Working notes for this repository

Writing

Faruq asked that all writing here avoid the tells catalogued at Wikipedia:Signs of AI writing. This applies to two things: text that goes on the site, and replies written to him in chat.

The page itself could not be fetched from this environment — the egress proxy blocks wikipedia.org — so the list below is written from knowledge of it rather than copied from it. If you can reach the page, read it and correct anything here that is wrong or missing.

Avoid

Puffery and inflated significance. “stands as”, “serves as a testament”, “rich heritage”, “enduring legacy”, “watershed moment”, “profound”, “breathtaking”. Say what a thing is and let the reader judge its weight.

Editorial throat-clearing. “It is important to note that”, “it is worth noting”, “notably”, “significantly”, “arguably”, “indeed”. If it matters, state it; if it does not, cut it.

Connective padding. “Moreover”, “Furthermore”, “Additionally”, “In addition”. Usually the sentence is stronger with nothing in front of it.

Participial tails. Clauses bolted to the end of a sentence to sound analytic: “highlighting the importance of…”, “underscoring its role in…”, “reflecting a broader trend…”, “showcasing…”. Cut them or make them their own sentence with a subject.

Negative parallelism. “Not just X, but Y.” “It is not about X — it is about Y.” “is instruction, not its audit.” Occasionally this is the right sentence. As a habit it becomes a tic, and repeated across paragraphs it is one of the loudest tells.

Rule of three as a reflex. Three adjectives, three clauses, three examples, over and over. Vary the count. Two is often enough; sometimes one is.

Aphoristic closers. Ending paragraph after paragraph with a short, quotable reversal. One earned line is good writing. Three in a row is a pattern.

Em dash overuse. Prefer a comma, a colon, a semicolon, or a full stop. Reserve the em dash for a genuine interruption, and use no more than one or two per page.

Formatting habits. Bold used for emphasis inside prose; Title Case In Headings; a bulleted list where a paragraph belongs; every bullet opening with a bolded lead-in; emoji.

Summary paragraphs that restate. “In summary”, “In conclusion”, “Overall”. If the piece is short enough to be read, it does not need to be recapped.

Vague attribution. “Studies show”, “experts agree”, “research suggests”, “some critics argue” — without naming who, where or when.

Flagged vocabulary. delve, tapestry, testament, showcase, underscore, pivotal, crucial, vital, realm, landscape (figurative), leverage, robust, seamless, meticulous, intricate, comprehensive, foster, garner, myriad, plethora, navigate (figurative), embark, journey, resonate, illuminate, multifaceted, nuanced, holistic, transformative, groundbreaking, cutting-edge, harness, unlock, elevate, empower, streamline, boasts, poised to.

Prefer

Concrete nouns and specific numbers. Short declarative sentences mixed with longer ones. Plain verbs. Naming who did what. Saying “I do not know” or “I could not check” instead of hedging. Cutting a sentence that would survive its own deletion.

The site

Jekyll on GitHub Pages at fpradhan.com, built from main. See README.md for structure, editing, the type stack and the image slots.