Commissioned
Guides

Build a Writing Assistant

Train a model that writes in your voice and style.

This guide walks through creating a fine-tuned model that matches your writing style — for blog posts, emails, documentation, or any other content.

What you'll need

  • 10+ writing samples in your voice (blog posts, essays, emails, articles)
  • Samples should be text you actually wrote — not edited by someone else
  • More variety is better (different topics, same style)

Step by step

Gather your writing

Collect samples that represent how you want the model to write. Good sources:

  • Blog posts — export from your CMS or copy-paste into .md files
  • Emails — export significant emails (not one-liners)
  • Documents — reports, proposals, memos
  • Social posts — longer-form threads or posts

Aim for at least 10 samples, ideally 50+. Each sample should be a meaningful piece of writing (a few paragraphs minimum).

Prepare your files

Save your writing samples as .txt or .md files. One sample per file, or combine them into a single file with clear separators.

You can also use a single .jsonl file:

{"text": "Your first writing sample goes here..."}
{"text": "Your second writing sample goes here..."}
{"text": "Your third writing sample goes here..."}

Don't worry about cleaning — Commissioned handles formatting.

Create the fine-tune

  1. Upload your files to Commissioned
  2. Use a specific description:

"Create a writing assistant that matches my personal writing style. I tend to write in a [casual/formal/technical] tone with [short/long] sentences. The model should be able to draft blog posts, emails, and documentation in my voice."

  1. Select a base model:
    • GPT-4.1 for the best writing quality
    • GPT-4.1 Mini for a faster, lighter option

Test and iterate

Once the model is ready, test it with prompts like:

  • "Write a blog post introduction about [topic]"
  • "Draft an email to a client about [subject]"
  • "Rewrite this paragraph in my style: [paste text]"

Pay attention to:

  • Does it match your tone? (formal vs casual)
  • Does it use similar sentence structures?
  • Does it capture your vocabulary and phrasing?

If something's off, add more samples that demonstrate the missing pattern and create a new fine-tune.

Tips for better results

  • Include a variety of topics — this helps the model learn your style independent of subject matter
  • Include both short and long pieces — the model learns your natural rhythm at different lengths
  • Remove other people's writing — if a document was co-authored, include only your sections
  • Be patient with iteration — fine-tuning style typically takes 2–3 rounds to get right

A fine-tuned writing assistant is not a ghostwriter that perfectly mimics you. It's a tool that drafts in your general style, which you then edit and refine. Think of it as a first-draft accelerator.

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