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npx skills add jwynia/agent-skills --skill voice-analysis
Extract and document a writer's distinctive voice patterns for consistent reproduction. Use when you need to capture writing voice, analyze writing style, create a voice guide, or write in someone's established style. Keywords: voice, tone, style, writing analysis, fingerprint.
npx skills add jwynia/agent-skills --skill voice-analysis
Extract and document a writer's distinctive voice patterns for consistent reproduction. Creates a "voice guide" that enables authentic writing that sounds like the source, not a generic approximation.
Capture spirit, not just mechanics. The goal is writing that makes the source say "yes, that's me" not "I guess that's accurate."
Peak Voice - Writing they identify as "most them"
Off-Voice - Writing that doesn't represent them well
Different Contexts:
Rewrite Exercise: Ask: "Rewrite this neutral paragraph in your voice:"
"The new policy will be implemented next month. It includes several changes to current procedures. Employees should review documentation and submit questions by the deadline."
Rule Breaking: "What writing 'rules' do you consistently ignore? Why?"
Pet Peeves: "What writing choices immediately signal something wasn't written by you?"
Evolution: "How has your writing changed in 5 years? What stayed constant?"
| Pattern | What to Track |
|---|---|
| Average length | Words per sentence |
| Range | Shortest to longest |
| Fragments | Usage frequency, contexts |
| Run-ons | Tendency, intentionality |
| Opening patterns | How sentences typically start |
| Closing patterns | How sentences typically end |
| Element | What to Track |
|---|---|
| Average length | Sentences per paragraph |
| Topic sentences | Beginning, middle, end, absent |
| Transitions | Explicit words, implicit flow, abrupt |
| Information order | Build-up, front-load, circular |
| Mark | Track Usage Pattern |
|---|---|
| Em dash | Interruption, emphasis, list, asides |
| Parentheses | Frequency, content type |
| Semicolon | Presence, absence, alternative |
| Ellipsis | Trailing, pause, omission |
| Exclamation | Frequency, contexts |
| Rhetorical questions | Frequency, function |
| Category | Preferred | Avoided | Signature Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technical terms | |||
| Colloquialisms | |||
| Intensifiers | very, extremely, quite... | ||
| Hedging | perhaps, might, seems... | ||
| Abstract/concrete |
List phrases/patterns appearing 3+ times:
| Source Domain | Target Domain | Example | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| (war, journey, building...) | (ideas, processes...) |
Rate 1-5 for prevalence:
| Low | Medium | High |
|---|---|---|
| (understated) | (balanced) | (expressive) |
| Style | When Used | Markers |
|---|---|---|
| Direct | "This is wrong because..." | |
| Diplomatic | "One consideration might be..." | |
| Humorous | "Well, that's one way to..." | |
| Analytical | "The issue breaks down to..." |
The writer positions as:
In 2-3 sentences, capture the essence:
A piece captures this voice when: 1. 2. 3.
Definitely NOT this voice when: 1. 2. 3.
Before finalizing the voice guide:
[Single paragraph essence]
When writing has gone generic, add: 1. 2. 3.
Once the voice guide is complete, include relevant sections in the prompt to guide generation toward authentic voice reproduction.
Writers can use this framework to understand their own voice, identify what makes their writing distinctive, and consciously apply those patterns.
Use the voice guide as a checklist when editing to ensure consistency and authenticity.
Pattern: Cataloging every linguistic feature without understanding what makes the voice feel distinctive. Why it fails: A perfect inventory of word frequencies and sentence lengths can produce writing that's technically accurate but feels like a parody. Voice is gestalt, not components. Fix: Start from "what makes this voice feel like this?" Work backward to mechanics. The inventory serves understanding; understanding doesn't emerge from inventory alone.
Pattern: Analyzing voice from one type of writing, then applying it to all contexts. Why it fails: Writers shift voice across contexts. Technical writing voice differs from casual email voice. Capturing one context and forcing it everywhere creates uncanny artifacts. Fix: Sample across contexts. Map how voice shifts. Include context-switching rules in the voice guide. Understand which elements are constant vs. context-dependent.
Pattern: If they use em-dashes 8% of the time, the voice guide prescribes 8% em-dash usage. Why it fails: Frequency is a statistical average, not a style rule. Forced frequency creates awkward placement. Natural writers don't count punctuation. Fix: Understand when they use em-dashes, not how often. "Uses em-dashes for dramatic interjections, rarely for lists" is actionable. "8% em-dashes" is not.
Pattern: Voice-guided writing that feels like someone doing an impression—technically accurate but overperformed. Why it fails: Distinctive features become tics when isolated. Real voice balances distinctive and neutral. Guides that catalog only distinctive features produce caricature. Fix: Include neutral baseline alongside distinctive features. Most sentences should sound natural, with distinctive features emerging at appropriate moments, not constantly.
Pattern: Treating the voice guide as permanent, not updating as the writer evolves. Why it fails: Writers change. A voice guide from 2020 may not fit 2025 writing. Using outdated guides produces writing that feels like an old version of the person. Fix: Note the capture date. Plan periodic updates. Include the writer's own reflections on how their voice has evolved. Treat the guide as living documentation.
| Skill | What it provides |
|---|---|
| (writing samples) | Raw material for analysis |
| prose-style | Sentence-level craft framework for analysis |
| Skill | What this provides |
|---|---|
| prose-style | Voice-specific sentence construction guidance |
| dialogue | Voice patterns for character speech |
| (AI generation) | Voice guides for consistent AI-assisted writing |
| Skill | Relationship |
|---|---|
| prose-style | Voice-analysis captures what; prose-style provides how. Use voice-analysis first to understand the target, then prose-style to achieve it |
| dialogue | Voice-analysis for authorial voice; dialogue skill for character voices within fiction |