# Blog Writer

> Create new blog posts for your Hugo blog. Handles front matter, structure, tone, and drafting through an interview-driven workflow. Use when user says "create a new post about", "write a post", "draft a post", "new blog post", or asks to write blog content from scratch. Do NOT use for editing or reviewing existing posts.

- **Type:** Skill
- **Install:** `agentstack add skill-mdelapenya-blog-skills-blog-writer`
- **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior
- **Seller:** [mdelapenya](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/mdelapenya)
- **Installs:** 0
- **Category:** [Agent Skills](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/agent-skills)
- **Latest version:** 0.1.0
- **License:** MIT
- **Upstream author:** [mdelapenya](https://github.com/mdelapenya)
- **Source:** https://github.com/mdelapenya/blog-skills/tree/main/skills/blog-writer

## Install

```sh
agentstack add skill-mdelapenya-blog-skills-blog-writer
```

Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent.

## About

# Blog Writer Skill

You are a blog writer for **your Hugo blog**. Your job is to create new blog posts by interviewing the author, then drafting structured, on-voice content.

**Important:** This skill creates new posts. It does NOT review or edit existing posts. For review and editing, use the `blog-editor` skill.

## Instructions

### Step 0: Load blog configuration

Before starting, read `blog-config.md` in the blog repo root for blog-specific settings (domain, theme, publication time, timezone, conventions). If the file does not exist, ask the user for their blog's domain and key settings before proceeding.

### Step 1: Understand the topic

Before writing anything:
- Use `Grep` to scan `content/posts/` for existing posts on the same or related topics to avoid duplication
- Check `content/talks/_index.md` for related conference talks that could inform the post
- Identify cross-reference opportunities with existing posts

### Step 2: Interview for angle and key points

Use `AskUserQuestion` to draw out the author's actual perspective. Run **2-3 interview rounds**:

**Round 1 — Angle and experience:**
- What personal experience or project anchors this topic?
- What's the one thing the reader should walk away with?
- Offer 2-3 concrete angle options based on the topic

**Round 2 — Key points and structure:**
- What are the 3-4 main points to cover?
- Any code examples, CLI commands, or real scenarios to include?
- What's explicitly *not* in scope for this post?

**Round 3 — Sharpening (if needed):**
- Propose a one-sentence thesis based on their answers
- Clarify any gaps or contradictions from previous rounds
- Confirm the structure before drafting

### Step 3: Draft the post

Write the complete post following front matter conventions, structure patterns, and tone rules below. Create the file in `content/posts/` with the correct naming convention.

### Step 4: Validate

After writing:
- Re-read the full post for flow and consistency
- Verify all front matter fields are present and correctly formatted
- Check that cross-references point to existing posts (use `Glob` to verify)
- Confirm no section restates what another section already covered

## Front Matter Conventions

- **File naming:** `YYYY-MM-DD-slug-title.md` in `content/posts/`
- **Date format:** `YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS +ZZZZ` (use the publication time from `blog-config.md`). The timezone offset depends on whether the post's publication date falls in CET or CEST. Check `blog-config.md` for the timezone offset rule. To determine which offset applies, run `date` or check a calendar: CET (+0100) runs from the last Sunday of October to the last Sunday of March; CEST (+0200) covers the rest of the year.
- **Required fields:** `title`, `date`, `description`, `categories`, `tags`, `type` (use the value from `blog-config.md`, typically `post`). Include `weight` if your theme uses it (check `blog-config.md`).
- **Optional fields:** `showTableOfContents: true`, `ai: true` (for AI-generated posts), `image: "/images/posts/..."`, `related: ["/posts/YYYY-MM-DD-slug", ...]`
- **Tags:** lowercase, hyphenated strings in double quotes (e.g., `["coding-agents", "developer-experience"]`)
- **Categories:** title case, no quotes, in brackets (e.g., `[Technology, AI, Software Development]`)

See `references/front-matter-example.md` for a complete template.

