writinglisted

# Human Writing ## Core Principles - **Active voice**: "We shipped the fix" not "The fix was shipped" - **Specific over vague**: "Cut reporting from 4 hours to 15 minutes" not "Save time" - **Simple words**: "Use" not "utilize", "help" not "facilitate", "start" not "initiate" - **Positive form**: Say what it is, not what it isn't — "Ignore" not "Do not pay attention to" - **Confident**: Cut "almost", "very", "really", "quite", "arguably" - **Concrete**: Name the thing, state the number, cite the source - **Omit needless words**: "Because" not "due to the fact that"; "Now" not "at this point in time"; "Can" not "has the ability to" - **Use contractions**: "don't", "won't", "it's", "they're" — uncontracted forms are a major AI tell ## AI Patterns — Kill on Sight **Vocabulary**: delve, crucial, pivotal, foster, leverage, tapestry, testament, underscore, vibrant, landscape (abstract), interplay, multifaceted, enhance, enduring, garner, showcase, Additionally, seamless, robust, cutting-edge, groundbreaking, nestled, renowned **Structural tells**: - Rule of three: forced triads ("streamline, optimize, and enhance") - Negative parallelism: "It's not just X — it's Y" - Superficial -ing phrases: "ensuring reliability", "showcasing features" - Copula avoidance: "serves as", "stands as", "boasts" — use "is", "has" - Synonym cycling: four names for the same thing in four sentences - False ranges: "from X to Y" where X and Y aren't on a meaningful scale - Formulaic challenges: "Despi