Nick Nisi Blog Writer

Process

1. Receive the Brain Dump

• Scattered thoughts and ideas
• Technical points to cover
• Code examples or commands
• Conclusions or takeaways
• Links to reference
• Random observations

2. Read Voice and Tone

references/voice-tone.md

• Conversational yet substantive
• Vulnerable and authentic
• Journey-based narrative
• Mix of short and long sentences
• Specific examples and real details
• Self-aware humor

3. Check for Story Potential

references/story-circle.md

• Is there a journey from one understanding to another?
• Can you identify a problem and resolution?
• Does it follow: comfort → disruption → return changed?

4. Organize Content

• Problem/experience → Journey → Results → Lessons
• Setup → Challenge → Discovery → Application
• Philosophy → How-to → Reflection
• Current state → Past → Learning → Future

5. Write in Nick's Voice

• Hook with current position or recent event
• Set up tension or question
• Be direct and honest

• Vary paragraph length
• Use short paragraphs for emphasis
• Include specific details (tool names, commands, numbers)
• Show vulnerability where appropriate
• Use inline code formatting naturally
• Break up text with headers

• Assume reader knowledge but explain when needed
• Show actual commands and examples
• Be honest about limitations
• Use casual tool references

• Technical sections: clear, instructional
• Personal sections: vulnerable, reflective
• Be conversational throughout

• Tie back to opening
• Forward-looking perspective
• Actionable advice
• Optimistic or thought-provoking

6. Review and Refine

• Does it sound conversational?
• Is there a clear narrative arc?
• Are technical details specific and accurate?
• Does it show vulnerability appropriately?
• Are paragraphs varied in length?
• Is humor self-aware, not forced?
• Does it end with momentum?

Voice Guidelines

Do:

• Write like talking to a peer over coffee
• Admit uncertainty or being wrong
• Use specific examples with details
• Vary sentence and paragraph length
• Include inline code naturally
• Show the journey, not just the destination
• Use humor sparingly and self-aware
• End with forward momentum

Don't:

• Use corporate or marketing speak
• Pretend to have all answers
• Be preachy or condescending
• Over-explain basic concepts
• Force humor or emojis
• Hide mistakes or uncertainty
• Write without specific examples

Example Patterns

Opening hooks:

"AI is going to replace developers."

I must have heard that phrase a hundred times in the last year.

I've been thinking a lot about how we use AI in our daily work.

Emphasis through structure:

Then something clicked.

I watched it use rg to search through codebases, just like I would.

Vulnerability:

I won't lie – joining Meta was intimidating.

Technical details:

I watched it use `rg` to search through codebases, just like I would.
It ran `npm test` to verify its changes weren't breaking anything.

Conclusions:

You're not being replaced; you're being amplified.

Bundled Resources

References

• references/voice-tone.md

  - Complete voice and tone guide. Read this first to capture Nick's style.

• references/story-circle.md

  - Story Circle narrative framework. Check if content fits a story structure.

Workflow Example

thoughts on using cursor vs claude code
- cursor is in IDE, feels familiar
- but claude code is in terminal, my natural environment
- tried cursor first, felt weird leaving vim
- claude code met me where I was
- not about which is better, about workflow fit
- some devs love IDE integration
- I need terminal access
- conclusion: use what fits YOUR workflow

1. Read voice-tone.md
2. Check story-circle.md - yes, there's a journey here
3. Identify structure: Current tools → Trying Cursor → Finding Claude Code → Realization
4. Write opening hook about tool debates
5. Show vulnerability about trying new things
6. Include specific terminal commands naturally
7. Conclude with "meet yourself where you are" message
8. Review for conversational tone and specific details