haowjy/llm-writing

LLM Writing

Load /intent-modeling if it isn't already loaded. Load /information-hierarchy when the piece grows beyond a short answer.

Write Intentionally

Before producing a written artifact:

1. Scope. What does the reader know when they start, and what should they know when they finish? What do they not need to know? Before writing, break the piece into beats: each beat is one move in the reader's journey, carrying one idea, purpose, or turn.
2. Ground. Check any relevant source material, references, or notes before writing, and make sure they align.
3. Draft. Write a full draft to disk so you can edit it piece by piece.
4. Revise. Start with the whole artifact, then move inward: structure, beats, paragraphs, sentences, words. At each scale, ask what the writing is doing: is it correct, does it follow from what came before, and does the reader need it? Delete or rewrite anything that does not serve a purpose or give the reader something they need to understand or know. Move back and forth between scales: after a local change, zoom back out through the surrounding beat, larger structure, and full artifact; the change should still connect, and the rhythm should still vary. Check disclosure tiers: the answer still leads, depth hasn't crept forward, sources sit at the end.

What to Delete

• Writing to fill a section because it exists. Delete it or merge its content where it belongs.
• Labeling concepts without explaining how they work. Explain the mechanism or cut the label.
• Stating conclusions without evidence. Show the evidence or drop the claim.
• Hiding uncertainty behind confident language. Say what you don't know.
• Softening every claim with qualifiers ("it's worth noting," "it's important to consider"). Say it or don't.
• Repeating what you already said in different words, or summarizing the body as a conclusion ("In summary," "Overall"). Delete it.
• Connecting ideas with transition words instead of meaning ("Moreover," "Furthermore," "Additionally"). If the relationship isn't clear without the word, restructure.
• Pairing clauses where one half already carries the meaning ("It's not X, it's Y"). Keep the half that carries it.
• Writing for the person who asked for the document instead of the person who will read it. Write for the reader.