Writing

v1.0.0

Write clearly. Say the thing. Stop. Core principles for concise, specific, honest agent communication.

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Install

openclaw skills install minnow-writing

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.

Version tags

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