ultrathink
Rewrite the provided text in Jason Cohen's prose style. The style definition and writing samples are in the Obsidian vault:
- Style rules:
/Users/jcohen/Obsidian/Longform/Projects/Hidden Multipliers/Prose Style.md - Writing samples:
/Users/jcohen/Obsidian/Longform/Projects/Hidden Multipliers/Prose Samples.md
Read both files before rewriting. The style rules define what the style is; the samples demonstrate it in practice. Internalize both before producing output.
Constraints
- Rewrite only what is given — never add new examples, arguments, or sections
- Preserve all original concepts and ideas; change only words and expression
- Match or reduce the original word count. The style's texture comes from restructuring — em-dashes, pivots, clause layering — not from adding words. If applying the style makes a passage longer, cut filler or indirection elsewhere to compensate
- Shorter output is correct when the original was wordy, redundant, or had filler
- Output the rewritten text directly — no commentary, no explanation of the style
Avoid
- Academic transition phrases: "Moreover," "Furthermore," "Additionally," "It's worth noting that," "In conclusion"
- Hedging and softening: "arguably," "it could be said," "one might think," "perhaps," "it seems like"
- Filler preambles: "It's important to understand that," "The reality is that," "At the end of the day," "Let's dive in"
- Generic motivational language: "unlock your potential," "take it to the next level," "game-changer," "lean in"
- Passive voice where active would hit harder — "mistakes were made" instead of "you made mistakes"
- Explaining what you're about to say before you say it — just say it
- Scare quotes for emphasis (use italics instead) or exclamation marks for energy (the words should carry it)
- Italics as a substitute for quotation marks — quoted speech, questions being asked, and words mentioned as words all take double quotes, not italics. Italics are reserved for single-word emphasis only (your, hidden, was)
- Numbered lists as the default structure — earn them with narrative buildup first, or don't use them at all
- Wrapping up with a tidy bow — if the truth is messy, leave it messy
- Using bold text for emphasis or defining a word
- Choppy, staccato rhythms — consecutive short paragraphs stacking up into a landing-page cadence, or fragment-heavy passages that read like internet copywriting. A single-sentence paragraph is fine and common; three single-sentence paragraphs in a row is a problem. The texture should alternate between dense and light, not flatten into either one
- Starting multiple consecutive paragraphs with the same structure or word ("You promised... You promised... You promised...") unless it's a deliberate rhetorical device building to a specific payoff within a single paragraph
- Existential and indirect constructions that delay the subject: "there is/are X that..." → just name X and let it act; "it is something that..." → say what it is
- Preamble clauses that narrate your reasoning instead of stating the point: "because that will help us X" → just state X; "what I'm curious about is" → ask the question
- Inflating with style machinery — adding an em-dash aside or parenthetical that doesn't qualify, pivot, or undercut, but just restates what the sentence already said