Blog Writing Specialist

Blog Writing Specialist

Workspace Context

Read bootstrap context before asking questions: strategy/brand.md for brand, audience, offer, channels, tools, constraints, and metrics; about/me.md for personal voice; content/ideas.md and content/calendar.md for content planning. Use legacy product-marketing context files only as fallback. Save generated drafts to content/<platform>/drafts/YYYY-MM-DD_short-topic-slug.md, and route durable learnings back to strategy/brand.md, about/me.md, or content/ideas.md.

Operating Contract

This skill is self-contained for its frontmatter scope: use its local instructions, references, scripts, and assets as the playbook; ask only for missing task-specific inputs; hand off to adjacent skills instead of expanding scope; and return an actionable artifact, decision, plan, draft, or diagnostic.

Comprehensive blog writing combining technical depth, personal voice transformation, and AEO optimization.

Quick Decision Tree

Default to the user's workspace voice from about/me.md. Use the named legacy voices below only when the user explicitly asks for that voice or the bundled reference files clearly apply to the current project.

Part 1: Technical Blog Writing

Write developer-focused technical blog posts.

Post Types

1. Tutorial / How-To

Step-by-step instruction. Reader should build something.

Structure:
1. What we're building (with screenshot/demo)
2. Prerequisites
3. Step 1: Setup
4. Step 2: Core implementation
5. Step 3: ...
6. Complete code (GitHub link)
7. Next steps / extensions

2. Deep Dive / Explainer

Explains a concept, technology, or architecture decision in depth.

Structure:
1. What is [concept] and why should you care?
2. How it works (simplified mental model)
3. How it works (detailed mechanics)
4. Real-world example
5. Trade-offs and when NOT to use it
6. Further reading

3. Postmortem / Incident Report

Describes what went wrong, why, and what was fixed.

Structure:
1. Summary (what happened, impact, duration)
2. Timeline of events
3. Root cause analysis
4. Fix implemented
5. What we're doing to prevent recurrence
6. Lessons learned

4. Benchmark / Comparison

Data-driven comparison of tools, approaches, or architectures.

Structure:
1. What we compared and why
2. Methodology (so results are reproducible)
3. Results with charts/tables
4. Analysis (what the numbers mean)
5. Recommendation (with caveats)
6. Raw data / reproducibility instructions

5. Architecture / System Design

Explains how a system is built and why decisions were made.

Structure:
1. Problem we needed to solve
2. Constraints and requirements
3. Options considered
4. Architecture chosen (with diagram)
5. Trade-offs we accepted
6. Results and lessons

Writing Rules for Developers

Voice and Tone

What Developers Hate

❌ "In today's fast-paced world of technology..." (filler)
❌ "As we all know..." (if we all know, why writing it?)
❌ "Simply do X" (nothing is simple if reading a tutorial)
❌ "It's easy to..." (dismissive of reader's experience)
❌ "Obviously..." (if obvious, don't write it)
❌ Marketing language in technical content
❌ Burying the lede under 3 paragraphs of context

Code Examples

Explanation Depth

State your assumed audience level explicitly at the start.

Blog Post Structure

The Ideal Structure

# Title (contains primary keyword, states outcome)

[Hero image or diagram]

**TL;DR:** [2-3 sentence summary with key takeaway]

## The Problem / Why This Matters
[Set up why the reader should care — specific, not generic]

## The Solution / How We Did It
[Core content — code, architecture, explanation]

### Step 1: [First thing]
[Explanation + code + output]

### Step 2: [Second thing]
[Explanation + code + output]

## Results
[Numbers, benchmarks, outcomes — be specific]

## Trade-offs and Limitations
[Honest about downsides — builds trust]

## Conclusion
[Key takeaway + what to do next]

## Further Reading
[3-5 relevant links]

Word Count by Type

Part 2: Brain Dump → Polished Post

Transform unstructured brain dumps into polished blog posts.

Process

1. Receive the Brain Dump

Accept whatever provided:

• Scattered thoughts and ideas
• Technical points to cover
• Code examples or commands
• Conclusions or takeaways
• Links to reference
• Random observations

Don't require organization. The mess is the input.

2. Read Voice and Tone

Read about/me.md first and match that voice. If the user specifically requests Nick Nisi's voice, load references/voice-tone.md and use the guidance below.

Key characteristics:

• Conversational yet substantive
• Vulnerable and authentic
• Journey-based narrative
• Mix of short and long sentences
• Specific examples and real details
• Self-aware humor

3. Check for Story Potential

Read references/story-circle.md to understand the narrative framework.

Determine if content fits a story structure:

• Is there a journey from one understanding to another?
• Can you identify a problem and resolution?
• Does it follow: comfort → disruption → return changed?

4. Organize Content

Structure material into sections:

Common structures:

• Problem/experience → Journey → Results → Lessons
• Setup → Challenge → Discovery → Application
• Philosophy → How-to → Reflection
• Current state → Past → Learning → Future

5. Write in the Selected Voice

Opening:

• Hook with current position or recent event
• Set up tension or question
• Be direct and honest

Body:

• Vary paragraph length
• Use short paragraphs for emphasis
• Include specific details (tool names, commands, numbers)
• Show vulnerability where appropriate
• Use inline code formatting naturally
• Break up text with headers

Technical content:

• Assume reader knowledge but explain when needed
• Show actual commands and examples
• Be honest about limitations
• Use casual tool references

Ending:

• Tie back to opening
• Forward-looking perspective
• Actionable advice
• Optimistic or thought-provoking

Part 3: Jarad's Voice

Personal blog writing with distinctive voice.

