23h • General discussion
Your 20-Minute Voice Homework (Actually Do This One)
You know that thing where you ask AI to "write in your voice" and it produces something that technically uses words you might use but sounds like a corporate LinkedIn influencer possessed your keyboard?
That's not an AI problem. That's a you problem.
(I say this with love. And maybe three drinks. Mostly love.)
AI can't follow patterns you haven't documented. When you say "write like me," AI has nothing to work with. So it guesses. Badly. Same structures, same rhythms, same soul-sucking monotony it uses for everyone else. The written equivalent of beige paint.
The fix isn't better prompts. It's better inputs.
Enter: The Tempo Extraction Exercise
Tempo is one of four layers in VAST (Vocabulary, Architecture, Stance, Tempo). It's the most tangible. The layer where you can literally count patterns instead of gesturing vaguely at "vibes" like you're describing a coffee shop's aesthetic.
I published the full exercise on Substack, but here's the actionable version for those of you who actually do the work. (All twelve of you. I see you.)
THE EXERCISE (20 minutes, 3 parts)
Part 1: Sentence Length Distribution (7 min)
Grab 3 pieces of your writing. 500+ words each. Count sentences in each bucket:
Short: 1-7 words
Medium: 8-18 words
Long: 19+ words
Calculate your rough ratio across all three samples.
Mine: 35% short, 50% medium, 15% long.
This ratio tells AI what rhythm to target. Without it? Monotonous medium-length sentences that put readers to sleep. (AI defaults to medium the way middle managers default to "let's circle back.")
Part 2: Sentence Starters (6 min)
List the first word of every sentence in your samples. Look for repetition.
Common patterns:
🧉 "I" = first-person dominant
🧉 "But/And/So" = conjunction starters (conversational energy)
🧉 "The" = noun-leading, content-focused
🧉 Verbs = command/imperative style
Your top 3-4 starters are your defaults.
Document them.
Mine lean heavy on conjunction starters. "But" and "And" everywhere. English teachers hate me. Readers don't seem to mind.
Part 3: Signature Structures (7 min)
This is where it gets interesting.
Scan for repeated sentence shapes:
The Fragment Punch:
Short sentence. Fragment. Another fragment. Then explanation.
The Parenthetical Aside:
Main point (with tangent tucked inside) continues here.
The Colon Setup:
Setup statement: payoff follows.
The Contrast Pivot:
One thing is true. But the opposite thing.
The Question-Answer:
Rhetorical question? Immediate answer.
The Rule of Three:
First thing. Second thing. Third thing.
Identify your top 2-3. These are your fingerprints. The patterns readers feel even when they can't name what they're feeling.
(I lean hard on parenthetical asides. Probably too hard. It's a problem I'm aware of but haven't fixed because I kind of like it.)
YOUR HOMEWORK
Do the exercise. Actually do it. 20 minutes. You have 20 minutes. I know you spent longer than that doom-scrolling today.
Document your findings:
🧉 Length ratio: ___% short, ___% medium, ___% long
🧉 Top starter words
🧉 2-3 signature structures with examples
Post your Tempo Profile in the comments below.
I'm building a collection to see what patterns cluster together. Already have a hypothesis that heavy parenthetical users also lean toward conjunction starters. Let's test it.
RESOURCES
Full article with deeper explanations: The 20-Minute Exercise That Reveals How You Actually Write
Free Tempo Extraction Worksheet (PDF):
Included in the article. One-page exercise, fillable template, signature structures reference card, AI prompt template ready to paste.
Grab it. Print it. Do the work with a pen in hand.
Voice isn't mystical. It's mechanical. And mechanics can be documented, taught, and replicated.
You can't automate that recognition. You can only earn it.
By being more you than AI knows how to be.
Now stop reading and start counting sentences. What surprised you most about your patterns? Drop your Tempo Profile below. Especially if you discovered a signature structure that's not on my list.
(I want to steal it.)
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Your 20-Minute Voice Homework (Actually Do This One)
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