Prose Style

Diagnose world-level story problems. This skill should be used when settings feel thin, institutions feel designed rather than evolved, economies don't make sense, or non-human species feel like humans in costume. Keywords: worldbuilding, setting, world, institutions, economy, culture, species, consequences.

Diagnose genre problems and generate genre-specific elements. Use when genre promise is unclear, when elements feel misplaced, when secondary genres compete with primary, or when you need genre-specific entropy. Covers all 11 elemental genres from the Writing Excuses framework.

Guide the edit pass after drafting. Use when revision feels overwhelming, when changes cascade unpredictably, when you can't see problems anymore, or when editing never ends.

Diagnose flat dialogue, same-voice characters, and lack of subtext. Use when conversations feel wooden, characters sound alike, or dialogue only does one thing at a time.

Systematically identify what's missing in non-fiction writing—both blind spots (inherent limitations) and blank spots (gaps that could be addressed). Use before finalizing non-fiction or when feedback feels incomplete.

Structure scenes and control pacing using scene-sequel rhythm. Use when individual scenes work but don't accumulate, when pacing feels off (too rushed or too slow), when transitions feel mechanical, or when readers can follow but aren't compelled forward. Based on Dwight Swain's Goal-Conflict-Disaster and Reaction-Dilemma-Decision structure.