mind-writing-style
Use when drafting or polishing the prose of a Mind article so the argument is maximally clear to a broad philosophical readership within the ~8,000-word limit. Mind asks that even technical material be accompanied by informal exposition. Tightens sentences and clarity; it does not generate the argument (see mind-thesis-and-argument).
Profile →npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill mind-writing-style --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# Writing Style (mind-writing-style) Mind prizes prose that makes a rigorous argument **easy to follow**. Authors are explicitly asked to present arguments so they are **accessible to a broad readership among philosophers**, and where technical material appears, to **accompany it with informal exposition**. This skill is about clarity and economy at the sentence level — not about generating claims (that is `mind-thesis-and-argument`). ## When to trigger - Drafting the introduction or doing a final clarity pass - A reader said the prose is "dense," "hard to follow," or "only specialists can read it" - A formal passage needs an informal gloss - Over the word limit and needing to cut words without losing the argument ## Write for a broad philosophical readership 1. **Plain, exact prose.** Short declarative sentences for the key moves. Say the claim, then support it. Avoid ornament that hides the inference. 2. **Gloss every technicality.** When you introduce symbolism, a formal definition, or a term of art, immediately restate the point in ordinary language. A philosopher outside your subfield should follow the argument. 3. **Argument-first sentences.** Lead with the claim, then the re
- When to trigger
- Write for a broad philosophical readership
- Mechanics
- Fit the ~8,000-word limit
- Anti-patterns
- Style execution pass for Mind
- Output format
- Supplementary resources
What does the mind-writing-style skill do?
Use when drafting or polishing the prose of a Mind article so the argument is maximally clear to a broad philosophical readership within the ~8,000-word limit. Mind asks that even technical material be accompanied by informal exposition. Tightens sentences and clarity; it does not generate the argument (see mind-thesis-and-argument).
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill mind-writing-style --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills, a repository with 909 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.