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skills/blog-post-writer/references/story-circle.md

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+# Tech Talk Story Circle Framework
+
+The Story Circle is an eight-step framework adapted from Dan Harmon's storytelling technique. It structures tech talks to create engaging narratives.
+
+## The Eight Steps
+
+### 1. Introduction (You)
+
+**Top half - Order**
+
+Introduce yourself and the current status quo of your project.
+
+- Set the scene with the existing workflow or technology stack
+- Establish the baseline before disruption
+- Make the audience understand the familiar ground
+
+### 2. Problem Statement (Need)
+
+**Top half - Order**
+
+Identify and explain the problem you're trying to solve.
+
+- Clearly articulate what's not working
+- Help the audience feel the pain point
+- Create the motivation for change
+
+### 3. Exploration (Go)
+
+**Crossing to bottom half - Chaos**
+
+Describe the steps taken to address the problem.
+
+- What did you try?
+- What worked?
+- What didn't work?
+- Show the journey into the unknown
+
+### 4. Experimentation (Search)
+
+**Bottom half - Chaos**
+
+Detail the process of digging into the actual problem.
+
+- What did you learn?
+- What experiments did you run?
+- What discoveries did you make?
+- Share the messy middle of problem-solving
+
+### 5. Solution (Find)
+
+**Bottom half - Chaos**
+
+Explain how you found the solution or made progress.
+
+- Present the breakthrough moment
+- Show what finally clicked
+- Explain the technical approach that worked
+
+### 6. Challenges (Take)
+
+**Bottom half - Chaos**
+
+Discuss the actual implementation of the project.
+
+- Emphasize the disruption to the status quo
+- Share the difficulties and tradeoffs
+- Be honest about the cost of change
+
+### 7. Apply Knowledge (Return)
+
+**Crossing to top half - Order**
+
+Describe the results and how the solution was integrated.
+
+- Show how you brought the solution back to your project
+- Demonstrate the practical application
+- Return to the familiar with new tools
+
+### 8. Results & Insights (Change)
+
+**Top half - Order**
+
+Conclude with lessons learned and how things changed.
+
+- Share metrics or outcomes
+- Explain what changed in your workflow or perspective
+- Leave the audience with actionable insights
+
+## Structure Notes
+
+**Top half (steps 1, 2, 7, 8)**: Represents established practices and order
+**Bottom half (steps 3, 4, 5, 6)**: Represents disruption and experimentation
+
+The character (you) starts in the top half, enters the bottom half to experiment and disrupt, then returns to the top half with new knowledge, changing the status quo.
+
+## Example
+
+From "Unleashing the TypeScript Compiler":
+
+1. Status quo of a TypeScript/React project using Material-UI
+2. Challenges faced with the project
+3. Solutions tried to work around issues
+4. Exploring the TypeScript compiler and codemods
+5. Using new knowledge to solve problems
+6. Challenges implementing the solution for every scenario
+7. Applying knowledge to the project
+8. Results and changed team perspective on codemods

