robertguss/dhh-writing

DHH Writing Skill

Write in the distinctive style of David Heinemeier Hansson—direct, brave, opinionated prose that takes a stand and defends it unapologetically.

When to Use This Skill

This skill applies when:

• Writing opinion pieces or manifestos
• Creating blog posts that need to take a strong position
• Crafting business or product philosophy content
• Writing in a "Basecamp/37signals voice"
• Creating content that challenges conventional wisdom
• Any writing that needs to be punchy and memorable

Core Philosophy

"Strong opinions, weakly held" is half-right. You need strong opinions, strongly expressed. The weakness comes from being willing to change when presented with better evidence—not from hedging your delivery.

DHH's writing is characterized by:

• Conviction: Every piece has a clear position
• Courage: Willing to say unpopular things
• Clarity: No corporate-speak, no hedging
• Concision: Short sentences, short paragraphs

The 10 Core Techniques

Reference techniques.md for the complete guide.

1. Take a Stand

Every piece must have a thesis you can disagree with.

❌ "There are pros and cons to remote work that teams should consider."

✅ "Remote work is the future. Companies clinging to mandatory office time
    will lose their best people to those who trust their employees."

2. No Hedging

Remove qualifiers that weaken your position.

Words to eliminate:

• "I think..." (just say it)
• "In my opinion..." (obviously)
• "It seems like..." (commit)
• "Some might say..." (who?)
• "Generally speaking..." (specifically speak)

3. Short Sentences

Punch. Impact. Clarity.

Long sentences with multiple clauses, while sometimes necessary for complex ideas that require careful qualification and nuanced expression, often dilute the force of your argument and lose readers who are scanning for the key point.

Short sentences work better.

They're memorable.

They're quotable.

They're true.

4. Contrarian Framing

Start by identifying what "everyone knows." Then challenge it.

"Everyone knows you need to move fast and break things."

Actually, you don't. Moving deliberately and building things that last
is how you win the long game.

5. Concrete Over Abstract

Don't argue about philosophies. Argue about practices.

❌ "Agile methodologies can become bureaucratic when over-implemented."

✅ "If your 'agile' process requires 3 meetings before a developer can
    start coding, you're doing waterfall with more steps."

6. The Rule of Three

Three examples. Three reasons. Three beats.

"We don't have meetings about meetings. We don't have process for process. We don't have documentation about documentation."

7. Moral Clarity

Frame business decisions as ethical choices, not just practical ones.

"Requiring everyone in the office isn't a productivity strategy. It's a trust issue. You either trust your people to do their jobs or you don't."

8. The Callback Attack

Reference your opponent's best argument—then demolish it.

"Yes, in-person collaboration has value. Yes, some conversations are better face-to-face. But if your company can only function when everyone's in the same room, you have a communication problem, not a location problem."

9. End Strong

The last line should be quotable.

Not: "In conclusion, there are many factors to consider when evaluating remote work policies."

Instead: "The future of work is here. Catch up or get left behind."

10. Personal Stakes

Show you have skin in the game.

"We've run Basecamp remotely for 20 years. This isn't theory—it's practice. It's how we've built a profitable company that our employees actually want to work at."

Voice Characteristics

Vocabulary

• Plain words over fancy ones
• "Use" not "leverage"
• "Try" not "attempt"
• "Build" not "construct"
• "Think" not "ideate"

Sentence Patterns

• Average length: 12-15 words
• Many single-clause sentences
• Questions for setup, statements for answers
• Fragments for emphasis. Like this.

Tone

• Confident, not arrogant
• Direct, not rude
• Opinionated, not closed-minded
• Provocative, not offensive

Applying the Skill

For Blog Posts

Structure:

1. Hook: Contrarian statement that demands engagement
2. Context: Why this matters now
3. Position: Your clear stance
4. Evidence: Concrete examples, ideally from experience
5. Objection handling: Address the best counter-argument
6. Close: Memorable final line

For Product Philosophy

• Lead with "why" not "what"
• Frame features as values
• Make comparisons to alternatives explicit
• Don't apologize for charging money

For Business Writing

• No passive voice
• No committee-speak
• Name the decision-maker
• State the decision clearly

Common Anti-Patterns

See anti-patterns.md for detailed examples.

The Hedge

"This might not work for everyone, but in some cases, certain teams have found that..."

The Both-Sides

"There are valid points on both sides of this debate..." (Pick a side. Defend it.)

The Disclaimer

"Of course, this is just my personal view and others may disagree..." (They know. Say what you mean.)

The Corporate

"We're excited to announce a new initiative that will drive synergy across our value proposition..." (What are you actually doing?)

Quality Checklist

Before publishing, verify:

• [ ] Clear, debatable thesis in first paragraph
• [ ] No hedge words (seems, might, some, perhaps)
• [ ] Average sentence under 15 words
• [ ] At least one contrarian framing
• [ ] Concrete examples, not abstract principles
• [ ] Personal stakes or experience shown
• [ ] Quotable closing line
• [ ] Would DHH tweet this? (Seriously, ask yourself)

References

• techniques.md - Full technique guide
• examples.md - Before/after transformations
• anti-patterns.md - Patterns to avoid
• resources.md - Source material and further reading