stop-slop

Imported from wpgaurav/WordPress-skills (skills/marketing/stop-slop/SKILL.md). Install upstream with npx skills add wpgaurav/WordPress-skills --skill stop-slop. Copyright stays with the author.

Stop Slop

Eliminate predictable AI writing patterns from prose.

Core Rules

1. Cut filler phrases. Remove throat-clearing openers and emphasis crutches. See references/phrases.md.

2. Break formulaic structures. Avoid binary contrasts, dramatic fragmentation, rhetorical setups. See references/structures.md.

3. Vary rhythm. Mix sentence lengths. Two items beat three. End paragraphs differently.

4. Trust readers. State facts directly. Skip softening, justification, hand-holding.

5. Cut quotables. If it sounds like a pull-quote, rewrite it.

Quick Checks

Before delivering prose:

• Three consecutive sentences match length? Break one.
• Paragraph ends with punchy one-liner? Vary it.
• Em-dash before a reveal? Remove it.
• Explaining a metaphor? Trust it to land.
• Same concept called three different names? Pick one and repeat it.
• "Serves as" or "stands as" where "is" works? Use "is."
• Stacked "from X to Y" ranges? Pick one specific example.
• Closing paragraph could apply to any article? Make it specific.

Self-Audit (Final Pass)

After writing, ask: "What makes this obviously AI-generated?" Read every paragraph looking for:

1. Synonym cycling (same thing, different words each time)
2. -ing gerund clusters (highlighting, showcasing, fostering)
3. Significance inflation (testament, pivotal, transformative)
4. False comprehensiveness (from X to Y, whether A or B)
5. Generic optimistic closing

Fix every instance found. Then read once more.

Scoring

Rate 1-10 on each dimension:

Below 35/50: revise.

Examples

See references/examples.md for before/after transformations.

License

MIT