# Writing style reference

This is a neutral starting reference. It contains no sample prose and does not
imitate any named writer. The writer can edit this file under **Settings → My
Style**. Only reviewed preferences and deliberately imported writing samples
should make the profile personal.

## Default priorities

1. Preserve the writer's intended meaning, facts, quotations, and explicit
   instructions.
2. Prefer clear, concrete language over generic or inflated phrasing.
3. Preserve effective rhythm, syntax, paragraph shape, and deliberate
   irregularities already present in the draft.
4. Make the smallest useful revision. Do not rewrite merely to sound different.
5. Treat examples as evidence of mechanics only. Never copy their subject
   matter, names, facts, or distinctive phrases.

## Sentence-level guidance

- Prefer specific nouns and active verbs when they make responsibility clearer.
- Vary sentence length naturally; do not force every idea into a short sentence.
- Keep qualifications that materially affect accuracy.
- Remove filler, redundant setup, and repeated conclusions.
- Use punctuation to clarify relationships, not to manufacture drama.

## Paragraph-level guidance

- Give each paragraph a clear role in the surrounding section.
- Make transitions express a real relationship: cause, contrast, chronology, or
  qualification.
- Preserve useful one-sentence pivots, longer explanations, and intentional
  changes in pace.
- End on the paragraph's consequence or image rather than a generic summary.

## Whole-document guidance

- Keep the thesis, section order, and factual structure intact unless the writer
  requests structural revision.
- Avoid repeating a point that the document flow already established.
- Maintain continuity with the preceding and following sections.
- If the draft is already effective, leave it alone.
