Writing System

---
name: writing-system
description: Personal writing system for technical blogs, newsletters, X/Twitter threads, and LinkedIn posts. The orchestrator — captures the idea and picks the platform, then hands off to `linkedin-post-writer` or `x-thread-writer` for those two; Blog and Newsletter stay here. Use when writing long-form content, drafting social media posts, preparing newsletters, building a content calendar, repurposing existing content across platforms, or turning a technical insight into publishable writing. Triggers on: "write a post about", "turn this into a thread", "draft newsletter", "write this up", "content calendar", "publish this".
---

# Using the Writing System

## Core Philosophy

Capture once, publish everywhere. An idea has one source, many surfaces. Never start from blank — start from evidence: a thing you built, a problem you solved, a decision you made.

Good writing removes friction between an idea and the reader understanding it. Cut everything that doesn't serve that goal.

---

## 4-Part Pipeline

### 1. Idea Capture

Write a single atomic note before drafting anything. An atomic note answers one of:
- What did I learn?
- What did I build?
- What decision did I make and why?
- What surprised me?

**Format:**
```
Insight: [one sentence]
Context: [why this came up]
Evidence: [the specific thing that happened — metric, code, conversation]
```

Resist writing more at this stage. Capture → store → draft later. Don't let idea capture become writing.

---

### 2. Platform Selection

Match the idea to the platform where that format works:

| Format | Best for | Audience expectation |
|--------|----------|---------------------|
| X thread | Quick insight, numbered list, hot take | Fast scan, 280 chars/tweet |
| LinkedIn | Professional insight, career lesson | First 2 lines must hook |
| Blog | Deep dive, tutorial, decision record | 1200-2000 words, scannable |
| Newsletter | Curated + original, personal | Subject line drives open rate |

Choose one primary platform. Adapt for others after the primary draft is done.

---

### 3. Draft by Channel

#### X/Twitter Thread — hand off to `x-thread-writer`

That skill owns thread structure, tweet-count discipline, and the voice rules. Come back
here for Edit and the Performance Loop once the draft exists.

---

#### LinkedIn — hand off to `linkedin-post-writer`

That skill owns post structure (the Nota vs. the longer Insight Post), platform mechanics,
and the voice rules. Come back here for Edit and the Performance Loop once the draft exists.

---

#### Blog Post

Structure:
```
Intro (150-200 words): State the problem. Why does this matter to the reader?
Section 1 (400-500 words): First point + one concrete example
Section 2 (400-500 words): Second point + one concrete example
Section 3 (400-500 words): Third point + one concrete example
Conclusion (150-200 words): Restate what changed + one call to action
```

Rules:
- One concrete example per section — abstract without example is forgettable
- Subheadings should be informative, not clever: "Why I switched to Tailwind v4" not "A tale of two stylesheets"
- Code examples: show the before + after, not just the solution
- Optimal length: 1200-2000 words. Under 1000 feels thin; over 2500 loses most readers.

---

#### Newsletter

Structure:
```
Subject: [Number] [benefit] — "3 things I learned building [X]"
         OR question: "Why does [common thing] work this way?"
Preview text: Different from subject. Add context, not repetition.
Body: 300-600 words. One main idea + supporting points.
CTA: One link, one ask. At the bottom.
```

Rules:
- Subject line is 80% of the open rate — spend 20% of writing time on it
- Preview text in email clients shows after subject — use it, not "View in browser"
- One CTA. "Read the post + follow me + reply with your thoughts" = zero clicks.
- Conversational tone. Newsletter is personal; blog is editorial.

---

### 4. Edit

After first draft:
1. **Cut 30%** — every sentence that doesn't move the idea forward
2. **Replace vague with specific** — "improved significantly" → "reduced load time by 40%"
3. **Add one concrete example** if there isn't one already
4. **Read aloud** — if you stumble reading it, the reader will too
5. **Final check:** Does the first sentence earn the second? Does each section earn the next?

---

## Performance Loop

Review your top 5 posts every 30 days:
- What format resonated most?
- What topic got the most engagement?
- What did you write that you'd write differently now?

Replicate the **pattern**, not the content. If a numbered list format worked, use numbered lists again — but with new insights.

Output: `docs/content/YYYY-MM-DD-content-notes.md`

---

## Quality Checklist

- [ ] Atomic note captured before drafting
- [ ] Platform selected based on idea format (not habit)
- [ ] First sentence hooks — no "In this post, I will..."
- [ ] One concrete example per section (blog) or per thread (X)
- [ ] Cut 30% in edit pass
- [ ] Single CTA — not multiple asks

## Common Antipatterns

- **Writing without a captured insight** — Starting from "I should post something" leads to generic content. Start from a specific thing that happened.
- **Same copy on every platform** — A thread pasted to LinkedIn reads like a thread. Adapt the structure, not just the length.
- **Multiple CTAs** — "Follow me, repost this, comment below, read my newsletter" = decision paralysis. Pick one.
- **Vague claims** — "This saved us a lot of time" tells the reader nothing. "This reduced our deploy time from 45 minutes to 8 minutes" is memorable.
- **Saving performance analysis for "someday"** — The 30-day review is where you learn what actually works. Schedule it.

## See Also

- `linkedin-post-writer` — owns LinkedIn drafting once this skill picks that platform.
- `x-thread-writer` — owns X/Twitter drafting once this skill picks that platform.