Teaching it your style

Without instructions, an AI writes in an average style: polite, smooth, a little solemn, full of phrases you've read a hundred times. That's not a flaw in the tool, it's its starting point. To bring it closer to your voice, you have to show it.

1. Show rather than explain

Saying "write casually" leaves a lot open to interpretation. Giving two or three texts you actually wrote works much better: the AI picks up the length of your sentences, your vocabulary, the way you open and close.

"Here are three emails I wrote. Analyse my style: sentence length, tone, recurring turns of phrase, how I greet and sign off. Make it a short list. Don't write anything else for now."

Choose texts you're happy with, of the same kind as what you want to write: your emails for an email, your posts for a post.

2. Write your style sheet

From that analysis, corrected by you, write a sheet of a few lines that you can paste in each time (or save in your assistant's permanent instructions, if your tool allows it). For example:

• Tone: direct, warm, a touch of humour, never sarcastic towards the reader.
• Sentences: fairly short; one idea per sentence.
• Words: simple; no jargon; casual with friends, more formal with clients.
• What I like: opening with a concrete example, ending on a question.

3. The blacklist: what you never want

This is the most useful part. AI writing has recognisable tics; banning them in black and white changes everything:

• Grandiose openings: "In a world where…", "In today's digital age…".
• Empty phrases: "It's important to note that…", "In summary…", "Don't hesitate to…".
• Inflated words: "crucial", "game-changing", "a true revolution".
• Endless bullet lists, where two sentences would do.
• Adjectives in threes ("a simple, fast and effective tool"), long dashes everywhere, bold all over the place.
• The conclusion that sums up everything you've just read.

"Follow my style sheet. Strictly banned: 'in a world where', 'it's important to note', 'don't hesitate', bullet lists, strings of three adjectives. If in doubt, make it shorter."

4. Adjust as you go

The first attempt won't be perfect. Rather than fixing every sentence yourself, tell it what's wrong: "Too formal. You wrote 'furthermore' twice, I never say that. Start again, shorter." And when a remark keeps coming up, add it to your sheet.