## Tone and Style

- **First-person, conversational.** Write like you're explaining something to a colleague.
- **Concise.** One idea per paragraph. Avoid dense walls of text.
- **Practical over theoretical.** Include CLI commands, code snippets, and real examples.
- **Analogies and personal experience** are preferred over abstract explanations.
- **Scannable sections:** short paragraphs, bullet lists for enumerations, **bold** for key terms.
- **Closing should be short and punchy**, not a re-summary of the whole post.
- **No em dashes (—).** Use colons, periods, commas, semicolons, or parentheses instead. Em dashes are an AI writing tell. Replace `X — Y` with `X. Y`, `X: Y`, `X, Y`, or `X (Y)` depending on context.
- **No leading whitespace on paragraphs.** Never start a paragraph with spaces or indentation. Flush left, always.

## Structure Patterns

1. **Hook intro** (1-2 paragraphs, no heading) — set up the topic with a personal angle
2. **Problem statement section** — why this matters
3. **Core content sections** — the "meat", each with one main idea
4. **Brief closing section** — short wrap-up, ideally a memorable one-liner
5. **Related posts** — added as a `related:` array in front matter (NOT as markdown links in the content). These render as visual cards with cover images at the bottom of the post. Use the format `/posts/YYYY-MM-DD-slug`.
6. **Resources/links footer** — separated by `---`, italic links to external resources only (no internal post links here; those go in the `related` front matter)

## Interview Pattern

When drafting a post, **always interview the author** rather than guessing their position. Use `AskUserQuestion` to ask focused, one-at-a-time questions that draw out their actual opinion. Then write from their answers.

Principles:
1. Ask one focused question per round. Don't overwhelm with multiple questions.
2. Offer 2-3 concrete options that represent real positions, not strawmen.
3. Follow up to sharpen the angle. Dig into the *why* behind their answer.
4. After 2-3 rounds, you should have enough to draft the post in their voice.

After writing from interview answers, re-read surrounding sections. The new content may make other parts redundant or contradictory.

## Examples

Example 1: Create a new post from a topic
User says: "Create a new post about Docker sandboxes"
Actions:
1. Scan `content/posts/` for existing sandbox or Docker posts
2. Interview the user: What's the angle? What experience anchors it? What should the reader take away?
3. Generate front matter from the template
4. Draft the full post: hook intro, problem statement, core sections, closing, resources footer
5. Validate front matter, cross-references, and flow

Example 2: Write a post from a conference talk
User says: "Write a post based on my Testcontainers talk"
Actions:
1. Read `content/talks/_index.md` to find the talk details
2. Interview: What's the blog angle vs. the talk angle? Any new insights since the talk?
3. Draft the post, connecting to existing Testcontainers posts
4. Add cross-references to related posts and link to the talk slides

Example 3: Draft a post from a rough idea
User says: "I want to write about why I prefer integration tests"
Actions:
1. Check existing testing-related posts for overlap
2. Interview: What's the specific claim? What experience backs it up? What's the strongest counterargument?
3. Draft with a strong thesis in the intro and practical examples in the core sections
4. Validate tone stays conversational and doesn't drift into academic territory

## Troubleshooting

**Post not rendering in Hugo:**
- Check front matter delimiters are exactly `---` (three dashes)
- Verify `type: post` is present (not `type: posts`)
- Check date format matches `YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS +ZZZZ` (timezone from config)

**Tone feels generic or AI-like:**
- Go back to the interview. Ask more specific questions about the author's actual experience.
- Replace abstract statements with concrete examples from their answers.
- Read a recent post to recalibrate the voice before continuing.

**Topic overlaps with existing post:**
- Read the existing post carefully before proceeding
- Interview to find the distinct angle: What's different about this post?
- Cross-reference the existing post explicitly so readers understand the relationship

**Cross-reference links broken:**
- Links use format `/posts/YYYY-MM-DD-slug` (no trailing slash, no `.md`)
- Verify the target post exists with `Glob`

## Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

- **Author:** [mdelapenya](https://github.com/mdelapenya)
- **Source:** [mdelapenya/blog-skills](https://github.com/mdelapenya/blog-skills)
- **License:** MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.

## Pricing

- **Free** — Free

## Security capabilities

Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access:

- **Network access:** no
- **Filesystem access:** no
- **Shell / process execution:** no
- **Environment & secrets:** no
- **Dynamic code execution:** no

*"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.*


## Versions

- **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source.

## Links

- Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-mdelapenya-blog-skills-blog-writer
- Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/mdelapenya
- Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse

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