style

Personal Writing Style Guide

Develop an actionable style specification capturing an author's distinct voice, validated through iterative test drafting.

Workflow

1. Collect Writing Samples

Gather 5--10 pieces representing the author's current writing across multiple registers (professional, personal, formal, informal).

2. Extract Distinctive Traits

Analyze the corpus exclusively for signature habits (omit generic writing advice):

• Tone & stance: Formality, directness, and relationship to the reader.
• Syntax & rhythm: Sentence lengths, paragraph structures, openings, and closings.
• Argumentation: Evidence presentation, connective logic, and hedging patterns.
• Lexicon: Exact recurring phrases, transitions, and idioms (recorded verbatim).
• Anti-patterns: Formulas, cliches, or stock phrases the author conspicuously avoids.

3. Draft Style Guide

Assemble the specification skeleton:

# {Author}'s Style Guide

## Voice Characteristics

- **{Trait}**: {manifestation in text} | Example: "{verbatim excerpt}"

## Language & Idiom

- **Signature phrases**: "{phrases used across samples}"
- **Anti-patterns (Never use)**: "{phrases or structures avoided}"
- **Preferred substitutions**: Use "{author term}" instead of "{standard term}"

## Structure & Register

- Paragraph rhythm, bullet usage, and transition style.
- Contextual adjustments (academic paper vs blog vs correspondence).

4. Test, Calibrate & Deliver

1. Draft a 2--3 paragraph test piece using the draft specification on a relevant topic.
2. Solicit author feedback: identify unnatural phrasing, over-weighted traits, and omitted habits.
3. Update traits and anti-patterns; re-test until the author confirms authentic voice alignment.
4. Deliver guide with instructions for writing agents and human editors.