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I don’t write this blog in the same style that I write my academic papers. I guess that’s obvious. Different audiences, different purposes.
Sometimes people ask me about the differences between academic writing and blogging and I do have an answer. But I did also recently ask AI Claude to analyse my blog writing style on the off-chance I was missing something. And yes. I confess. I was also secretly wondering if Claude would be able to draft the occasional blog post.
Spoiler alert, no. NO. There’s more to a blog post than style and when it comes to questions of writing and research, my Claude veers to the quite conservative. It’d take a fair bit of time for me to teach it otherwise. Or I’d have to give it a lot of speech-to-text material to do what’s required. Life’s too short. And given I quite like writing patter, I think I’ll continue to blog unaided.
But back to the story. I fed Claude a number of patter posts and waited the mandatory ten or so seconds. A page of analysis appeared. And I did find it interesting. So I’m going to share what I got back.
Core Style Characteristics
Voice & Tone
- Conversational yet authoritative: Speaks directly to readers as peers, not students
- Warm but practical: Empathetic about struggles while offering concrete solutions
- Honest and frank: Acknowledges problems directly without sugar-coating
- Personal but not overly intimate: Uses “I” and personal anecdotes strategically
Structure & Flow
- Builds arguments progressively: Each paragraph advances the central idea
- Uses clear signposting: “Now,” “However,” “And importantly,” “But the questions I get…”
- Employs setup-and-payoff: Establishes context before delivering key points
- Links ideas through repetition: Key concepts echo across sentences and paragraphs
Language Patterns
- Accessible academic language: Sophisticated without being pretentious
- Strategic use of emphasis: Bold text for key concepts, italics for examples
- Varied sentence length: Mixes short punchy statements with longer explanatory sentences
- Real-world examples: Concrete scenarios that readers can relate to
Key Phrases That Signal This Style
- “Now, in some disciplines…”
- “However, it is equally important…”
- “But the questions I get…”
- “This behaviour is all kinds of wrong”
- “And don’t just take my word for this”
- “You’d think that…”
- “Well, you can see that…”
- “Of course there are infinite variations…”
- “It’s OK to feel…”
- “The most common advice…”
Well that’s not bad and it is quite like the answers I give to the how-to-write-a-blog-post question. But it is a typical Claude list with a load of bullet points. Mostly I hate lists and have to instruct Claude not to make them. In this case it’s OK.
I was going to get Claude to analyse a load of my academic writing and compare it to the blog, but it was rather preoccupied and refused. I had exceeded the capacity of the chat. So I’ll save that for another day. But I did ask Claude what kind of prompt I would need to give it to write like me. Well the blogger me. Just in case.
Here’s the answer. This list may also a bit useful if you’re interested in the stance you might take when writing any kind of academic advice.
Prompt 1: The Conversational Authority Write about [your topic] as if you’re an experienced colleague talking to someone facing a real challenge. Start with acknowledgment of the problem, then build your argument through personal insight and practical examples. Use “I” when sharing experience, “you” when addressing the reader directly, and “we” when establishing shared understanding.
Prompt 2: The Progressive Build Structure your piece to move from big picture to specific application. Begin with the broader context or common misconception, then narrow down to the specific issue you’re addressing. End each paragraph by setting up the next idea, creating a logical flow that carries readers forward.
Prompt 3: The Honest Guide Write advice that acknowledges complexity rather than offering simple solutions. Use phrases like “This is all kinds of wrong,” “It’s not OK,” or “Well, you can see that…” to signal honest assessment. Include both what doesn’t work and why, alongside what does work and how.
Prompt 4: The Strategic Emphasis Use formatting deliberately: bold for key concepts you want readers to remember, italics for examples or emphasis, and normal text for explanation. Structure your paragraphs so the most important point often comes at the end, set up by everything before it.
Prompt 5: The Practical Connector Link abstract concepts to concrete reality through specific examples. When discussing principles, immediately follow with “For example…” or “This means that…” Connect back to the reader’s likely experience with phrases like “The questions I get…” or “Stories I read…”
Prompt 6: The Empathetic Expert Acknowledge the emotional reality of your topic. Use phrases like “It’s OK to feel conflicted,” “This might seem trivial,” or “You’d think that…” to validate reader concerns before providing guidance. Balance understanding with clear direction.
Prompt 7: The Resource-Rich Advisor Embed helpful resources naturally within your argument rather than listing them separately. Use phrases like “There are now any number of organisations which have outlined…” or “This is one version of how…” to introduce supporting materials as part of your narrative.
Prompt 8: The Contextual Framework Begin with the larger issue or debate, then position your specific contribution within it. Use phrases like “However, it is equally important…” or “But the questions I get…” to transition from general context to specific focus. Always circle back to show how your specific point serves the larger purpose.
Prompt 9: The Scenario-Based Teacher Use extended examples or case studies to illustrate principles. Present common situations your readers face, then walk through the implications and responses. Make the scenarios specific enough to be recognizable but general enough to apply broadly.
Prompt 10: The Methodical Unpacker Take complex topics and break them into understandable components. Use numbering or listing strategically, but embed these within flowing prose. Explain not just what to do, but why it matters and how the pieces connect to each other.
Well, thanks Claude. I guess this is helpful. I wouldn’t have thought of these categories and if I do ever have to explain again how blog writing is different from academic writing I could draw on them.
I just don’t think I’ll be using these prompts to generate patter posts.
Aside from this one, of course
