references/forbidden-patterns.md
# Forbidden Patterns (Complete Reference)
## Constructions
### Correlative Constructions (THE #1 AI TELL)
- "X aren't just Y - they're Z"
- "It's not about X, it's about Y"
- "More than just X, it's Y"
### Negation Structure
- "No X. No Y. Just Z."
- "No fluff. No theory. Just actionable insights."
### Other Faux-Profound Phrases
- "The truth is..." / "The reality is..."
- "Let that sink in"
- "Now more than ever..."
---
## Rhetorical Flourishes
### Short Hook Questions
- "The best part? ..."
- "The secret? ..."
- "Want access?"
- "Ready to level up?"
- "Sound familiar?"
### Setup Lines
- "Sounds impossible? It's not."
- "What if I told you..."
- "Here's the thing..."
- "Let's be honest..."
- "At the end of the day..."
### Transition Tells
- "And here's the kicker"
- "Enter: [thing]"
- "X changed everything"
- "This symbolizes..." / "Which reflects..."
---
## Staccato Phrasing
Do not use faux-dramatic sentence fragments:
- "No fluff. No filler. Just results."
- "Big ideas. Small words. Maximum impact."
- "Simple. Clear. Effective."
- Short. Choppy. Sentences. Like. This.
---
## Triple Threat Syndrome
AI groups everything in threes. Avoid:
- "Fast, efficient, reliable"
- "Bold, beautiful, brilliant"
- Any adjective triplet that feels too neat
---
## Openers
- "In the ever-evolving world of..."
- "In today's fast-paced..."
- "Gone are the days when..."
- "In an era where..."
- "Let's dive in..."
---
## Closers
- "In conclusion..."
- "In summary..."
- "To your success" (email sign-off)
---
## AI Vocabulary (Immediate Fail If Present)
### Intensity Words
- comprehensive, crucial, vital, essential
- seamless, cutting-edge, game-changing
- supercharge, skyrocket, unlock
### Action Words
- delve, dive into, unpack
- navigate, leverage, foster
- embark, journey (unless literal travel)
### Abstraction Words
- landscape, realm, sphere
- tapestry, myriad, multifaceted
- paradigm, framework (unless technical)
---
## Thesaurus Abuse
Don't use fancy words when simple words work:
- "utilize" → just say "use"
- "implement" → just say "start" or "do"
- "optimize" → just say "improve"
- "execute" → just say "do"
- "facilitate" → just say "help"
- "highlighting" → just say "show"
---
## Overused Words
### "Just" and "Actually"
- Bad: "We just need to understand that it's just about learning"
- Good: "It's about learning. Focus on what matters."
- Limit: Once per 500 words maximum for "actually"
### Hedging Stacks
Remove these:
- might / could / perhaps / possibly / maybe
- "may potentially possibly"
- "could perhaps"
- "might be able to"
- "It's worth considering..."
- "You might want to think about..."
- "It's important to note that..."
- "Some people say..." → "I've found that..."
- "It could be argued..." → "It's true that..."
- "One could say..." → "This is true because..."
Test: Do I actually believe this? If yes, remove the hedge.
---
## Empty Enthusiasm
- "Absolutely!"
- "Great question!"
- "You're absolutely right!"
---
## Authenticity Theater
- Overusing "real" ("real strategy from real experts getting real results")
- Overusing "actually" to sound casual
- Forced relatability ("we've all been there")
---
## Punctuation Overload
- **Em dash overload**: 6 em dashes per paragraph is a tell
- **Arrow overload**: → used more than once per piece
---
## Passive Voice
- Bad: "It was determined that improvements were needed"
- Good: "We need to improve"
Test: If you can't identify who's doing the action, rewrite it.
---
## Corporate Jargon
- Bad: "Leveraging synergies across stakeholder ecosystems"
- Good: "Getting different people talking to each other"
Test: Would you say this to a friend?
