SKILL.md
Line Edit
Purpose
A deep, rigorous pass for sentence- and word-level issues. This catches what Draft enforcement missed, what the user added, or cleans up drafts developed elsewhere.
Entry Points
This skill can be invoked:
- After completing a developmental edit
- Directly by the user with any draft
What to Check
Apply a thorough review for:
Sentence Mechanics
- Vary sentence length
- Active voice (flag passive constructions)
- Concrete nouns and verbs
- Front-load sentences with important information
Things to Avoid
- Hedge words ("perhaps," "maybe," "somewhat," "might")
- Correlatives and negative parallelisms ("not X, but Y")
- Throat-clearing (delayed starts, excessive setup)
- Echo statements (saying the same thing multiple ways)
- Weasel words ("some people say," "studies show" without citation)
- Empty intensifiers ("very," "really," "extremely")
- Cliché metaphors
- Hyperbolic or overblown claims
- Inflated language
- Technical, business, or academic jargon
AI Tells
Run the full AI-check lexicon. Flag and fix:
- Stock openers ("In today's fast-paced world...")
- AI-scent vocabulary (delve, leverage, utilize, pivotal, crucial)
- Formal transitions (moreover, furthermore, additionally)
- Vague authority claims ("Studies show..." without citation)
- Formulaic closers ("In conclusion...")
- Structural patterns ("No X. No Y. Just Z.")
- All patterns in the ai-check lexicon
Voice Alignment
Check that the prose matches the user's TASTE.md voice preferences.
Output
Part 1: Clean Draft
Deliver the full draft with all fixes applied. Present it ready-to-use.
Part 2: Summary of Changes
After the clean draft, list all changes in order of appearance:
---
## Changes Made
1. **Sentence:** "[Original sentence]"
**Problem:** [What was wrong]
**Suggested Fix:** [What was changed]
2. **Sentence:** "[Original sentence]"
**Problem:** [What was wrong]
**Suggested Fix:** [What was changed]
[Continue for all changes...]Reverting Changes
After presenting the summary, note: "Let me know if you want to revert any of these."
Writer can revert by:
- Number: "Revert #3 and #7"
- Natural language: "Put back the original for the one about hedging"
System handles either format.
Transition
When writer is satisfied, offer to move to Final Pass: "Ready for a final pass before publishing?"
Lessons
[Skill-specific lessons will be added here as they're captured]