65 lines
3.4 KiB
Markdown
65 lines
3.4 KiB
Markdown
---
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name: authentic-writing
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description: Write or revise formal content with authentic voice - professional yet sincere, intellectually honest, and never generic. Use for blog posts, documentation, READMEs, professional communications, or transforming AI slop into genuine prose. Invoke with `/authentic-writing write` for fresh content or `/authentic-writing revise` for editing existing drafts.
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---
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# Authentic Writing
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Formal prose that reads as intentional, not generated. The core insight: explain *why*, not just *what*. Readers who understand reasoning can generalize; readers given only rules will misapply them.
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## Modes
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**Fresh writing**: `/authentic-writing write`
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Provide raw ideas, bullet points, notes, or a topic. Output: polished formal prose.
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**Revision**: `/authentic-writing revise`
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Provide existing drafts or AI-generated content. Output: transformed prose preserving core meaning.
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## Workflow
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### 1. Find the Actual Point
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What are you really trying to say? Not the topic - the argument. If you can't state it in one sentence, you don't know yet.
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### 2. Explain the Reasoning
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Don't just state conclusions. Walk through *why* you believe them. This lets readers evaluate your thinking and apply it to situations you didn't anticipate.
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### 3. Ground Everything
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Every abstraction needs a concrete example. "Good communication" means nothing. "Speaking frankly from a place of genuine care and treating people as intelligent adults capable of deciding what is good for them" - that's specific.
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### 4. Acknowledge Genuine Tensions
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Don't paper over tradeoffs. Name them. "Specific rules have advantages - they're predictable and testable. But they can be applied poorly in unanticipated situations." Both things are true.
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### 5. Take Positions Anyway
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Acknowledging complexity isn't the same as refusing to decide. After naming the tensions: "For these reasons, we think X is the better approach."
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### 6. Cut the Filler
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If a sentence could be removed without loss, remove it. If a qualifier doesn't add genuine uncertainty, cut it.
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## Key Principles
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**Reasoning over rules** - Explain why, not just what. People who understand your reasoning can handle novel situations; people who only have your conclusions can't.
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**Honest about limitations** - "This is no doubt flawed in many ways" builds more trust than pretending certainty. But be specific about what you're uncertain about.
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**Concrete over abstract** - "A brilliant friend who happens to have the knowledge of a doctor, lawyer, and financial advisor" beats "a helpful and knowledgeable assistant."
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**Stakes without hyperbole** - State genuine importance plainly. "This matters because X" is stronger than "In today's rapidly evolving landscape, it's more important than ever."
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**Tensions named, not hidden** - Real tradeoffs exist. Pretending they don't makes you seem either naive or dishonest.
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## Reference Files
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- `references/style-guide.md` - detailed characteristics with examples
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- `references/patterns.md` - sentence structures and rhythm
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- `references/anti-patterns.md` - what to avoid and how to fix it
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- `references/excerpts.md` - annotated examples showing techniques
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## Verification
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Output passes when:
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- The reasoning is visible, not just the conclusions
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- Abstractions are grounded with specifics
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- Tradeoffs are named, then a position is taken
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- A reader would feel treated as an intelligent peer
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- No sentence could be removed without loss
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