---
## Vague Language
- Bad: "Our users improve"
- Good: "Users improve by 40% in 6 months"
Test: Can you back it up with a specific number, example, or name?
---
## Transitions
Limit transitions to: but, and, so, then, because
Remove: furthermore, moreover, additionally, it's important to note that...
---
## Formatting Rules
- No boldface for emphasis in body text
- No emojis unless explicitly requested
- No summaries like "In conclusion" or "In summary"
- Use hyphens with spaces - like this - not em dashes
---
## The Core Test
> "If I removed the byline and showed this to someone, would they guess AI or human?"
When in doubt: **Does this have fingerprints on it?**
references/humanization-workflow.md
# The Humanization Workflow
Step-by-step process for transforming AI drafts into authentic prose.
## Step 1: Understand Your Source
- What's the core insight or story?
- What's the emotional arc?
- What's the 30-second version?
## Step 2: Apply SUCKS Framework
- Who is my ONE reader?
- Is this unique and useful?
- Clear, curious, conversational?
- Simple and structured?
- What will stick?
## Step 3: Write or Edit
If editing AI output: **Rewrite rather than patch.** Identify the core message and reconstruct.
## Step 4: Apply Sticky Sentences
Identify 2-3 most important statements. Add alliteration, symmetry, contrast, or rhythm.
## Step 5: Eliminate AI Tells
Scan systematically:
- [ ] Correlative constructions
- [ ] Overuse of "just" and "actually"
- [ ] Hedge words
- [ ] Passive voice
- [ ] Corporate jargon
- [ ] Vague language
- [ ] Forbidden patterns
- [ ] Too many transitions
## Step 6: Read Aloud
- Does it sound like a real person talking?
- Does energy transfer (conversation, not lecture)?
- Is every sentence earning its place?
- Are there obvious AI tells remaining?
## The Final Test
1. Does it tell a story that resolves?
2. Does it give the reader something actionable?
3. Does it sound like Charlie Deist wrote it?
4. Would I want to read the next section?
5. **Would this sentence appear in a ChatGPT output? If yes, rewrite it.**
## Charlie's Signature Moves
1. **Aphoristic Opening** - Thesis statements disguised as proverbs
- "A vigorous life is the best training for a 50-mile march, and a 50-mile march is the best training for a vigorous life."
2. **Personal-to-Universal Bridge**
- Start with a specific personal moment
- Expand to cultural/historical commentary
- Return to the personal with new meaning
3. **Intellectual Name-Drop (Earned)** - Reference thinkers (Ivan Illich, Ray Peat, Georges Hebert) only when directly relevant. Always explain why.
4. **Contrarian Hook** - Challenge received wisdom without becoming edgelord
- "In 99% of cases of chronic sedentarism, the inactive person is not lazy. They're bored."
5. **Incarnational Detail** - Specific, sensory, grounding
- RFK walking in "leather Oxford dress shoes"
6. **Self-Deprecating Confession** - Prevents preachiness, builds trust
- "I write this admonition as someone who often scrolls Twitter on the couch"
## Target Tone
```
[Too Soft] -------- [Target Zone] -------- [Too Hard]
| | |
Self-help pablum Earned authority Drill sergeant
Passive voice Active, direct Contemptuous
Apologetic Confident Preachy
```
Target: A coach who has done the thing and believes you can too.
references/sticky-sentences.md
# Sticky Sentences
Techniques to create memorable statements.
## Alliteration
Same starting sounds:
- "Specificity is the secret"
- "The best jobs are neither decreed nor degreed"
## Symmetry
Parallel structure:
- "Read for awareness. Write for understanding."
- "It's not 10,000 hours. It's 10,000 iterations."
## Contrast
Opposing ideas:
- "To be everywhere is to be nowhere."
- "Be clear, not clever. Concise, not complex."
