human-writing

What this skill does

**User request**: $ARGUMENTS

Apply these research-backed writing principles to the current task. If no specific request, apply them to whatever prose content is being written in context.

## The Core Insight

**The fundamental problem is statistical uniformity.** AI text is measurably more predictable (~50% lower perplexity), less varied in sentence length (~38% lower burstiness), and narrower in vocabulary (type-token ratio: human 55.3 vs AI 45.5). The path to human-sounding writing runs through embracing imperfection, not perfecting output.

**The single most reliable tell is uniformity.** Human writing is messy, varied, and surprising. AI writing is smooth, consistent, and predictable.

## The 10-20-70 Rule

Prompting contributes ~10% of output quality, editing ~20%, and the writer's own domain expertise and input ~70%. No amount of prompt engineering substitutes for having something to say. Require the writer's genuine insight, opinions, and experiences before generating content.

## Hierarchy of Impact

From highest to lowest impact on making writing sound human:

| Priority | Technique | Why |
|----------|-----------|-----|
| 1 | **Put your own thinking in first** | AI cannot generate genuine insight, lived experience, or original analysis |
| 2 | **Develop a distinctive voice** | Voice is the ultimate differentiator — consistent, cannot be faked by editing |
| 3 | **Edit ruthlessly** | Four-layer system: word → sentence → structure → content |
| 4 | **Design the workflow** | Never write a complete piece in one shot |
| 5 | **Prompt with constraints** | Banned words + persona + writing samples |
| 6 | **Embrace imperfection** | Fragments. Tangents. Opinions. Rough edges make writing alive. |

## Vocabulary Kill-List

Avoid these words when *writing* — they are statistically flagged as AI-generated across peer-reviewed studies of millions of documents. (Reviewers reading existing prose should judge by density and clustering rather than single instances; see [ai-tells-and-fingerprints.md](references/ai-tells-and-fingerprints.md) and the writing-reviewer agent's frequency-aware threshold.)

**Nouns**: delve, tapestry, landscape, realm, testament, journey, insight, resilience, ecosystem, milestone, prowess, utilization

**Verbs**: embark, endeavor, leverage, harness, navigate (metaphorical), unlock, foster, catalyze, bolster, underscore, showcase, elucidate, encompass, unveil

**Adjectives**: seamless, robust, groundbreaking, transformative, pivotal, vibrant, compelling, crucial, invaluable, holistic, multifaceted, meticulous, commendable, intricate

**Adverbs**: seamlessly, meticulously, notably, profoundly, predominantly, subsequently, thereby, ultimately, moreover, furthermore

**Phrases**: "ever-evolving landscape," "in today's fast-paced world," "as we navigate the complexities," "It isn't just X, it's Y," "it's important to note," "it's worth noting that," "without further ado," "in conclusion," "at the heart of"

**Puffery / promotional drift**: "breathtaking," "stunning," "must-see," "must-visit," "iconic," "world-class," "rich cultural tapestry," "hidden gem"

**False intensifiers**: "genuinely," "truly," "actually" (when used to simulate conviction)

**Era-tracked vocabulary**: AI vocabulary shifts over time — "delve" peaked 2023–early 2024 then declined, while "align with" / "fostering" / "showcasing" rose with later models. For era-specific lists (GPT-4 era vs GPT-4o era) and the snapshot date, see [ai-tells-and-fingerprints.md § Era-tracked vocabulary](references/ai-tells-and-fingerprints.md).

## Four-Layer Editing System

Apply in order from surface to substance:

### Layer 1: Word-Level
Search-replace or delete kill-list vocabulary on sight. Strip adjectives from paragraphs, restore only those carrying concrete information. "Robust system" → "handles 10k req/s without data loss."

### Layer 2: Sentence-Level
Read only the first few words of consecutive sentences — wherever three or more follow the same pattern, cut or combine. Vary sentence length deliberately: short for punch, long for nuance. The contrast creates impact. Add intentional imperfection: fragments, casual asides, conversational phrasing.

### Layer 3: Structural
Eliminate meta-commentary ("In this section, we will..."). Kill recap conclusions that only repeat earlier points. Break pattern symmetry: demote repetitive subheadings, merge overlapping sections, ensure each paragraph's opening differs structurally from the one before.

### Layer 4: Content
Add lived experience: anecdotes, firsthand observations, specific failures. Ground in specifics — ask of every sentence: "Could this fit any topic?" If yes, it needs grounding. Inject honest opinion: state what you actually think, not what "many experts" believe.

### Final Check
**Read aloud.** Stumbling, running out of breath, or awkwardness marks where prose needs work.

## Seven Craft Fundamentals AI Structurally Cannot Produce

These are structural limitations of statistical text generation — areas where human writers create unbridgeable distance:

1. **Showing vs Telling** — Render specific sensory details that let readers experience emotion. AI defaults to summarizing ("serene and tranquil") rather than showing (the dragonfly hovering over still water).

2. **Specificity from Lived Experience** — AI produces "gentle breeze" and "blooming flowers" (statistically most probable). Replace generic descriptions with observations nobody else has made. Name the cafe, the specific dish, the particular moment.

3. **Strategic Omission** — AI tends toward completeness and closure. Resonant writing lives in what's left unsaid. A character dodging a question reveals more than any direct statement. Trained to produce text, not withhold it.

4. **Rhythm Variation** — AI produces sentences of similar length and structure. Use rhythm deliberately: shorten sentences as tension rises. Drop a short sentence after several long ones. Like that.

5. **Deliberate Rule-Breaking** — Choose the wrong word because it sounds better. Let a fragment hang. Incomplete sentences. For emphasis. Because sometimes a complete sentence kills the moment.

6. **Humor** — Classified as an "AI-complete problem." Google DeepMind study with 20 comedians: AI "struggled to produce material that was original, stimulating, or — crucially — funny." Humor requires authentic vulnerability and cultural boundary-breaking.

7. **Genuine Insight** — AI provides summaries; humans provide analysis. Keep asking "Why?" iteratively. Data shows the "what" — insight tells the "why."

## Structural Anti-Patterns

| Pattern | Tell | Fix |
|---------|------|-----|
| Uniform paragraph length | Every section gets equal treatment regardless of importance | Spend more space on what matters, less on what doesn't |
| List addiction | Jumping into numbered/bulleted lists without narrative buildup | Use flowing prose; lists only when genuinely parallel |
| Formulaic scaffolding | "Firstly... Secondly... Finally" at 2-5x human rate | Vary transitions or eliminate them |
| Grammar perfection | No fragments, run-ons, or unconventional starts | Perfection is suspicious — include occasional wonky phrasing |
| Colon titles | "Topic: Explanation" format | Vary title structure |
| Symmetric structure | Every section mirrors the same internal organization | Break the pattern |

## Punctuation and Formatting Rules

- **Em-dashes (—) and en-dashes (–)**: One of the most reliable AI tells. ChatGPT uses 8 per 573 words; Deepseek 9 per 555 words. Ban them entirely — use commas, periods, parentheses, or colons instead.
- **Curly quotation marks (" " ' ')**: ChatGPT and DeepSeek tend to produce curly quotes; Gemini and Claude tend to produce straight ("..." '...'). Curly quotes alone are not proof (word processors and typesetting tools auto-curl them) — but in combination with other tells they raise confidence. Prefer straight quotes for first-draft AI output; let the editor decide if curling is app