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How to Write with an LLM

769 points · 420 comments · joeriddles

  1. thunfischtoast · · focus · HN ↗
    I think it's good advice. I find it a bit funny the author said to not use a single word coming out of the LLM, but they probably did just that because I never heard a human being say "load-bearing" before but now it's all over the place, also used here. Or I don't get the irony.
    1. duckerduck · · focus · HN ↗
      The "load bearing" term has become a bit of a meme, given the author is familiar with these AI-isms, we can assume it's a subtle joke.
    2. LtWorf · · focus · HN ↗
      In the simpsons there was a load bearing poster in their home, IIRC.
    3. skydhash · · focus · HN ↗
      > but they probably did just that because I never heard a human being say "load-bearing" before but now it's all over the place

      I have but it was a house construction worker explaining its practice on youtube.

    4. jameshart · · focus · HN ↗
      If you’re familiar with tptacek’s writing you would be confident this is deliberate and recognize it as an ‘I see what he did there’ moment.

      If not, it does risk planting the seed of doubt - have I been duped once again into reading tokenslop again?

      Risky move. Surprised the LLM copy editor didn’t flag it.

      1. swah · · focus · HN ↗
        What they took from us....
    5. lkbm · · focus · HN ↗
      It's been a common phrase for many years.[0]

      [0] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;x.com&#x2F;search?q=%22load%20bearing%22%20until%3A2020-01-01%20-wall&amp;src=typed_query&amp;f=top" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;x.com&#x2F;search?q=%22load%20bearing%22%20until%3A2020-0...

    6. inkcapmushroom · · focus · HN ↗
      The irony comes in the last sentence: &quot;Readers won’t put their fingers on what’s wrong, but they’ll sense that you’ve become artificially-flavored.&quot; The joke is that he wrote the preceding sentences in the paragraph in a way that intentionally plays up written-by-LLM-isms so that you feel the sense being described in the quoted sentence.
    7. dilyevsky · · focus · HN ↗
      load-bearing was a meme phrase used sarcastically on twitter long before claude started overusing it.
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