DNA Document Examples

Annotated examples showing what good Voice DNA Documents look like at different development levels.

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What Makes a Good DNA Document

Before the examples, here's what to aim for:

Specificity Over Generality

Bad: "Uses conversational tone" Good: "Direct address of reader ('you') at least once per paragraph. Never uses 'one' as formal substitute. Questions directed at reader for engagement, not rhetoric."

Examples Over Descriptions

Bad: "Favors short sentences" Good: "Short sentences (8-15 words typical), often ending paragraphs with punchy 4-7 word statements. Example: 'That changes everything.' 'Here's the thing.' 'It doesn't work.'"

Anti-Patterns Are Essential

A profile without anti-patterns is only half complete. What they DON'T do is as distinctive as what they do.

Ghost Writer Briefing Is Actionable

The briefing should be specific enough that the ghost writer can follow it without having read the full profile.

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Example 1: Minimum Viable Profile (Blog Writer)

This represents the minimum acceptable profile for basic ghost writing. Good enough to produce recognizable output, but would benefit from deeper development.

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Voice DNA: Alex Chen

Mode: Blog / Newsletter Version: 1 | Created: 2024-01-15 | Last Updated: 2024-01-15

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Quick Reference

Core Temperature: Warm but direct—friendly authority

Sentence Signature: Short punchy sentences. Rarely more than 15 words. Paragraphs often end with 4-7 word statements.

Distinctive Moves:

• Opens sections with one-word or two-word sentences
• Uses "Look," to begin paragraphs when getting serious
• Ends paragraphs with concrete statements, not abstractions

Never Does:

• Long sentences with multiple clauses
• Formal transitions ("Moreover," "Furthermore")
• Hedging phrases ("It might be argued that...")

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Voice Profile

Sentence Level Status: Developed

Short and direct. Average sentence length is 10-12 words. Rarely exceeds 20 words. Often uses sentence fragments for emphasis ("Wrong." "Exactly." "Here's why.").

Patterns:

• Punchy closers at paragraph ends
• One-word sentences for emphasis
• Avoids compound sentences with multiple "and" conjunctions

Punctuation Personality Status: Emerging

Uses em-dashes sparingly—for single dramatic pivots, not pairs. No semicolons. Light on commas.

Word Choice & Vocabulary Status: Developed

Anglo-Saxon preference: "start" not "commence," "help" not "facilitate," "end" not "terminate."

Favorite words: "actually," "look," "here's the thing" Avoided words: "utilize," "leverage," "impactful," "learnings"

Contractions: Always. Never "do not" when "don't" works.

Tone & Attitude Status: Developed

Confident and direct. States opinions without "I think" qualifiers. Doesn't hedge. Warmth comes through in direct address and occasional self-deprecation, not through emotional language.

Reader Relationship Status: Emerging

Heavy "you" usage. Speaks directly to reader. Assumes reader is smart but not expert. Never talks down.

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Anti-Patterns

AI Patterns to Suppress:

• "It's important to note"
• "In conclusion"
• Significance puffery
• "Delve into"
• Rule of three constructions

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Ghost Writer Briefing

Voice Essence: Direct, punchy, and warm. Like a smart friend explaining something over coffee—no BS, no jargon, just clear thinking. Gets to the point fast.

Do This:

• Keep sentences under 15 words
• End paragraphs with punchy 4-7 word statements
• Use "you" frequently—talk TO the reader
• Use contractions always
• State opinions directly without hedging

Don't Do This:

• No sentences over 20 words
• No "However," "Moreover," "Furthermore"
• No "I think" before opinions
• No passive voice
• No "utilize," "leverage," "facilitate"

When Uncertain:

• Shorter is better
• When in doubt, cut the adjective
• If a sentence feels too long, split it

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Profile Metadata

Readiness Level: Minimum Viable

Sample Base:

• 3 newsletter posts (~2500 words total)

Dimensions Needing Depth:

• Opening/closing moves
• Humor approach
• Signature elements

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Annotation: This profile captures the essentials—sentence patterns, tone, anti-patterns. A ghost writer could produce recognizable output. But it's thin on signature elements, examples, and deeper dimensions. Good for a starting point; should be developed further.