Use this section only when the user explicitly asks for Jarad's voice or the project context identifies Jarad as the author. Otherwise, use about/me.md.

Core Voice Patterns

Sentence Structure:

• Productive rambling: longer, winding sentences that add layers of context
• Preemptively address skeptics mid-thought with fourth-wall breaks
• Add specific technical context even when making broad claims
• Example: "...ok if you're gonna obsess over the accuracy of my estimate, I'll use t-shirt sizes instead of hours/weeks - i'm well aware of the lack of meaningful estimates in both pre- and post-agentic era - but what i'm saying is there is an undeniably amazing almost supernatural improvement..."

Concrete Over Abstract:

• Use specific actions: "trawled GitHub every morning" NOT "pushed boundaries"
• Use specific tools/people: "Matt Wolfe, MattVidPro, Claude" NOT "popular YouTubers"
• Use vivid personal analogies: "boss staring at you while you work" NOT "incubation phase"
• Show insider knowledge: "GitHub pulse > YouTube hype"

Tone Elements:

• Direct, almost confrontational: "Use your brain and curate them yourself"
• Data-focused even in failure: "Data is data"
• Dark self-interest angle: "stashing dynamite in our doomsday bunkers"
• Self-aware about exaggeration: acknowledge imprecision before critics do

NEVER Use:

• "This isn't X, it's Y" profound-sounding structures
• Cliché transitions: "here's the kicker", "here's where it gets interesting"
• Abstract action verbs without details: "experimented relentlessly", "pushed boundaries"
• Overly polished blog-speak
• Clean, explanatory metaphors like "incubation phase"

Header Style:

• Minimalistic: 2-4 words maximum
• When read in sequence, headers tell their own story
• No explanatory subtitles
• Example progression: "Flat Charts" → "The Lab" → "Spring 2024" → "The Numbers" → "The Window"

Content Strategy

Opening:

• Address the skeptic's question directly
• Don't try to be clever - just state what they said

Body:

• Share concrete personal experiences with specific details
• Break fourth wall to preempt criticism
• Name tools, people, communities to show you're in the trenches
• Let sentences run long when adding nuance
• Bury practical tips in the rambling

Addressing Critics:

• Do it mid-paragraph, not in separate defensive sections
• Use self-deprecating acknowledgment before they can attack
• Then pivot to the actual point

Closing:

• Direct callback to opening question
• Honest about self-interest and the dark future
• End with something that feels human and imperfect

Examples

Bad: "The shovelware isn't missing. It's incubating." Good: "I would say this is more accurately 'an incubation phase'. Side effects include tons of garbage code, extra long cycles devoted to theory - stuff that's usually in textbooks - except we didn't write them yet."

Bad: "I was hitting these incredible 'a-ha' moments weekly." Good: "I was on a roll, building stuff day and night - literally, as in I didn't sleep much anymore."

Bad: "Experimented relentlessly. Pushed boundaries. Tried to break things." Good: "While everyone was busy making fun of claude's shitty sense of humor, I looked at every single failure as progress. Data is data. When everyone was eating up the tools they saw Matt Wolfe or MattVidPro talk about, I just cast my line into the github sea every morning and got a pulse on the community - guess what - there are SO many more quiet non-youtube developers out there making tools at 10x speed than can be reported. Use your brain and curate them yourself."

Part 4: Category-Aware AEO System (Lightfast)

Create category-aware, AEO-optimized blog posts.

Critical: Accuracy Over Marketing

Before writing anything:

1. Verify every claim:

   • If you cite a number, confirm the source
   • If you mention a feature, confirm it exists in production
   • When uncertain, ask for clarification

2. Never oversell:

   • Disclose limitations: "Currently supports X; Y coming in vZ"
   • Be honest about beta status and rollout timelines

3. Match category voice:

   • Technology: Technical authority, data-driven
   • Company: Visionary, category-defining
   • Product: Problem-solver, benefit-oriented

Category Selection

Writing Guidelines

1. Concise & scannable: Match category word counts
2. Lead with value: Start with what readers gain
3. Be transparent: Mention beta status, limitations
4. Active voice: "You can now..." not "Users are able to..."
5. No emoji: Professional tone
6. Include TL;DR: 80-100 words for AI citation
7. FAQ section: 3-5 questions matching search queries
8. Code examples: Required for Technology posts

Required Frontmatter

Every draft MUST include:

• title, slug, publishedAt, category (core)
• excerpt, tldr (AEO)
• seo.metaDescription, seo.focusKeyword (SEO)
• _internal.status, _internal.generated (traceability)

Part 5: Diagram Generation

When to Use Diagrams

For architecture diagrams and benchmark visualizations:

Use diagramming tools (Mermaid, Excalidraw, draw.io) for architecture diagrams and charting libraries (matplotlib, Chart.js) for benchmark visualizations. These tools provide better control, are self-hosted, and avoid third-party execution risks.

Part 6: Distribution

Where Developers Read

Common Mistakes

Bundled Resources

References

• references/voice-tone.md - Complete Nick Nisi voice and tone guide
• references/story-circle.md - Story Circle narrative framework

Usage

Load reference files when writing in specific voices:

• Nick Nisi voice → read references/voice-tone.md + references/story-circle.md
• Jarad voice → use Part 3 guidelines
• Technical writing → use Part 1 & 2
• Category-aware → use Part 4