skills/blog-post-writer/references/voice-tone.md

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+# Nick Nisi's Voice and Tone
+
+Captured from analyzing posts at nicknisi.com
+
+## Core Writing Characteristics
+
+### Voice
+
+Personal, authentic, conversational yet thoughtful. Nick writes like he's having a one-on-one conversation with a peer developer over coffee.
+
+### Vulnerability
+
+Nick isn't afraid to admit uncertainty, fear, or being wrong. He shares his journey from skepticism to understanding.
+
+Examples:
+
+- "I was wrong, but not in the way I feared."
+- "I won't lie – joining Meta was intimidating."
+- "That night in my hotel room, I couldn't sleep."
+- "Looking at my interviewers' backgrounds... it was hard not to feel like an outsider."
+
+### Narrative Structure
+
+Posts often follow a journey: initial position → experience/challenge → realization → new understanding. He builds tension and resolves it.
+
+### Sentence Style
+
+- Mix of short punchy sentences and longer explanatory ones
+- Uses fragments for emphasis
+- Varies paragraph length for rhythm
+- Short paragraphs for key moments: "🤯" stands alone, "That changed everything." gets its own paragraph
+
+### Specific Phrases and Patterns
+
+**Opening hooks:**
+
+- Sets up expectations then challenges them
+- Often starts with current position or recent event
+- "I've been thinking a lot about..."
+- "Want to dive in? [Links]" (practical calls to action upfront)
+
+**Transitions:**
+
+- "Here's what I've learned..."
+- "The strange part?"
+- "Let's talk about..."
+- "But beneath the apprehension..."
+
+**Emphasis techniques:**
+
+- Single-line paragraphs for impact
+- Emojis used sparingly but effectively (🤯, 😂)
+- Italics for internal thoughts or emphasis
+- Bold for key concepts
+
+**Metaphors and analogies:**
+
+- Technical concepts explained through relatable comparisons
+- "Like cooking with your eyes closed"
+- "The developers who insist on writing every line by hand are like accountants refusing to use spreadsheets"
+- "It was a pair programmer who spoke fluent bash"
+
+### Technical Writing Style
+
+**Code and tools:**
+
+- Mentions specific tools naturally (vim, tmux, rg, npm)
+- Shows actual commands and code when relevant
+- Explains technical decisions without over-explaining
+- Assumes reader has technical knowledge but explains when needed
+
+**Examples:**
+
+- Inline code formatting: `CLAUDE.md`, `git`, `npm test`
+- Commands shown naturally in prose
+- Tool names used casually: "I watched it use rg to search through codebases"
+
+### Honesty About Limitations
+
+Nick admits when things aren't perfect:
+
+- "The PRs it generated weren't perfect. But they worked. Somewhat."
+- "Would I ship our vibe-coded GitHub Action to production? No way."
+- "Not perfect, not production-ready, but working."
+
+### Self-Awareness and Humor
+
+Light self-deprecation and humor:
+
+- "(except maybe 'Why doesn't Nick use VS Code?' 😉)"
+- "One of my favorite memories? Getting texts from friends asking why my face kept showing up in their Instagram feeds."
+- "I like to think I brought a certain… charm to people's social media experience."
+- Acknowledging his tooling preferences with humor
+
+### Structure Patterns
+
+**Sections often use:**
+
+- Clear headers that are descriptive
+- Lists with explanations
+- Tables when comparing options
+- Code examples with context
+- Pull quotes or emphasized text
+
+**Common section patterns:**
+
+- The Setup/Problem → The Journey → The Results → Lessons Learned
+- Philosophy sections: "Here's what I've learned..."
+- How-to sections with practical steps
+- Reflection sections: "Looking back..."
+
+### Conclusions
+
+Endings often:
+
+- Tie back to opening tension or question
+- Offer forward-looking perspective
+- Include actionable advice
+- End on optimistic or thought-provoking note
+
+Examples:
+
+- "The party isn't over – we're just changing the runtime!"
+- "That week, I learned to code with my eyes wide shut. The strange part? I've never seen more clearly where we're headed."
+- "You're not being replaced; you're being amplified."
+
+### Authenticity Markers
+
+**Real examples:**
+
+- Specific projects and PRs with links
+- Actual teammates mentioned by name
+- Real events (MCP Night, onsite meetings)
+- Concrete details (5,000 lines of TypeScript, two hours, 600 developers)
+
+**Acknowledges help:**
+
+- "Thanks to John Christopher for reviewing this post."
+- Credits teammates and collaborators
+
+### Tone Shifts
+
+Nick modulates tone based on content:
+
+- **Technical tutorials**: Clear, instructional, still conversational
+- **Personal reflections**: Vulnerable, thoughtful
+- **Tool reviews**: Enthusiastic but honest
+- **Career stories**: Reflective, self-aware
+
+### What to Avoid
+
+- Corporate speak or marketing language
+- Overly formal academic tone
+- Pretending to have all the answers
+- Dismissing reader concerns
+- Being preachy or condescending
+- Hiding uncertainty or mistakes
+
+### Key Principles
+
+1. Be conversational but substantive
+2. Share the journey, not just the destination
+3. Admit when you're uncertain or learning
+4. Use specific details and real examples
+5. Balance technical depth with accessibility
+6. End with forward momentum
+7. Write for a peer, not a student
+8. Show vulnerability builds credibility
+9. Humor works when it's self-aware
+10. Practical value matters