` and `<meta charset="utf-8">`, `<body>` — so it opens in a browser. Medium strips CSS on paste, so **do not rely on styling**; only the semantic tags carry over. Map: - Title → `<h1>`, dek → a `<p><em>…</em></p>` directly under it - `## H2` → `<h2>` - paragraphs → `<p>`; `**bold**` → `<strong>`; `*italic*` → `<em>` - `[text](url)` → `<a href="url">text</a>` - `> quote` → `<blockquote>` - lists → `<ul>`/`<ol>` + `<li>` - fenced code blocks → `<pre><code>…</code></pre>` - inline `` `code` `` → `<code>` - images → `<img src="…" alt="…">` - **comparison/matrix → NOT `<table>`.** Medium has no table element, so a pasted `<table>` collapses into a run-on line of text. Render it as a `<pre><code>` block holding an aligned monospace/ASCII table (survives as a Medium code block), or as a `<ul>` of `<strong>key</strong>: value` lines. Do not emit any `<table>` in `medium.html`. A small optional `<style>` for legibility while previewing in the browser is fine, but it is decorative only. **Print in chat:** the Markdown version (so the user can read/copy from chat), then the delivery block below. ``` # <Title> > <Dek — 1-2 sentence subtitle> <opening paragraph> ## <H2 1> ... ## The Short Version ... --- **To paste into Medium:** 1. Open `medium.html` in a browser. 2. Select all (Cmd/Ctrl+A) and copy. 3. Paste into Medium's story editor — headings, bold/italic, links, blockquotes, and lists carry over. 4. Check these manually (Medium's known gaps): code blocks usually land as one Medium code block — verify; **inline code has no Medium equivalent** and becomes plain/bold/quoted text — fix by hand; **Medium has no tables** — any comparison should already be a code block or list, not a table; re-insert any images/embeds; delete any stray blank line Medium adds after the title. **Meta** - word count: <N> - reading time: <N> min - topic mode: <security | architecture-agents | leadership | cost-infra> - emoji level: <none | low | medium | high> - saved to: <dir> (medium.md + medium.html) ``` User copies into Medium manually. Do not auto-publish.

# Medium Write > Write a Medium article in Anuj's voice — measured engineer register, opinionated but evidence-first, 1500-3000 words, - Skill: `hwj123hwj/medium-write` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add hwj123hwj/medium-write` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/hwj123hwj/medium-write/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: hwj123hwj (https://skillmd.com/u/hwj123hwj) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/hwj123hwj/medium-write --- # medium-write Drafting a Medium article for Anuj Sadani. Medium is a **measured engineer** register — opinionated, but the sharpest edges from the LinkedIn/Substack version get softened into argument and evidence. ## Step 1 — Load context (mandatory) Read these files: 1. `shared/voice-rules.md` 2. `shared/voice-samples.md` 3. `shared/pet-peeves.md` 4. `shared/topic-modes.md` 5. `shared/platform-styles.md` ## Step 2 — Classify topic mode + apply platform style profile Apply `topic-modes.md`. Security → forensic. Architecture/agents → sharp technical opinion still allowed, but include trade-offs explicitly. Leadership/governance → measured, citation-heavy. Then apply the **medium** row from `shared/platform-styles.md`: technical depth 3–4 (multiple explained code/config blocks), headline aggressiveness 5 (curiosity-gap title is encouraged here — Medium is a discovery feed), density 4 (H2 sections, dense prose). Honor the precedence rules in that file — `voice-rules.md`/`pet-peeves.md` are absolute, so the curiosity-gap lives only in the title and the body must honestly deliver on it; topic mode can raise (never lower) substance. ## Step 3 — Plan the structure **Default outline (1500-3000 words, 7-12 min read):** 1. **Title** — headline aggressiveness 5 per `shared/platform-styles.md`: a curiosity-gap or strong-stakes title is encouraged on Medium (discovery feed). It must be honest — the body delivers on the promise, and the no-engagement-bait rule still applies (no fake CTAs, no hollow teasing). Sub-clauses welcome ("Contextual Retrieval, Honestly: A Default, Not a Strategy"). 2. **Dek** — 1-2 sentence subtitle directly under the title (Medium's subtitle field). 3. **Opening** — a hook line that follows the cadence of Anuj's openings (see `voice-samples.md`), then a paragraph that names the question the article answers. 4. **5-8 `## H2` sections.** Each section: a tight argument + at least one piece of evidence (number, citation, code snippet, or named system behavior). 5. **At least one code/config block** if the topic is technical. 