Blog
Guides to the math behind the tools — readability formulas, pricing your work, sizing a build, and planning a game world.
The LIX readability index: the formula that does not care about syllables
LIX scores text from just two things you can count without a dictionary: average sentence length and the share of words longer than six letters. That is exactly why it works across languages where Flesch and SMOG fall apart.
The Gunning Fog Index, explained: what the score means and how to lower it
The Gunning Fog Index turns two things you can control — sentence length and the density of long words — into a single school-grade number. Here is exactly how it is calculated, what counts as a "complex" word, and how to bring a foggy paragraph down a grade.
The SMOG index: the readability formula health writers actually trust
SMOG measures one thing — the density of long words — and is calibrated to full comprehension, not the gist. Here is how the score is built, why it reads a grade or two higher than other formulas, and why healthcare writing relies on it.
How to find and fix the clichés hiding in your writing
Clichés slip in precisely because they feel natural — that is the problem. Here is why dead phrases dull your prose, the six families a cliché detector hunts for, and how to swap each one for something that actually says what you mean.
How a headline analyzer scores your title (and what to do with the number)
A headline score is not magic — it is five measurable things added together. Here is exactly what a headline analyzer checks, why length, word balance, and format each move the number, and how to use the score without being fooled by it.
Letter frequency analysis: why E wins and what the counts reveal
Counting letters sounds trivial until you see what the distribution exposes — cracked ciphers, language fingerprints, and skewed prose. How frequency analysis works, what the English baseline means, and how to read the deltas.
Text entropy, explained: what predictability actually measures
Shannon entropy turns "how predictable is this writing?" into a number. What bits-per-symbol mean, why character, word, and bigram modes disagree, and why entropy is a weak AI-detection signal, not a verdict.
The Coleman–Liau Index: the readability formula built for computers
Why Coleman–Liau counts letters instead of syllables, what its L and S variables really mean, when it beats Flesch–Kincaid, and where it quietly misleads.
What is a good keyword density? The honest answer for modern SEO
Keyword density once ruled SEO. Now it is a guardrail, not a target. Here is what density actually measures, the safe range, and how to read 1-, 2-, and 3-word phrase results without falling for the old "magic number" myth.
How long does it take to cross a kingdom? A travel-time guide for writers and GMs
Why fantasy journeys break immersion when the math is wrong, the real-world pace of feet, hooves, wheels, and sails, and how terrain and rations turn a line on a map into a believable trip.
Why you can’t talk to Mars in real time: a sci-fi writer’s guide to light-speed lag
Radio doesn’t travel instantly, and the delay between worlds changes by the day. Here’s the physics of conversation lag, why it breaks naive space scenes, and how to use it as a storytelling tool.
How many blacksmiths does a fantasy town have? Building believable settlements
Why most RPG towns have far too many shops for their size, the medieval demographics that fix it, and how population alone tells you the smiths, inns, gold limit, and farmland a settlement needs.
How much fabric does a cosplay actually need? Stop guessing at the cutting table
Why bolt width, nap, and pattern repeats decide your yardage, how capes and pleated skirts eat more cloth than you think, and how to buy enough the first time.
Designing a planet readers will believe: a worldbuilder's guide to gravity
How surface gravity really works, what high- and low-g worlds do to bodies, jumps, and buildings, and how to pick numbers that keep a fictional planet physically honest.
The real odds of pulling that chase card (and why the box let you down)
How booster-pack pull rates actually work, why "1 in 200" doesn't mean 200 packs, and the probability every card collector and game designer should understand.
From word count to finished draft: planning a novel you will actually finish
Genre word-count targets, how manuscript words turn into print pages, and the daily-target math that makes a deadline realistic instead of aspirational.
Syncing delay and reverb to your tempo: the BPM-to-milliseconds guide
Why time-based effects sound better locked to the beat, the one formula that converts BPM to milliseconds, and how to use note divisions, dotted, and triplet times in a mix.
How to price a 3D print: the costs every maker forgets
A full breakdown of what a 3D print actually costs to produce — filament, power, machine wear, failed prints, and labor — and how to turn that into a price that earns a profit.
How reading time is calculated (and why every blog uses a different number)
The formulas behind "X minute read" labels, the wide range of WPM assumptions, and how to pick a number that matches your audience.
Dice pool probability for tabletop games: why the average roll lies to you
How dice pools really behave — bell curves vs. flat d20s, what advantage actually does to your odds, exploding dice, and how to set fair target numbers.