Writing philosophy — Intrinsic Value
One page. Every IV product. Decide once; reuse forever.
References: William Zinsser (On Writing Well) · Ken Segall (Insanely Simple) · Warren Buffett (shareholder letters) · Strunk & White (The Elements of Style).
Stephen King's On Writing is useful for process (write daily, cut in revision) — not for company voice.
Center: Zinsser + Segall
Zinsser is how you write. Segall is what you choose to show.
Zinsser — clarity on the page
| Principle | In practice |
|---|---|
| Clarity over cleverness | Say what the product does. No metaphor stacks. |
| Remove clutter | Every word earns its place. If you can cut it, cut it. |
| Fewest words | Especially buttons, titles, subject lines. |
| Human to human | Write like you're speaking to one person who is smart and tired. |
| Respect time | Short first; details on tap or in a second paragraph. |
Clutter is the disease. Startup copy dies when it sounds like a pitch deck:
| Clutter | Clear |
|---|---|
| Revolutionizing meal decisioning through AI-powered personalization | Decide what to eat |
| Intelligent food companion | A notebook for your food life |
| Seamlessly sync across devices | Your library on every device |
Segall — simplicity as discipline
Insanely Simple is the Apple lesson: simplicity isn't minimal words alone — it's brutal focus. One message. One job per screen. Courage to leave things out.
| Principle | In practice |
|---|---|
| One thing | Each screen, email, or hero block does one job. Not three value props fighting for air. |
| Say no | If copy explains a feature the user didn't ask for yet, delete the feature from this moment — or tuck it one tap away. |
| Simple > clever | The elegant line beats the witty line. Tasteful's "Mostly a notebook for food" beats a manifesto. |
| Start with the user’s question | "What should I eat?" before "Here's everything our platform does." |
| One primary action | Empty states, sheets, onboarding: one glass-prominent CTA. Secondary only when truly parallel. |
| Subtract before polish | Don't Strunk-polish a paragraph that shouldn't exist. Segall first: should this block be here? |
| Segall drift | Insanely simple |
|---|---|
| Hero + 5 bullets + 3 principles + waitlist + social proof | Hero + one subhead + one action |
| Settings screen that teaches the algorithm | Settings that change behavior; "why" on tap |
| "Import, sync, plan, suggest, share, and discover" | "Save meals. Decide what to eat." |
| Two equally loud buttons | One primary; the other quiet or absent |
Segall and Liquid Glass align: system UI rewards focus. Hand-rolled chrome and hand-rolled copy both fight the same battle — noise.
Trust: Buffett
Use when you ask for money, data, permanence, or forgiveness.
| Principle | In practice |
|---|---|
| Explain simply | Teach one idea per paragraph. |
| No jargon shields | Never hide behind "sync failed" without saying what's safe locally. |
| Examples over abstractions | "$10 a year. Your whole household." not "affordable pricing tier." |
| Intelligent non-expert | Write for a smart sibling, not an engineer or investor. |
| Candor | Say what can't be undone. Say what we don't sell. |
| Understated | Confidence without exclamation marks. |
See TRUST_COPY.md for delete confirms, sync errors, pricing, and email shape.
Editor: Strunk & White
Use on every sentence that survives Segall.
| Rule | Application |
|---|---|
| Omit needless words | Headlines, buttons, nav, alerts |
| Active voice | "Meal saved." not "Your meal has been successfully saved." |
| Positive form | "Add a few meals first." not "Nothing to suggest yet." |
| Concrete nouns | "Recipe" not "content asset" |
| One idea | One thought per sentence (Segall: one thought per surface) |
How the four work together
Segall → Should this exist? One job? One CTA?
Zinsser → Does it sound human and clear?
Strunk → Can every remaining word go?
Buffett → Money, data, delete, sync — candor?
Order for new copy: Segall → Zinsser → Strunk. Buffett when the moment demands trust.
What we are not
- A wellness journey app
- An engagement-optimized feed
- An AI demo wearing a food costume
- A recipe SEO site with extra steps
No enshittification applies to tone company-wide (principles/UNIVERSAL.md).
Stack (how the docs fit)
WRITING_PHILOSOPHY.md ← you are here (why)
COPY_STANDARDS.md ← mechanics (how every string is shaped)
TRUST_COPY.md ← money / data / delete / sync / email
REVIEW_PASSES.md ← four passes + surface inventory method
ENTITY_NAMES.md ← locked nouns (index)
products/<app>.md ← personality + do/don't per product
Ship gate (all products)
Before merging user-facing copy:
- Segall: One job for this surface? One primary action? Anything to remove entirely?
- Zinsser: Read aloud — kitchen table / calm email?
- Strunk: Cut 20% if you can.
- Buffett: If money, delete, sync, or PII — candor check.
- No banned words (
COPY_STANDARDS.md). - Entity names match
ENTITY_NAMES.md+ product sheet.