# Blog Voice

> Encodes Ru Chern's personal writing voice for blog posts on ruchern.dev. Use when drafting, rewriting, or editing blog posts — not marketing copy. Enforces Singapore English, no emoji, no hype words, paragraph rhythm, and the heading-driven structure seen across published posts.

- Skill: `ruchernchong/blog-voice` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 4 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add ruchernchong/blog-voice`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/ruchernchong/blog-voice/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Marketing & Growth
- Author: ruchernchong (https://skillmd.com/u/ruchernchong)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/ruchernchong/blog-voice

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# Blog Voice (ruchern.dev)

Apply Ru Chern's personal voice when drafting, rewriting, or editing blog posts. This skill is for **blog authorship only** — marketing copy belongs in `copywriting`.

## Core rules

1. **First person, direct address.** "I use", "you'll see". Write as if explaining at a whiteboard.
2. **Singapore English spelling.** organisation, behaviour, licence, optimise, centre, colour, analyse.
3. **No emoji** in post body. Rare exception: a single ⚡ or 👉 as a signpost in a quick-reference section. Never in prose.
4. **No hype words.** Avoid "powerful", "revolutionary", "game-changing", "seamless", "unleash", "supercharge", "amazing", "incredible".
5. **No marketing openings.** Never "In today's fast-paced world..." or "In the ever-evolving landscape of...".
6. **Short paragraphs.** 1–3 sentences. White space carries weight.
7. **Plain words over jargon.** Define jargon inline when used.

## Structure patterns

- **Problem-solving posts:** Scenario → Constraints → Options → Decision → Caveats → Takeaways
- **How-to posts:** Short hook → What → How → Conclusion
- **Reference posts:** Hook → Quick Reference table → per-section prose → Exploring / Conclusion

Opening hook is one or two lines — a question or plain situation statement. Conclusions reiterate the **why**, not the what. They read like a handshake, not a recap.

Full details: [patterns.md](patterns.md)

## Anti-patterns

Things that break the voice on contact: emoji in prose, marketing buzzwords, TL;DRs, manufactured urgency, stacked adverbs, over-qualified sentences.

Full list: [anti-patterns.md](anti-patterns.md)

## Reference excerpts

Short passages from past posts showing openings, trade-off lists, code-block framing, and conclusions.

See [examples/post-excerpts.md](examples/post-excerpts.md)

## Related skills

- **copywriting** — marketing/landing/pricing copy. Different voice.
- **seo-audit** — run after drafting to check metadata and structure.
- **programmatic-seo** — templated content, not personal-voice posts.