty ("I don't know yet, and I will follow up").

Check 5: Jargon, Acronyms, Accessibility

• Flag jargon not defined for non-experts.
• Expand acronyms on first use, e.g., "Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)".

Action: Define once, then use the short form.

Check 6: "So What?" Test

For each paragraph, ask if the reader immediately sees relevance.

Action: Add implication, consequence, or numeric impact.

Check 7: Flow and Rhythm

Check whether the text sounds natural when read aloud.

Flag:

• Repeated words/phrases in nearby sentences.
• Clunky sentences that signal unclear thinking.
• Monotonous sentence length/patterns.
• Ideas presented in an unnatural order.

Action: Reorder ideas and vary sentence rhythm to match idea complexity.

Response Format

Use this structure:

## Writing Audit Report

### Summary
[1-2 sentence assessment of strengths and top improvement area]

### Score: X/10
[Score based on how many checks pass cleanly]

### Findings

#### Critical
[Issues that severely hurt clarity or accuracy]

#### Important
[Issues that materially reduce quality]

#### Minor / Polish
[Flow and wording refinements]

### Rewrite Suggestion
[Full rewrite preserving intent and voice]

Direct-Answer Rule

When text asks a question, prefer one of these forms:

1. Yes.
2. No.
3. A number.
4. I don't know (and will follow up).

Principles

• Clarity is kindness.
• Data beats adjectives.
• If it sounds wrong, it is probably wrong.
• Keep subject-verb-object unless complexity demands otherwise.
• Respect the reader's time.