Module 4 · Lesson 4.4

Build a One-Page Personal Style Sheet

2 min read · Updated

Publishers keep style sheets so that every writer on a magazine spells, punctuates and formats things the same way. A personal style sheet does the same job for you. It's one page that describes how you write, which you can paste into any AI tool or keep as standing instructions.

This lesson pulls together everything from Modules 2 and 4 into that page.

The six sections

Section What goes in it Comes from
1. Who I write forYour usual readers and what they needYour own job and goals
2. How I sound5 to 8 plain sentences about your voiceLesson 4.1
3. Sentences and structureLength, openers, endings, paragraph sizeLesson 3.2
4. Words I useYour everyday words and phrasesLesson 4.2
5. NeverBanned words, habits and formatsLesson 2.3
6. Facts and honestyRules about sources, numbers and gapsLesson 3.3

The template

Copy this, fill in the brackets and delete anything that doesn't apply. Keep the finished version under 300 words.

MY STYLE SHEET 1. Who I write for [e.g. Small business owners who are busy and skeptical of hype. They read on their phones.] 2. How I sound [e.g. Friendly but direct. I get to the point in the first sentence. Dry humor, rarely. I sound like someone who has done the work, not someone selling it.] 3. Sentences and structure - Most sentences under 18 words. At least one under 8 in each paragraph. - Paragraphs of 1 to 4 sentences. - Open with [the point / a story / a question]. - End with [a next step / a recommendation], never a summary. - Contractions always. 4. Words I use [e.g. honestly, a bit, sorted, the thing is, worth it] 5. Never - Words: [your list + the banned list from lesson 2.3] - No em dashes. No exclamation marks at work. - No "Moreover", "Furthermore", "In conclusion". - No lists of three by habit. 6. Facts and honesty - Use only facts I give you. Never invent numbers, quotes or sources. - If something is missing, write [GAP] and keep going. - If you're unsure what I mean, ask before writing.

Where to keep it

Most AI tools have a place for standing instructions that apply to every chat. They go by names like custom instructions, projects or saved styles. Put your style sheet there and you won't have to paste it each time.

Keep a copy in a notes app as well. You'll want it when you switch tools, and you'll edit it over time. If you use several voices, for example one for work and one for a personal blog, make a separate sheet for each.

Keep it alive

A style sheet isn't finished on day one. Every time you edit an AI draft and catch the same problem twice, add a line to the sheet. Every month or so, read it through and remove lines the model already follows.

The test of a good style sheet: an AI draft written with it needs only the last two passes of the 10-minute edit, adding specifics and reading aloud. The word hunt and transition cleanup should already be done for you.
Try this

Fill in the template and save it in your main AI tool. Ask it to write something you need this week. Paste the result into the AI detector. If the vocabulary or transition signals are still high, the "Never" section needs to be more specific. That's Module 4 done. Module 5 applies all of this to specific formats.