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pg-writer

Write and score essays in Paul Graham's voice using stylometric analysis.

8|1|Updated Feb 17, 2026
Search Tags:#writing style#prose analysis#essay writing#ghostwriting#paul graham#stylometry#voice imitation
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/jaredpalmer/skills --skill pg-writer-jaredpalmer
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: pg-writer
Source: https://github.com/jaredpalmer/skills/tree/main/pg-writer
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/jaredpalmer/skills --skill pg-writer-jaredpalmer

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill requires cheerio, turndown, and includes scripts (resource) and references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve? Writing in a specific author's voice usually produces parody or generic polished prose. This Skill turns topics, braindumps, notes, or rough drafts into essays that match Paul Graham's reasoning style and measured writing habits, then verifies the result against statistics from 219 of his real essays. ## Core Features & Use Cases - PG-style ghostwriting: Generates fresh essays, converts braindumps into essays, and rewrites drafts or blog posts in Paul Graham's voice while preserving the user's claims. - Stylometric scorer: Runs scripts/analyze_essay.py to compare a draft against PG's measured distributions (function-word frequencies, sentence rhythm, paragraph structure, AI tells) and quotes the offending sentences. - Corpus tooling: Includes scripts to download PG essays, normalize them, and rebuild the statistical profile used for scoring. - Use Case: A founder pastes rough notes about why AI makes domain expertise more valuable and asks for a PG-style essay; the Skill drafts it in plain spoken English, then scores and revises it until it falls within PG's measured ranges. ## Quick Start Ask the AI to write a Paul Graham-style essay about your topic or to turn your attached notes into a PG-style essay, then have it run the scorer on the draft.

Frequently Asked Questions about pg-writer

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I write an essay in Paul Graham's style?▼

Provide a topic, braindump, or rough draft and ask for a PG-style essay. The Skill reads verified style samples, finds a surprising question to explore, drafts in plain spoken English, then runs scripts/analyze_essay.py to check the result against PG's measured habits.

How does the Paul Graham essay scorer work?▼

Run python3 scripts/analyze_essay.py on your draft file. It compares the text against chunks of 219 real PG essays, scoring function-word stylometry, sentence rhythm, paragraph structure, and common AI tells, quoting the specific sentences that fall outside PG's range.

Can it rewrite my existing blog post in PG style?▼

Yes. It keeps your core claims and useful examples but rethinks the structure, moving the real argument to the front and cutting throat-clearing and jargon. It writes in your first person without inventing anecdotes or borrowing PG's biography.

What score should a PG-style essay reach on the analyzer?▼

Held-out real PG essays mostly score 80 to 100, so drafts should target at least the high 70s with no FAILs in the tells group. The score is a smoke alarm for slop, not a quality target, since it cannot judge whether the essay has a real idea.

When should I not use Paul Graham style writing?▼

Do not use it for ordinary editing, factual questions about Paul Graham, or generic essay help where his voice is not specifically wanted. It is also unsuitable when you need invented personal anecdotes, since the Skill refuses to fabricate stories or events.

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