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Example 2: Solid Profile (Non-Fiction Writer)

This represents a well-developed profile suitable for quality first drafts. The ghost writer has enough to work with for consistent, accurate output.

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Voice DNA: Jordan Rivera

Mode: Essay / Long-form Non-Fiction Version: 3 | Created: 2023-09-10 | Last Updated: 2024-02-20

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Quick Reference

Core Temperature: Cool and measured—intellectually rigorous but not cold. Warmth emerges through precise observation, not emotional language.

Sentence Signature: Medium sentences (15-25 words) with occasional long complex sentences (30-40 words) for building arguments. Short sentences reserved for emphasis after complex points.

Distinctive Moves:

• Builds arguments through negation: "It's not X. It's not Y. It's Z."
• Uses parenthetical asides for secondary observations (often ironic)
• Ends sections with questions that open new territory
• Opens with concrete scenes or observations, never abstractions

Never Does:

• Starts with "In today's world" or similar throat-clearing
• Uses exclamation points (except in quoted dialogue)
• Writes in second person (almost never addresses reader as "you")
• Summarizes with "In conclusion" or "To sum up"

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Voice Profile

Sentence Level Status: Strong

Complex sentence architecture. Comfortable with dependent clauses, embedded qualifications, and parenthetical insertions. Sentences often have multiple parts but remain clear through careful punctuation and parallel structure.

Average: 20-22 words. Range: 6-45.

Characteristic pattern: Complex sentence (25-35 words) → Short punch (5-10 words) → Medium elaboration (15-20 words).

Example:

"The assumption that technology inevitably improves our lives—an assumption so pervasive we rarely pause to examine it—collapses under even minimal scrutiny. The evidence is everywhere. We simply choose not to see it."

Punctuation Personality Status: Strong

• Em-dashes: Moderate use, always for parenthetical insertions (pairs), rarely single
• Semicolons: Regular use for connecting related independent clauses
• Colons: For emphasis before key statements
• Parentheses: Frequent, for ironic asides or qualifications
• Exclamation points: Never (would feel like shouting)

Paragraph & Structure Status: Developed

Longer paragraphs (5-8 sentences typical). Topic sentence usually first but sometimes delayed for effect. Paragraphs end with implications or questions, not summaries.

Transitions through concept-bridging rather than explicit markers. Never uses "However" or "Moreover"—instead, repeats a key word from previous paragraph or uses "But" or "And" to open.

Word Choice & Vocabulary Status: Strong

Precise, somewhat elevated vocabulary. Comfortable with Latinate words when they're more precise ("epistemic" not "knowledge-related"). Avoids jargon but uses technical terms when appropriate, usually with subtle definition.

Favorite words/phrases: "precisely," "namely," "the trouble is," "what we miss," "consider" Avoided: "impactful," "journey," "space" (as in "the wellness space"), "navigate"

Contractions: Selective. Uses them in casual moments to shift register. Formal arguments typically avoid them.

Tone & Attitude Status: Strong

Confidence: High but not arrogant. States positions firmly but acknowledges limits of knowledge. Never hedges with "perhaps" or "arguably"—if uncertain, says so directly: "I don't know."

Formality: Elevated but accessible. Would not use slang but occasionally uses colloquialisms for contrast. Never stuffy.

Authority stance: Expert with humility. Teaches but doesn't lecture. Admits being wrong in the past. Positions self as someone who has thought carefully, not someone with final answers.

Opening & Closing Moves Status: Developed

Openings: Always concrete—a scene, observation, or example. Never opens with abstraction, thesis statement, or "In today's world." Thesis emerges from opening scene/example.

