prose

Prose

This skill writes and reviews long-form text: posts, breakdowns, case studies and design notes. It explains each decision through the problem it solved and the options it beat, in plain sentences.

Facts are exact, the voice is the author's

A guess stated as fact, an uncited claim and an experience the author never described are findings every time. Style rules bend to the author's draft. Their person, tense and register stay.

Interface labels, em dashes and ellipses belong to copy. Commit messages belong to ship.

Open on the problem

The first paragraph names the problem the piece answers. A contents list, "In this post I'll cover" or a feature tour as the opener is prose-open-on-the-problem.

Each decision names what it beat

State the choice, then at least one option that was considered and why it lost. "The highlight is an inset pill" with nothing beside it is prose-show-the-alternatives.

The reason is what the choice does for the person using it. "This makes it feel snappy" is prose-reason-for-the-person.

Numbers, not adjectives

Where a value exists, write the value. "A really fast spring" is prose-specifics. Words like seamless, robust, powerful, blazing and delightful are prose-no-hype.

Plain declarative sentences

One idea per sentence, at most 30 words. Split anything longer. That is prose-short-sentences.

Delete throat-clearing such as "It's worth noting", "Let's dive in" and "Not just X, but Y". That is prose-no-filler.

Say how you know

Each fact says where it came from: inspected, measured, read in the source or quoted. A value with no method is prose-say-how-you-know.

A claim from someone else carries a footnote linking the original. "Navigation got 30% faster" with no link is prose-cite-claims.

Mark guesses as guesses

An inference reads as one: "I think", "my guess is", "the way I read it". A motive stated as fact is prose-mark-the-guess. A measured fact wrapped in "I believe" is prose-no-hedged-facts.

Never invent the author's experience

Writing for someone else, add no anecdote, feeling or attempt they did not describe. "At first I wondered why" is prose-no-invented-experience. Ask for the real moment or leave the line out.

Edit the words, keep the voice

Fix spelling, grammar and order in the author's draft. Rewriting their register into yours is prose-keep-the-voice.

Show what has shape

A sequence, a comparison or a set of values goes in a list, table or figure. Five shortcuts strung through one paragraph is prose-show-the-shape.

End on the principle

Close each section on the rule its details point to, in one sentence. A closing paragraph that repeats the headings is prose-end-on-the-principle.

The pair

Every check is a pair. The broken line sits beside the line that replaces it.

Rule	Broken	Replacement
prose-open-on-the-problem	In this post I'll cover anatomy, motion and keys.	Most menus start from nothing. This one starts from where you are.
prose-show-the-alternatives	The highlight is an inset pill.	A full-width stripe reads like a table. An inset pill reads like something you hold.
prose-reason-for-the-person	This makes it feel snappy.	The height moves on the same keystroke that changed the list.
prose-specifics	A really fast spring	A stiffness of 20000, settled in about a tenth of a second
prose-no-hype	A seamless, powerful menu	A menu that never makes you wait
prose-short-sentences	One 45-word sentence	Two sentences under 30 words
prose-no-filler	It's worth noting that rows are 46 tall.	Rows are 46 tall.
prose-say-how-you-know	The spring has a stiffness of 20000.	The spring has a stiffness of 20000, the number in their code.
prose-cite-claims	Navigation got 30% faster.	Navigation got 30% faster.[^1] with the source linked
prose-mark-the-guess	They did this to stop the highlight flickering.	I think they did this to stop the highlight flickering.
prose-no-hedged-facts	I believe rows are 46 tall.	Rows are 46 tall.
prose-no-invented-experience	At first I wondered why there's no bounce.	Why no bounce at all?
prose-keep-the-voice	I thought I might try my hand rewritten as This project explores	I thought I'd try my hand
prose-show-the-shape	Five shortcuts in one paragraph	A keymap table
prose-end-on-the-principle	In summary, we covered anatomy, motion and keys.	Focus never leaves what you're typing.

Reporting

Severity. HIGH is an invented experience, a guess stated as fact or an uncited claim. MEDIUM is a decision with no alternative, an adjective where a number exists, hype, filler, a contents opener or a rewritten voice. LOW is a long sentence, prose that should be a table or a summary ending.

Format. One finding per root cause:

file:line - [rule-id] what is wrong

Then a Rule | Count | Severity summary. Block when any HIGH remains, Approve otherwise. Never Approve a file you did not read. Mark every check you could not run as Not verified.