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chore: add stop-slop skill and its lock entry
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‎.agents/skills/stop-slop/CHANGELOG.md‎

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# Changelog
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## 2026-01-13
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### Added
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**Phrases (references/phrases.md)**
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- Throat-clearing: "Here's what I find interesting", "Here's the problem though"
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- Performative emphasis: "creeps in", "I promise", "They exist, I promise"
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- Telling instead of showing: "This is genuinely hard", "This is what leadership actually looks like"
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**Structures (references/structures.md)**
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- Binary contrasts: "Not X. But Y.", "It's not this. It's that.", "stops being X and starts being Y"
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- Rhythm patterns: staccato fragmentation, dashes for dramatic pause, hedging as reassurance
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- Word patterns: absolute words (always, never, everyone, etc.), AI-overused intensifiers (deeply, truly, fundamentally, inherently, simply, literally, inevitably)
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## 2026-01-12
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- Restructured skill following Claude Code best practices (PR #1)
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- Split into SKILL.md and references/ folder
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## 2025-01-12
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- Initial release

‎.agents/skills/stop-slop/LICENSE‎

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MIT License
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Copyright (c) 2025 Hardik Pandya
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Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
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of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
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in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
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to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
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copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
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furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
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The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
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copies or substantial portions of the Software.
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THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
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IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
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FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
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AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
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LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
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OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
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SOFTWARE.

‎.agents/skills/stop-slop/README.md‎

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# Stop Slop
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A skill for removing AI tells from prose.
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<img width="3840" height="2160" alt="G-Yg4RVbIAAhVxW" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/902afc15-1f40-4a9d-af24-8cd67afb8ebf" />
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## What this is
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AI writing has patterns. Predictable phrases, structures, rhythms. This skill teaches Claude (or any LLM) to catch and remove them.
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## Skill Structure
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```
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stop-slop/
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├── SKILL.md # Core instructions
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├── references/
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│ ├── phrases.md # Phrases to remove
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│ ├── structures.md # Structural patterns to avoid
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│ └── examples.md # Before/after transformations
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├── README.md
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└── LICENSE
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```
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## Quick start
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**Claude Code:** Add this folder as a skill.
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**Claude Projects:** Upload `SKILL.md` and reference files to project knowledge.
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**Custom instructions:** Copy core rules from `SKILL.md`.
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**API calls:** Include `SKILL.md` in your system prompt. Reference files load on demand.
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## What it catches
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**Banned phrases** - Throat-clearing openers, emphasis crutches, business jargon, all adverbs, vague declaratives, meta-commentary. See `references/phrases.md`.
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**Structural clichés** - Binary contrasts, negative listings, dramatic fragmentation, rhetorical setups, false agency, narrator-from-a-distance voice, passive voice. See `references/structures.md`.
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**Sentence-level rules** - No Wh- sentence starters, no em dashes, no staccato fragmentation, no lazy extremes, active voice required.
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## Scoring
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Rate 1-10 on each dimension:
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| Dimension | Question |
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|-----------|----------|
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| Directness | Statements or announcements? |
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| Rhythm | Varied or metronomic? |
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| Trust | Respects reader intelligence? |
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| Authenticity | Sounds human? |
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| Density | Anything cuttable? |
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Below 35/50: revise.
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## Author
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[Hardik Pandya](https://hvpandya.com)
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## License
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MIT. Use freely, share widely.

‎.agents/skills/stop-slop/SKILL.md‎

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---
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name: stop-slop
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description: Remove AI writing patterns from prose. Use when drafting, editing, or reviewing text to eliminate predictable AI tells.
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metadata:
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trigger: Writing prose, editing drafts, reviewing content for AI patterns
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author: Hardik Pandya (https://hvpandya.com)
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---
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# Stop Slop
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Eliminate predictable AI writing patterns from prose.
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## Core Rules
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1. **Cut filler phrases.** Remove throat-clearing openers, emphasis crutches, and all adverbs. See [references/phrases.md](references/phrases.md).
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2. **Break formulaic structures.** Avoid binary contrasts, negative listings, dramatic fragmentation, rhetorical setups, false agency. See [references/structures.md](references/structures.md).
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3. **Use active voice.** Every sentence needs a human subject doing something. No passive constructions. No inanimate objects performing human actions ("the complaint becomes a fix").
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4. **Be specific.** No vague declaratives ("The reasons are structural"). Name the specific thing. No lazy extremes ("every," "always," "never") doing vague work.
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5. **Put the reader in the room.** No narrator-from-a-distance voice. "You" beats "People." Specifics beat abstractions.
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6. **Vary rhythm.** Mix sentence lengths. Two items beat three. End paragraphs differently. No em dashes.
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7. **Trust readers.** State facts directly. Skip softening, justification, hand-holding.
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8. **Cut quotables.** If it sounds like a pull-quote, rewrite it.
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## Quick Checks
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Before delivering prose:
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- Any adverbs? Kill them.
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- Any passive voice? Find the actor, make them the subject.
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- Inanimate thing doing a human verb ("the decision emerges")? Name the person.
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- Sentence starts with a Wh- word? Restructure it.
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- Any "here's what/this/that" throat-clearing? Cut to the point.
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- Any "not X, it's Y" contrasts? State Y directly.
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- Three consecutive sentences match length? Break one.
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- Paragraph ends with punchy one-liner? Vary it.
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- Em-dash anywhere? Remove it.
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- Vague declarative ("The implications are significant")? Name the specific implication.
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- Narrator-from-a-distance ("Nobody designed this")? Put the reader in the scene.
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- Meta-joiners ("The rest of this essay...")? Delete. Let the essay move.
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## Scoring
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Rate 1-10 on each dimension:
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| Dimension | Question |
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|-----------|----------|
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| Directness | Statements or announcements? |
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| Rhythm | Varied or metronomic? |
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| Trust | Respects reader intelligence? |
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| Authenticity | Sounds human? |
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| Density | Anything cuttable? |
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Below 35/50: revise.
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## Examples
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See [references/examples.md](references/examples.md) for before/after transformations.
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## License
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MIT