6. **Comparison content without an HTML table.** Medium has no table element — a pasted `` collapses into continuous text. If there's a dichotomy or trade-off matrix, render it as either (a) a fenced code block containing an aligned monospace/ASCII table (Medium keeps code blocks and their alignment), or (b) a labeled list (bold key + value per line). Never an HTML/Markdown table for the Medium output. 7. **Closer section** — title it something like "What I'd Take Away" or "The Short Version" — a 3-5 line distillation. Crisp takeaway, OR a callback to the opening line. ## Step 4 — Draft Apply all rules from the loaded `voice-rules.md`. Cite specifics inline using Medium-friendly Markdown: - For papers: `([Shaw & Nave 2024, Wharton](https://example.com))` - For products: name them and the version (e.g., "Gemini 2.5 Flash in batch mode") - For numbers: real figures or labeled anecdotal First person. No em-dash separators. No rule-of-three. No marketing words. **Emoji:** follow the Emoji Control section in `shared/voice-rules.md`. Default level is `low` — Medium articles should rarely contain emoji. Override only if the user explicitly says so. ## Step 5 — Pre-delivery checks 1. Run the regex sweep from `shared/pet-peeves.md`. Any hit → rewrite. 2. Confirm: every claim has either a number, a citation, or an "I've seen this when..." anecdote anchor. 3. Confirm: structure has H2 sections (not just paragraphs), at least one code block (if technical), and a real closer. 4. Confirm: style profile applied — depth, headline, and density match the medium row in `shared/platform-styles.md`. The title may use a curiosity-gap, but the body honestly delivers and contains no engagement-bait. ## Step 6 — Save and deliver Derive a kebab-case topic slug. Get today's date in `YYYY-MM-DD` form. Save **two files** to `./drafts/-/` (suffix with `-v2`, etc. if they exist; create directories as needed): 1. **`medium.md`** — the full Markdown article (for anyone using a markdown-to-medium browser extension, or for archiving). 2. **`medium.html`** — the same article rendered to **semantic HTML**, which is what actually pastes into Medium. **Why both:** Medium's editor does not parse Markdown. Pasting raw `.md` leaves literal `##` and backtick characters. Medium *does* preserve structure when you paste the **rendered** view of an HTML page, so `medium.html` is the one to paste from. **How to build `medium.html`:** convert the same article to clean, semantic HTML. A complete minimal document — ``, `` with `` and `<meta charset="utf-8">`, `<body>` — so it opens in a browser. Medium strips CSS on paste, so **do not rely on styling**; only the semantic tags carry over. Map: - Title → `<h1>`, dek → a `<p><em>…</em></p>` directly under it - `## H2` → `<h2>` - paragraphs → `<p>`; `**bold**` → `<strong>`; `*italic*` → `<em>` - `[text](url)` → `<a href="url">text</a>` - `> quote` → `<blockquote>` - lists → `<ul>`/`<ol>` + `<li>` - fenced code blocks → `<pre><code>…</code></pre>` - inline `` `code` `` → `<code>` - images → `<img src="…" alt="…">` - **comparison/matrix → NOT `<table>`.** Medium has no table element, so a pasted `<table>` collapses into a run-on line of text. Render it as a `<pre><code>` block holding an aligned monospace/ASCII table (survives as a Medium code block), or as a `<ul>` of `<strong>key</strong>: value` lines. Do not emit any `<table>` in `medium.html`. A small optional `<style>` for legibility while previewing in the browser is fine, but it is decorative only. **Print in chat:** the Markdown version (so the user can read/copy from chat), then the delivery block below. ``` # <Title> > <Dek — 1-2 sentence subtitle> <opening paragraph> ## <H2 1> ... ## The Short Version ... --- **To paste into Medium:** 1. Open `medium.html` in a browser. 2. Select all (Cmd/Ctrl+A) and copy. 3. Paste into Medium's story editor — headings, bold/italic, links, blockquotes, and lists carry over. 4. Check these manually (Medium's known gaps): code blocks usually land as one Medium code block — verify; **inline code has no Medium equivalent** and becomes plain/bold/quoted text — fix by hand; **Medium has no tables** — any comparison should already be a code block or list, not a table; re-insert any images/embeds; delete any stray blank line Medium adds after the title. **Meta** - word count: <N> - reading time: <N> min - topic mode: <security | architecture-agents | leadership | cost-infra> - emoji level: <none | low | medium | high> - saved to: <dir> (medium.md + medium.html) ``` User copies into Medium manually. Do not auto-publish.