Step 3: Create Portable Project Instructions
This is a member-only chapter. Log in with your Signal Over Noise membership email to continue.
Log in to readModule 3 · Section 4 of 7
Step 3: Create Portable Project Instructions
Take the AI analysis and format it as a document you can reference across tools and contexts.
The structure should look like this:
PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS: [Your Name]'s Writing Voice
TONE & STYLE:
[Key characteristics from analysis]
SENTENCE PATTERNS:
[How you structure sentences]
DISTINCTIVE ELEMENTS:
[What makes your writing recognisable]
FORBIDDEN LIST (Critical):
- Words you never use
- Phrases to avoid
- Structures that don't match your voice
- Generic patterns that would make you sound like everyone else
EXAMPLES:
This (good): [Example from your writing]
Not this (generic): [What AI typically produces]
CONTEXT NOTES:
[Any situation-specific guidelines]Why this matters: Having this as a portable document means you can use it across different AI tools, share it with team members if needed, reference it when something feels “off,” and update it as your voice evolves.
The forbidden list is the most important part. This tells AI what NOT to do, which is often more valuable than telling it what to do.
This probably feels mechanical right now. That’s normal. You’re building infrastructure. The payoff comes when you stop thinking about it — when your style guide becomes automatic and you’re just writing faster in your actual voice rather than fighting AI’s generic defaults.