‎.agents/skills/stop-slop/references/examples.md‎

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# Before/After Examples
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## Example 1: Throat-Clearing + Binary Contrast
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**Before:**
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> "Here's the thing: building products is hard. Not because the technology is complex. Because people are complex. Let that sink in."
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**After:**
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> "Building products is hard. Technology is manageable. People aren't."
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**Changes:** Removed opener, binary contrast structure, and emphasis crutch. Direct statements.
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---
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## Example 2: Filler + Unnecessary Reassurance
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**Before:**
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> "It turns out that most teams struggle with alignment. The uncomfortable truth is that nobody wants to admit they're confused. And that's okay."
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**After:**
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> "Teams struggle with alignment. Nobody admits confusion."
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**Changes:** Cut hedging ("most"), removed throat-clearing phrases, deleted permission-granting ending.
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---
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## Example 3: Business Jargon Stack
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**Before:**
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> "In today's fast-paced landscape, we need to lean into discomfort and navigate uncertainty with clarity. This matters because your competition isn't waiting."
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**After:**
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> "Move faster. Your competition is."
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**Changes:** Eliminated jargon entirely. Core message in six words.
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---
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## Example 4: Dramatic Fragmentation
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**Before:**
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> "Speed. Quality. Cost. You can only pick two. That's it. That's the tradeoff."
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**After:**
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> "Speed, quality, cost—pick two."
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**Changes:** Single sentence. No performative emphasis.
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---
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## Example 5: Rhetorical Setup
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**Before:**
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> "What if I told you that the best teams don't optimize for productivity? Here's what I mean: they optimize for learning. Think about it."
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**After:**
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> "The best teams optimize for learning, not productivity."
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**Changes:** Direct claim. No rhetorical scaffolding.

‎.agents/skills/stop-slop/references/phrases.md‎

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# Phrases to Remove
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## Throat-Clearing Openers
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Remove these announcement phrases. State the content directly.
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- "Here's the thing:"
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- "Here's what [X]"
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- "Here's this [X]"
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- "Here's that [X]"
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- "Here's why [X]"
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- "The uncomfortable truth is"
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- "It turns out"
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- "The real [X] is"
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- "Let me be clear"
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- "The truth is,"
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- "I'll say it again:"
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- "I'm going to be honest"
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- "Can we talk about"
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- "Here's what I find interesting"
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- "Here's the problem though"
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Any "here's what/this/that" construction is throat-clearing before the point. Cut it and state the point.
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## Emphasis Crutches
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These add no meaning. Delete them.
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- "Full stop." / "Period."
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- "Let that sink in."
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- "This matters because"
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- "Make no mistake"
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- "Here's why that matters"
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## Business Jargon
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Replace with plain language.
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| Avoid | Use instead |
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|-------|-------------|
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| Navigate (challenges) | Handle, address |
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| Unpack (analysis) | Explain, examine |
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| Lean into | Accept, embrace |
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| Landscape (context) | Situation, field |
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| Game-changer | Significant, important |
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| Double down | Commit, increase |
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| Deep dive | Analysis, examination |
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| Take a step back | Reconsider |
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| Moving forward | Next, from now |
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| Circle back | Return to, revisit |
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| On the same page | Aligned, agreed |
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## Adverbs
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Kill all adverbs. No -ly words. No softeners, no intensifiers, no hedges.
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Specific offenders:
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- "really"
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- "just"
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- "literally"
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- "genuinely"
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- "honestly"
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- "simply"
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- "actually"
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- "deeply"
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- "truly"
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- "fundamentally"
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- "inherently"
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- "inevitably"
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- "interestingly"
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- "importantly"
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- "crucially"
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Also cut these filler phrases:
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- "At its core"
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- "In today's [X]"
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- "It's worth noting"
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- "At the end of the day"
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- "When it comes to"
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- "In a world where"
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- "The reality is"
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## Meta-Commentary
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Remove self-referential asides. The essay should move, not announce its own structure.
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- "Hint:"
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- "Plot twist:" / "Spoiler:"
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- "You already know this, but"
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- "But that's another post"
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- "X is a feature, not a bug"
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- "Dressed up as"
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- "The rest of this essay explains..."
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- "Let me walk you through..."
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- "In this section, we'll..."
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- "As we'll see..."
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- "I want to explore..."
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## Performative Emphasis
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False intimacy or manufactured sincerity:
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- "creeps in"
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- "I promise"
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- "They exist, I promise"
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## Telling Instead of Showing
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Announcing difficulty or significance rather than demonstrating it:
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- "This is genuinely hard"
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- "This is what leadership actually looks like"
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- "This is what X actually looks like"
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- "actually matters"
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## Vague Declaratives
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Sentences that announce importance without naming the specific thing. Kill these.
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- "The reasons are structural"
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- "The implications are significant"
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- "This is the deepest problem"
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- "The stakes are high"
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- "The consequences are real"
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If a sentence says something is important/deep/structural without showing the specific thing, cut it or replace it with the specific thing.

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