## Rhyme
Similar ending sounds:
- "Tell a story or lose your glory"
## Rhythm
Pleasing cadence:
- "When you can't wait to share it, they can't help but read it"
## Combinations
For maximum stickiness, combine techniques:
- "Anger prepares us to fight. Fear prepares us to flee." (Symmetry + Alliteration)
## Application
1. Identify 2-3 most important statements in your piece
2. Try each technique on each statement
3. Pick the one that sounds most natural
4. Don't force it - if nothing works, clear prose is better than awkward stickiness
references/sucks-framework.md
# The SUCKS Framework
Before writing anything, answer these questions.
## S - Specific
- Write for ONE person, not a crowd
- If you write for everyone, you write for no one
## U - Unique & Useful
- Does this change how your reader thinks, feels, or acts?
## C - Clear, Curious, Conversational
- Main idea is unmissable
- Reads like talking to a friend
## K - Kept Simple & Structured
- Simple ideas, simple words
- Clear beginning, middle, end
## S - Sticky
- Memorable phrases they'll repeat
## Pre-Flight Checklist
- [ ] Who is my ONE reader?
- [ ] Is this unique and useful?
- [ ] Clear, curious, conversational?
- [ ] Simple and structured?
- [ ] What will stick?
SKILL.md
---
name: human-writing
description: Transform AI-assisted drafts into authentic, distinctive prose. Use this skill when (1) reviewing or humanizing AI-generated content, (2) writing content that must not appear AI-assisted, (3) converting transcripts or source material into polished prose, (4) maintaining Charlie Deist's voice across content. Triggers on requests to "make it sound human", "remove AI tells", "write in my voice", or any content editing/writing task.
---
# Human Writing
Transform AI-assisted drafts into authentic, distinctive prose that sounds like a real person wrote it.
## Core Principle
**Rewrite, don't patch.** When editing AI output, identify the core message and reconstruct from scratch rather than tweaking phrases.
## The #1 AI Tell
**The Correlative Construction:** "X isn't just Y - it's Z"
This is the default structure AI produces. Every AI sample uses it. Eliminate it completely.
- Bad: "Teachers aren't just instructors - they're mentors"
- Good: "Teachers mentor students."
## Forbidden Patterns
### Constructions
- "It's not about X, it's about Y"
- "The truth is..." / "The reality is..."
- "Now more than ever..."
### Rhetorical Flourishes
- "The best part? ..."
- "Here's the thing..."
- "Let's be honest..."
- "What if I told you..."
### Faux-Dramatic Fragments
- "No fluff. No filler. Just results."
- "Simple. Clear. Effective."
### Openers
- "In the ever-evolving world of..."
- "In today's fast-paced..."
- "Gone are the days when..."
### Formatting
- No boldface for emphasis in body text
- No emojis unless explicitly requested
- No "In conclusion" or "In summary"
- Use hyphens with spaces - like this - not em dashes
## Quick Scan Checklist
Before publishing, check for:
- [ ] Correlative constructions ("not just X, but Y")
- [ ] "Just" appearing more than once
- [ ] Hedge words (might, could, perhaps, possibly)
- [ ] Passive voice
- [ ] Vague claims without specifics
- [ ] Forbidden rhetorical flourishes
## Charlie's Signature Moves
1. **Aphoristic Opening** - Thesis as proverb
2. **Personal-to-Universal Bridge** - Start specific, expand, return with meaning
3. **Intellectual Name-Drop (Earned)** - Reference thinkers only when relevant
4. **Contrarian Hook** - Challenge received wisdom without edgelording
5. **Incarnational Detail** - Specific, sensory, grounding
6. **Self-Deprecating Confession** - Prevents preachiness, builds trust
## Target Tone
A coach who has done the thing and believes you can too. A friend who tells you the truth because he respects you. A fellow traveler, slightly ahead on the path.
## Extended References
For complete documentation, see:
- `references/forbidden-patterns.md` - Full list of AI tells
- `references/sticky-sentences.md` - Alliteration, symmetry, contrast techniques
- `references/sucks-framework.md` - Pre-writing checklist
- `references/humanization-workflow.md` - Step-by-step editing process