# Diagnosing Drafts

> Diagnosing Drafts

- Skill: `introvenk/diagnosing-drafts` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add introvenk/diagnosing-drafts`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/introvenk/diagnosing-drafts/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: introvenk (https://skillmd.com/u/introvenk)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/introvenk/diagnosing-drafts

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# Diagnosing Drafts

## Overview
A diagnostic checklist for finding reader-facing problems in an existing draft. Diagnose and suggest — name the problem, offer a concrete fix, let the author decide whether to take it.

## Procedure
1. **Meaning ratio pass** — meaningful words ÷ total words. Under 70% is bullshit territory, 80%+ is readable. Judge contextually, don't compute mechanically. See `meaning-ratio.md` for the method and a worked example.
2. **Technique checks** — passive voice (the zombies test: can you insert "by zombies" after the verb?), jargon, hedging, buried lead, unsourced numbers, missing structure.
3. **Reader simulation** — after reading, can you say what the point is, why it matters, and what you're supposed to do?
4. **Report as reader problems, not style preferences** — say "I don't know what you want me to do here," never "I don't like this sentence."
5. **Criticize the prose, never the person.**

## Nuances, as tests not caveats
| Nuance | Test |
|---|---|
| Weasel words aren't a banned list | **Deletion test** — remove the qualifier; if the sentence becomes false, it was carrying meaning |
| Directness ≠ harshness | **Target test** — does the sentence criticize the work, or the person? |
| Clarity ≠ boring | **Flatness check** — did sentence-length variation and direct address survive editing? |
| Jargon is audience-dependent | **Reader test** — does this term save words for *this* reader, or gatekeep? |

Apply each test to the specific sentence in question — don't apply it as a blanket rule to the whole document.