Style Guide Template
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Style Guide Template
This is the complete PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS format. Copy it, fill it in with your details, and save it somewhere you can paste it at the start of any AI writing session.
The forbidden list is pre-populated with universal AI fingerprints. Keep all of them. Add your own patterns on top.
PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS: [Your Name]'s Writing Voice
TONE & STYLE:
[Conversational, direct, opinionated, etc.]
SENTENCE PATTERNS:
[Mix of short (5-8 words) and medium (15-25 words). Occasional long sentences for complex ideas. Use fragments for emphasis.]
DISTINCTIVE ELEMENTS:
- [Specific phrases you use]
- [How you handle transitions]
- [Your characteristic quirks]
FORBIDDEN LIST (Critical):
**Tier 1 - Remove Immediately (AI Fingerprints):**
- delve into / delve
- game-changing / game-changer
- revolutionary / paradigm shift
- unlock your potential
- it's worth noting that
- moreover / furthermore
- in today's digital world
- leverage (as verb)
- navigate the landscape
- embark on a journey
- Let's dive in / Let's get to it
**Tier 2 - Structural Tells:**
- Staccato fragments (3+ consecutive short declarative sentences)
- "This isn't X. It's Y." patterns
- Fabricated authority claims ("I keep meeting organizations where...")
- Manufactured personality (forced snark, fake war stories)
**Tier 3 - Watch in Clusters:**
- however / but as paragraph openers
- firstly / secondly / thirdly
- in conclusion / moving forward
- robust / seamless / scalable
**Structures that don't match your voice:**
- Passive voice
- Academic formality
- Corporate platitudes
- Hedging everything ("It might be argued that...")
EXAMPLES:
This (good): [Example from your writing]
Not this (generic): [What AI typically produces]
CONTEXT NOTES:
[Any situation-specific guidelines]How to Fill This In
TONE & STYLE — one sentence that captures your overall register. “Direct and conversational, occasionally blunt, never academic.” That level of specificity.
SENTENCE PATTERNS — describe your actual tendencies, not your aspirations. If you tend toward long sentences with lots of qualifications, document that. Don’t document the voice you wish you had.
DISTINCTIVE ELEMENTS — phrases you actually use, not phrases you think you use. Go back to your writing samples from Step 1 and look for patterns. What words come up repeatedly? How do you open paragraphs? How do you close sections?
FORBIDDEN LIST — keep the pre-populated list and add your own. Every time you catch yourself fixing something specific in AI output, add it here. This list grows over time and gets more useful as it does.
EXAMPLES — this is the most valuable section and the one most people skip. Pick one “good” example from your actual writing and one generic AI version of the same idea. Concrete contrast beats abstract description every time.
CONTEXT NOTES — add anything situation-specific. Different platform? Different audience? Different register for technical vs. personal content? Document it here.
Keeping It Current
Set a monthly reminder to review your style guide. Read three recent pieces you wrote with AI assistance. Does the guide still capture what you’re doing? What’s drifted?
Every three months, gather new writing samples and run the voice analysis prompt again. Compare the output to your existing guide. Your voice evolves — your guide should too.
The goal is a living document that gets more accurate over time, not a static template you set and forget.