voice-analysis — Claude Code skill: capture a writer's voice

---
name: voice-analysis
description: "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."
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: jwynia
  version: "1.0"
  type: utility
  mode: evaluative
  domain: fiction
---

# Voice & Tone Analysis

## Purpose

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.

## Core Principle

**Capture spirit, not just mechanics.** The goal is writing that makes the source say "yes, that's me" not "I guess that's accurate."

---

## Phase 1: Sample Collection

### Gather 5-10 Examples from Each Category

**Peak Voice** - Writing they identify as "most them"

**Off-Voice** - Writing that doesn't represent them well

**Different Contexts:**
- Technical/instructional content
- Persuasive/argumentative pieces
- Narrative/storytelling
- Casual communication (emails, messages)
- Formal communication
- Emotional/vulnerable content

### Self-Report Prompts

**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?"

---

## Phase 2: Linguistic Analysis

### Sentence Level

| 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 |

### Paragraph Architecture

| 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 |

### Punctuation Signature

| 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 |

---

## Phase 3: Lexical Fingerprinting

### Word Choice Matrix

| Category | Preferred | Avoided | Signature Examples |
|----------|-----------|---------|-------------------|
| Technical terms | | | |
| Colloquialisms | | | |
| Intensifiers | very, extremely, quite... | | |
| Hedging | perhaps, might, seems... | | |
| Abstract/concrete | | | |

### Register Analysis

- [ ] Consistent register (formal/informal throughout)
- [ ] Deliberate register mixing (formal content, casual asides)
- [ ] Context-dependent shifting (formal for X, casual for Y)

### Recurring Constructions

List phrases/patterns appearing 3+ times:
1. ___
2. ___
3. ___

---

## Phase 4: Conceptual DNA

### Metaphor Mapping

| Source Domain | Target Domain | Example | Frequency |
|---------------|---------------|---------|-----------|
| (war, journey, building...) | (ideas, processes...) | | |

### Reference Pool

- **Cultural touchstones:** (movies, books, memes, history...)
- **Time period:** (contemporary, 90s, classic...)
- **Accessibility level:** (mainstream, niche, insider)
- **Domains drawn from:** (sports, cooking, science...)

### Reasoning Patterns

Rate 1-5 for prevalence:
- [ ] Analogical reasoning (like X, therefore Y)
- [ ] First principles (from basics up)
- [ ] Empirical evidence (data, studies)
- [ ] Personal anecdote (I experienced...)
- [ ] Hypotheticals (imagine if...)
- [ ] Socratic questioning (but what if...?)

---

## Phase 5: Emotional Texture

### Enthusiasm Spectrum

| Low | Medium | High |
|-----|--------|------|
| (understated) | (balanced) | (expressive) |

### Criticism Styles

| 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..." |

### Vulnerability Patterns

- **Admission phrases:** "I'll admit...", "honestly..."
- **Uncertainty markers:** "I think...", "not sure but..."
- **Personal revelation style:** Direct? Buried in humor? Rare?

---

## Phase 6: Reader Dynamics

### Positioning

The writer positions as:
- [ ] Expert/teacher (I know, let me explain)
- [ ] Peer/collaborator (we're figuring this out together)
- [ ] Student/learner (I'm working through this)
- [ ] Challenger/provocateur (conventional wisdom is wrong)
- [ ] Guide/facilitator (here's how to navigate)

### Assumed Context

- **Shared knowledge level:** Assumes expertise? Explains basics?
- **Cultural assumptions:** In-group references? Universal?
- **Relationship warmth:** Distant professional? Familiar?

### Interactive Patterns

- Questions per 1000 words: ___
- Direct address frequency ("you"): ___
- Imperative usage (commands): ___
- Inclusive language ("we/us"): ___

---

## Phase 7: Voice Guide Synthesis

### Core Voice Statement
_In 2-3 sentences, capture the essence:_

### The Rules That Matter Most

**Always:**
-

**Never:**
-

**Usually, unless:**
-

### Sentence Construction Guide

- **Preferred length:**
- **Variety pattern:**
- **Opening moves:**
- **Power positions:** (where key info lands)

### Word Selection Principles

- **Go-to words for [concept]:**
- **Banned words/phrases:**
- **Register rules:**

### Structural Signatures

- **Paragraph rhythm:**
- **Transition style:**
- **Information architecture:**

### Emotional Register

- **Default tone:**
- **Excitement expression:**
- **Criticism approach:**
- **Vulnerability threshold:**

### The Litmus Test

A piece captures this voice when:
1.
2.
3.

### Red Flags

Definitely NOT this voice when:
1.
2.
3.

---

## Phase 8: Validation

Before finalizing the voice guide:

- [ ] Can identify the author in a blind test?
- [ ] Guided writing feels authentic, not performative?
- [ ] Patterns are descriptive, not prescriptive?
- [ ] Captures spirit, not just mechanics?
- [ ] Source would say "yes, that's me"?

---

## Quick Reference Template

### In Every Piece
-
-
-

### The Heart of the Voice
_[Single paragraph essence]_

### Emergency Voice Recovery
When writing has gone generic, add:
1.
2.
3.

---

## Usage Notes

### For AI Writing
Once the voice guide is complete, include relevant sections in the prompt to guide generation toward authentic voice reproduction.

### For Self-Analysis
Writers can use this framework to understand their own voice, identify what makes their writing distinctive, and consciously apply those patterns.

### For Editing
Use the voice guide as a checklist when editing to ensure consistency and authenticity.

---

## Anti-Patterns

### 1. Mechanics Over Spirit
**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.

### 2. Single-Context Capture
**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.

### 3. Frequency as Rule
**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.

### 4. Imitation Artifacts
**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.

### 5. Frozen Voice
**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.

## Integration

### Inbound (feeds into this skill)
| Skill | What it provides |
|-------|------------------|
| (writing samples) | Raw material for analysis |
| prose-style | Sentence-level craft framework for analysis |

### Outbound (this skill enables)
| 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 |

### Complementary
| 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 |