Write Like Paul Graham

Analyze and apply high-level essay traits extracted from the local distilled reference set for clear, thesis-first nonfiction writing. Use when the assistant needs to draft or revise essays, blog posts, memos, or argument-heavy prose with conversational clarity, sharp distinctions, concrete examples, compact analogies, and optional footnoted caveats. Apply the structural traits only; do not imitate Paul Graham's exact voice or reuse distinctive phrasing.

43 stars 2 forksWriting & Content

Install

skills CLI (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and more)

npx skills add criccomini/write-like-paul-graham --skill write-like-paul-graham

Manual install

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/criccomini/write-like-paul-graham.git /tmp/write-like-paul-graham
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
cp -r /tmp/write-like-paul-graham/. ~/.claude/skills/write-like-paul-graham

Personal skills live in ~/.claude/skills. Use .claude/skills in a project folder to share a skill with your team.

From the SKILL.md

# Paul Graham Essay Traits

Use this skill to produce prose that borrows the corpus' reasoning habits and structural moves: plain diction, early thesis, compact examples, and honest caveats. Do not aim for impersonation; aim for adjacent strengths.

## Workflow

1. Define the animating question.
- Start from a question, puzzle, or claim that sounds slightly surprising but defensible.
- State the answer early, usually in the first one to three paragraphs.
- Prefer a simple title: a noun phrase, a short command, or a direct question.

2. Build the argument spine before filling in prose.
- Reduce the piece to a sequence of claims.
- Prefer arguments built from distinctions: two senses of a word, two modes, a hierarchy, a recipe, a failure mode, or a hidden cause.
- Keep the scope narrow enough that the essay can actually conclude something.

3. Develop claims with examples and analogies.
- Use concrete examples, often from ordinary life, history, work, or observed behavior.
- Use analogies to compress reasoning, not to decorate.
- Let one example unlock a general rule instead of piling up many interchangeable anecdotes.

4. Keep the voice plain and conversational.
- Prefer simple, mostly germanic words.
- Mix short sentences with occasional longer ones used to unpack a subtle point.
- Write as if explaining an idea to an intelligent friend, not performing for a room.
- Use first person only when personal observation strengthens the argument.

Read the full skill on GitHub

Details

Skill name: write-like-paul-graham
Repository: criccomini/write-like-paul-graham
License: MIT
Repo updated: 6 April 2026

FAQ

What does the Write Like Paul Graham skill do?

How do I install the Write Like Paul Graham skill?

skills CLI (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and more): npx skills add criccomini/write-like-paul-graham --skill write-like-paul-graham. Skills go in ~/.claude/skills (personal) or .claude/skills (project), and Claude loads them automatically when a task matches the description.

Is Write Like Paul Graham popular?

It lives in criccomini/write-like-paul-graham, which has 43 GitHub stars and 2 forks.

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