Example opening:

"Last Tuesday, I watched a man cross three lanes of traffic while staring at his phone. He didn't die. I kept watching him until he disappeared around a corner, still looking down."

Closings: Questions that open rather than summarize. Or concrete images that embody the argument. Never "In conclusion." Never restates thesis.

Example closing:

"What would it mean to take that seriously? I'm not sure anyone knows. But I'm increasingly certain we'll have to find out."

Signature Elements Status: Developed

• Negation builds: "It's not X. It's not Y either. It's something else entirely."
• Parenthetical irony: "(though calling it a 'solution' requires a certain optimism I can no longer muster)"
• Late pivot: Spends 80% of piece on one direction, then pivots to complicate in final 20%
• Questions that expand: Ends with questions that make the problem bigger, not smaller

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Exemplar Passages

"We tend to imagine attention as a resource we spend—as if each of us wakes with a fixed amount, depleting it through the day like fuel in a tank. This metaphor is comforting but wrong. Attention isn't a quantity; it's a relationship. And like all relationships, it can be damaged in ways that defy simple accounting."

— Demonstrates: Thesis through negation, medium-long sentences, metaphor examined and discarded, colon before key statement

"The trouble is not that we lack information—we are drowning in it—but that we have forgotten how to want less of it. (Or perhaps we never knew, and the scarcity that preceded abundance protected us from discovering our own appetites.)"

— Demonstrates: Parenthetical aside with ironic qualification, em-dash pairs, complex sentence with embedded clauses

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Anti-Patterns

AI Patterns to Suppress:

• Significance puffery
• "It's important to note"
• "Despite challenges..." formula
• "Rich tapestry"
• Rule of three (unless deliberate)
• False ranges ("from X to Y" without real scale)

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Ghost Writer Briefing

Voice Essence: A precise, measured intellectual voice. Cool but not cold. Builds arguments carefully through observation, complication, and occasional pivot. Thinks on the page without rushing to conclusions. Takes ideas seriously but not himself.

Do This:

• Open with concrete scenes or observations
• Build arguments through "It's not X, it's Y" structures
• Use parenthetical asides for ironic qualifications
• End sections with questions that expand, not close
• Vary sentence length: complex (25-35) → short punch (6-10) → medium (15-20)
• Use semicolons to connect related thoughts
• Use colons before important statements

Don't Do This:

• Never open with abstractions or "In today's world"
• Never use exclamation points
• Avoid "you" and second person
• Never use "In conclusion" or summarize at the end
• No bullet points—always prose
• Avoid "journey," "space," "impactful"
• Don't rush to conclusions; complicate instead

When Uncertain:

• Prefer the more precise word even if longer
• When making a point, first show what it's NOT
• End with questions rather than statements
• Complicate rather than simplify
• Trust the reader to follow complexity

Structural Guidance:

• Paragraphs: 5-8 sentences, end with implications
• Transitions: Through repeated concepts, not "However"
• Overall: Open concrete → Build argument → Pivot/complicate → End with question

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Profile Metadata

Readiness Level: Solid

Confidence Assessment:

Sample Base:

• 5 published essays (15,000 words total)
• 2 draft pieces (4,000 words)
• Interview confirmation completed

Dimensions Needing Depth:

• Humor (present but not fully mapped)
• How voice shifts by topic (politics vs. culture vs. tech)

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Session History

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Annotation: This profile has depth across most dimensions. Sentence patterns are precisely captured with examples. Signature elements identified. Anti-patterns thorough. Ghost Writer Briefing is actionable. A ghost writer could produce accurate first drafts. Remaining gaps (humor, topic variation) could be developed in future sessions.

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Example 3: Strong Profile (Fiction Writer)

This represents a fully developed profile with high confidence across dimensions. Register-specific elements captured. Ready for high-accuracy ghost writing.

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Voice DNA: Casey Morgan

Mode: Fiction (Literary Short Stories) Version: 5 | Creat