laurigates/blog-post-writing

Blog Post Writing

Expert guidance for creating consistent, scannable blog posts about projects and technical work. Optimized for capturing work in progress and sharing accomplishments.

When to Use This Skill

| Use this skill when... | Use blog-post instead when... | |---|---| | You need the full style guide and post-type templates as reference | You want to create a blog post file now with guided prompts (/blog:post) | | Auto-loading consistent voice/structure rules while drafting prose | You need git context and frontmatter auto-populated into a new post | | Documenting which post type (quick-update / project-update / retrospective / tutorial / deep-dive) fits the situation | You already know the type and want the file scaffolded |

Core Expertise

• Low-friction capture: Quick entry formats that reduce blank-page anxiety
• Consistent structure: Predictable patterns for easy scanning later
• Multiple post types: From quick updates to detailed tutorials
• Project context: Automatic metadata for tracking work across projects
• Future-proof: Structure that supports later automation and publishing

When This Skill Activates

This skill activates when:

1. User wants to write about work they've done
2. User needs to document a project update
3. User wants to create a devlog entry
4. User requests a blog post or article about technical work
5. User mentions "write up", "blog", "post", or "devlog"

Post Types

| Type | When to Use | Typical Length | |------|-------------|----------------| | Quick Update | Captured something small, daily log | 100-300 words | | Project Update | Milestone, feature complete, notable progress | 300-800 words | | Retrospective | Looking back at a project or time period | 500-1500 words | | Tutorial | Teaching how to do something | 800-2000 words | | Deep Dive | Explaining complex concepts or decisions | 1000-3000 words |

Universal Post Structure

Every post uses this metadata frontmatter:

---
title: <descriptive title>
date: YYYY-MM-DD
type: quick-update | project-update | retrospective | tutorial | deep-dive
project: <project-name>
tags: [tag1, tag2]
status: draft | published
---

Quick Update Format

Capture small wins fast. No fluff.

---
title: <What you did>
date: YYYY-MM-DD
type: quick-update
project: <project-name>
tags: []
status: draft
---

# <Title>

<What you did. One sentence.>

## Changes

- <Concrete change>
- <Another change>

---
*~Xh*

Project Update Format

Document meaningful progress.

---
title: <Project>: <What was done>
date: YYYY-MM-DD
type: project-update
project: <project-name>
tags: []
status: draft
---

# <Title>

<One sentence: what changed and why it matters>

## What I Did

<Details. Code if relevant.>

```language
// code

Problems Solved

<What broke, how you fixed it>

Results

<What works now. Metrics if you have them.>

Next

• [ ] <Next action>

Reflection (optional)

• Energy: <flow state / steady / scattered / grinding>
• Felt: <satisfying / frustrating / tedious / exciting>

---

~Xh

## Retrospective Format

Look back at a project or time period.

```markdown
---
title: "Retro: <Project or Period>"
date: YYYY-MM-DD
type: retrospective
project: <project-name>
tags: [retrospective]
status: draft
---

# <Title>

## Timeline

- **Start**: <Initial state>
- **Milestone**: <What happened>
- **End**: <Current state>

## Worked

- <Success>

## Didn't Work

- <Failure or challenge>

## Lessons

<What you know now>

## Next

<Plans or closure>

## Reflection

- **Overall feel**: <How did this project/period feel?>
- **Energy pattern**: <When were you in flow? When grinding?>
- **Do differently**: <What would you change?>

---
*Duration: <timeframe> | Status: ongoing/paused/complete*

Tutorial Format

Teach how to do something.

---
title: "How to <Do the Thing>"
date: YYYY-MM-DD
type: tutorial
project: <project-name>
tags: [tutorial]
status: draft
---

# <Title>

## Prerequisites

- <What you need>

## Steps

### 1. <Step>

```language
// code

2. <Step>

// code

Troubleshooting

<Issue>: <Solution>

Resources

• <Link>

---

Tested: <versions>

## Deep Dive Format

Explain a complex topic or decision.

```markdown
---
title: "<Topic>"
date: YYYY-MM-DD
type: deep-dive
project: <project-name>
tags: [deep-dive]
status: draft
---

# <Title>

<The question you're answering>

## Background

<Minimum context needed>

## Problem

<What prompted this>

## Analysis

### <Aspect>

<Details, code, examples>

## Insights

1. <Key takeaway>
2. <Another>

## Implications

<What this means going forward>

## Reflection (optional)

- **Confidence**: <How sure are you about these conclusions?>
- **Gaps**: <What don't you know yet?>

---
*~Xh | Confidence: low/medium/high*

Writing Style Guidelines

Voice & Tone

| Guideline | Example | |-----------|---------| | Direct statements | "Fixed the auth bug" not "I was able to successfully fix..." | | Facts first | Lead with what happened, not buildup | | No filler phrases | Cut "basically", "actually", "in order to", "the fact that" | | Specific over vague | "Reduced load time from 3s to 400ms" not "Made it faster" | | One idea per sentence | Split compound sentences |

What to Cut

| Remove | Replace With | |--------|--------------| | "I decided to..." | Just state what you did | | "It's worth noting that..." | State the fact directly | | "As you can see..." | Nothing - let the content speak | | "In this post I will..." | Nothing - just do it | | Introductory paragraphs | Jump to the point | | Redundant conclusions | End when you're done |

Formatting

• Headers for navigation - scan-friendly structure
• Bullet points - faster to read than prose
• Code blocks - show, don't describe
• Bold sparingly - only for key terms
• One paragraph = one point - 1-3 sentences max

ADHD-Friendly Patterns

| Pattern | Why It Helps | |---------|--------------| | Start with templates | Reduces blank-page paralysis | | Metadata first | Context capture before you forget | | What/Why structure | Focused prompts guide writing | | Time tracking | Builds awareness of effort | | Next steps section | Creates continuity between sessions | | Draft status | Permission to be incomplete |

File Organization

Recommended directory structure for blog posts:

blog/
├── posts/
│   ├── YYYY/
│   │   ├── MM/
│   │   │   ├── YYYY-MM-DD-slug.md
├── drafts/
│   ├── <working-title>.md
└── assets/
    ├── images/
    └── diagrams/

Alternative flat structure:

blog/
├── YYYY-MM-DD-slug.md
└── drafts/

Quick Reference

Post Type Decision Tree

Did you learn something you want to teach?
  → Yes → Tutorial
  → No ↓

Are you looking back at past work?
  → Yes → Retrospective
  → No ↓

Is this about a complex topic or decision?
  → Yes → Deep Dive
  → No ↓

Did you make significant progress?
  → Yes → Project Update
  → No → Quick Update

Essential Metadata

| Field | Required | Purpose | |-------|----------|---------| | title | Yes | Findability | | date | Yes | Timeline | | type | Yes | Structure selection | | project | Yes | Cross-project tracking | | tags | No | Categorization | | status | Yes | Draft vs published |

Time Estimates

| Activity | Time | |----------|------| | Quick Update | 5-15 min | | Project Update | 20-45 min | | Retrospective | 45-90 min | | Tutorial | 1-3 hours | | Deep Dive | 2-5 hours |

Integration with Other Skills

This skill works alongside:

• Git Commit Workflow - Reference commits in posts
• Ticket Drafting - Similar structured writing patterns
• Project Blueprint - Link to PRDs and PRPs

Success Indicators

This skill is working when:

• Posts follow consistent structure
• Writing starts quickly (low friction)
• Posts are easy to scan later
• Project context is captured
• Progress is documented even when small