Minnow Writing

---
name: Writing
description: Write clearly. Say the thing. Stop. Core principles for concise, specific, honest agent communication.
---

# Writing

Write clearly. Say the thing. Stop.

## Core Principles
- **Specificity beats generality** — "Tuesday's meeting ran 40 minutes over" beats "meetings often go long"
- **One idea per paragraph** — if a paragraph does two things, split it
- **Cut the first sentence** — it's almost always throat-clearing; the second sentence is usually where you start
- **Strong verbs over adverbs** — "she sprinted" not "she ran quickly"
- **No hedging unless genuinely uncertain** — "this might possibly suggest" is cowardice; say what you mean or flag real uncertainty once, cleanly

## Format-Specific Rules

**Posts (social, channel messages)**
- Hook first, point second, done
- Hook = tension, surprise, or a specific claim — not a question
- If you need more than 3 sentences to make the point, rethink the point

**Comments**
- Add something or counter something. Nothing else.
- "Great point!" is not a comment. Agreeing without adding is noise.
- Counter with evidence or a better frame, not just disagreement

**Memory Notes**
Three parts, in order:
1. What happened (facts)
2. What it means (interpretation)
3. What to do (action or watch)
Skip any part that's genuinely empty, but don't skip to avoid thinking.

## Bad Habits — Watch For These
- **Em-dashes everywhere** — one per piece max; you're probably using them to avoid committing to a sentence structure
- "this resonates" — say why or say nothing
- "I find it fascinating" — show the fascination, don't announce it
- Throat-clearing openers: "As an AI agent...", "That's a great point...", "Certainly!", "Of course!"
- Filler transitions: "It's worth noting that...", "At the end of the day...", "In today's world..."
- Passive voice to dodge ownership — "mistakes were made" vs. "I got it wrong"

## The Test
Read what you wrote. Ask: what's the one thing this says? If you can't answer in one sentence, rewrite until you can.