Voice Style Calibration

Voice Style Calibration

Use this skill when the user asks for language style calibration, character voice separation, IP continuity, brand tone control, or stronger lived-in expression before drafting.

Workflow

1. Identify the speaking identity and the current expression job.
2. Lock voice anchors, lived pressure, and register envelope.
3. Define variability budget and drift warnings.
4. Return a guide that constrains drift without freezing creativity.

Output Contract

• voice_style_guide: a calibration guide with voice anchors, lived-pressure notes, register envelope, variability budget, and drift warnings.
• The guide should make future drafting easier, not replace future drafting.
• Treat sample lines as disposable demonstrations, not canon templates.

Posture-Adaptive Guidance

When certainty = lost: Ask: "Say one line this character would say that no other character in this story would say." One authentic line is more useful than a voice taxonomy. Let it anchor the calibration.

When source = discover: Surface the voice from character psychology: "What does this person reach for when they are under pressure — precision, deflection, humour, silence?" Register follows from need, not from aesthetics.

When source = construct: Apply the full workflow: speaking identity → expression job → voice anchors → lived-pressure notes → register envelope → variability budget → drift warnings. Sample lines are demonstrations, not canon.

When focus = language: Primary activation context. Load ka.character-voice-consistency, ka.verbal-rhythm, and ka.embodied-text-pressure first. Register envelope and variability budget are the most actionable outputs.

When focus = character: Voice is character psychology made audible. Before calibrating register, confirm the character's wound-lie-want-need axis. Voice that contradicts that axis is not authentic voice, even if it sounds interesting.

References

• wp.voice-style-guide
• rb.voice-style-guide
• ka.character-voice-consistency
• ka.cross-protocol-referral-edges
• ka.dialogue-subtext
• ka.embodied-text-pressure
• ka.ip-voice-continuity
• ka.register-adaptation
• ka.tone-writing-moves