/writing-clearly-and-concisely

Writing Clearly and Concisely

A skill that applies William Strunk Jr.'s timeless writing principles to produce clearer, stronger, more professional prose while avoiding common AI writing patterns.

Purpose

This skill helps you write better prose for human readers. It draws from two sources:

1. The Elements of Style (Strunk, 1918) - Time-tested rules for clear, forceful writing
2. AI Pattern Avoidance - Research-backed guidance on avoiding generic, puffy language that LLMs tend to produce

Whether you're writing documentation, commit messages, error messages, or any text humans will read, this skill helps you cut fluff and say what you mean.

When to Use

Use this skill whenever you write prose for humans:

• Documentation - README files, API docs, technical explanations
• Git workflow - Commit messages, pull request descriptions
• User-facing text - Error messages, UI copy, help text, tooltips
• Code comments - Inline documentation, docstrings
• Reports and summaries - Status updates, analysis, explanations
• Editing - Improving clarity of existing text

Trigger phrases:

• "Write documentation for..."
• "Draft a README"
• "Edit this for clarity"
• "Make this more concise"
• "Review this commit message"

How It Works

1. Load the skill when writing prose for human readers
2. Apply Strunk's core principles - active voice, positive form, concrete language, cut needless words
3. Avoid AI patterns - no puffery, no empty phrases, no promotional adjectives
4. Reference detailed guides when needed for specific rules

Context-Efficient Approach

The skill uses progressive disclosure to save context:

• SKILL.md (~1,000 tokens) loads first with the core rules
• Reference files (1,000-4,500 tokens each) load only when needed
• Most tasks need only one file: 03-elementary-principles-of-composition.md

For tight context situations, dispatch a subagent with your draft and the relevant section file.

Key Features

Strunk's Core Rules

The skill emphasizes these principles from The Elements of Style:

AI Pattern Detection

The skill identifies and eliminates common LLM writing patterns:

• Puffery: pivotal, crucial, vital, testament, enduring legacy
• Empty "-ing" phrases: ensuring reliability, showcasing features
• Promotional adjectives: groundbreaking, seamless, robust, cutting-edge
• Overused AI vocabulary: delve, leverage, multifaceted, foster, realm, tapestry
• Formatting overuse: excessive bullets, emoji decorations, bold on every other word

Reference Files

Usage Examples

Example 1: Tightening a Commit Message

Before:

This commit implements the functionality for ensuring that user authentication is properly handled, showcasing robust error handling capabilities.

After:

Add user authentication with error handling

Example 2: Rewriting Documentation

Before:

This groundbreaking feature leverages cutting-edge technology to deliver a seamless experience, fostering better engagement and driving impactful results.

After:

This feature uses WebSocket connections to update the dashboard in real time.

Example 3: Fixing Passive Voice

Before:

The configuration file is read by the application at startup.

After:

The application reads the configuration file at startup.

Example 4: Removing Hedging

Before:

It is important to note that the API might potentially return an error in certain situations.

After:

The API returns an error when the token expires.

Best Practices

1. Be specific, not grandiose - Say what it actually does, not how important it is
2. Cut first, add later - Remove words until meaning suffers, then add back what's needed
3. Prefer active voice - "The function returns X" beats "X is returned by the function"
4. State positively - "He forgot" beats "He did not remember"
5. Use concrete language - "The server crashed" beats "An issue occurred"
6. Load reference files sparingly - Most tasks need only 03-elementary-principles-of-composition.md

Directory Structure

writing-clearly-and-concisely/
  SKILL.md                 # Main skill definition
  README.md                # This file
  signs-of-ai-writing.md   # AI pattern detection guide
  elements-of-style/
    01-introductory.md
    02-elementary-rules-of-usage.md
    03-elementary-principles-of-composition.md
    04-a-few-matters-of-form.md
    05-words-and-expressions-commonly-misused.md

Installation

Claude Code:

cp -r skills/writing-clearly-and-concisely ~/.claude/skills/

Claude.ai: Add the skill to project knowledge or paste SKILL.md contents into your conversation.

Attribution

• Original skill by @joshuadavidthomas from joshuadavidthomas/agent-skills (MIT)
• Adapted from obra/the-elements-of-style
• Writing principles from The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. (1918)
• AI pattern research from Wikipedia's field guide to AI-generated content detection