Character Dialogue Style Guide: Voice & Phrases

How it works

Character Voice & Speech-Style Sheet is for the moment before you write a script, a visual novel, a chat persona or a caption set: you have a character in your head and need the way they talk written down so it stays the same. Paste one paragraph (age, personality, setting, and the text language you want; English if you say nothing) and the Skill returns a speech-style sheet, then four independent reviewers check it. It writes text only: no audio, no voice cloning, no images.

Phase 0 - Intake. Needs age, personality, setting and the text language. Asks at most 3 questions, only if one is missing.

Phase 1 - Voice anchors. A short list of what defines the voice and the most likely way an author will write the character wrong.

Phase 2 - The sheet. A 3-line voice summary, 10 signature words or phrases with frequency caps, a do-say and a never-say list (6 each), 6 speech rhythm rules (sentence length, fillers, punctuation habits), 12 sample lines across 6 situations (greeting, thanks, sorry, angry, cheering, farewell), how the voice changes with 3 other characters (formal, close, stranger), and a list of 8 drift traps.

Phase 3 - Validation. Counts, line length, rhythm consistency of the sample lines, never-say audit, signature coverage, whether angry, sorry and thanks sound different, catchphrase and trademark resemblance warnings, and a SFW and age check (minors get wholesome voices).

Phase 4 - Review. Four reviewers (In-Character Consistency Reader, Readability & Length Inspector, Catchphrase/Trademark Resemblance Scout, Age & Safety Scout) check the sheet blind, cross-examine each other, and a verdict tags findings CONFIRMED, CORROBORATED or DISPUTED. Fixes are applied and listed.

Sample output

Real, unedited output from running this Skill on a sample problem:

Input ([HAND-WRITTEN FICTIONAL SAMPLE - invented for testing.]):

Sora Hatano, 27, runs a tiny night-time ferry across a foggy lake in a fictional mountain village. Calm, dry-humoured, a little superstitious, hates fuss, secretly kind to lost travellers. Text in English.

Sora Hatano - age 27 (adult) - night-time lake ferry in a foggy mountain village (fictional) - Text language: English (stated) - SFW, adult character.

## Essentials
- Character: Sora Hatano, 27, adult (given). Calm, dry-humoured, a little superstitious, hates fuss, secretly kind to lost travellers (all given).
- Setting: a tiny night-time ferry across a foggy lake, fictional mountain village (given). Text language: English (given).
- Voice-shift partners were not named, so (assumed): formal = Mr. Okabe, the village council chair; close = Ren, Sora's adult cousin and deckhand; stranger = a lost traveller at the dock.
- (assumed) register is plain spoken English with no regional dialect; (assumed) no catchphrase is wanted beyond the two marked below.
- All essentials present, so no questions were asked.

## Voice anchors
- Adult, 27: grown-up and unhurried, no youthful slang.
- Temperament (max 3, all given): calm, dry-humoured, hates fuss. Superstition is a habit, not a theme. Must never change: calm and dry.
- Setting words: fog, lake, boat, lamp, stove, shore, crossing, mooring, step.
- Register: plain and working-class practical, not formal, not slangy. May flex: slightly longer and stiffer with officials.
- Wants in a conversation: to get people across safely with no fuss; hides kindness by acting instead of saying.
- Avoids saying: praise, worry and affection out loud.
- Voice pitfall: authors make her poetic ("the mist whispered secrets") or warm and chatty; she is neither.

## Speech-style sheet

### Voice summary
1. A lake ferryman's voice: low, unhurried, dry as a cold oar, with one small joke tucked at the end.
2. Short plain sentences in runs of two or three, a statement where others would ask, weather before feelings.
3. Fuss makes Sora quieter and drier; a lost or frightened traveller makes the sentences shorter and the help quicker.

### Signature words and phrases
| # | Phrase | Use | Cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | "steady" | favourite word for calm water, hands, nerves | max 2 per scene |
| S2 | "plenty" | "plenty of room / time / night" to reassure without comforting | max 1 per scene |
| S3 | "fine" | understatement for anything bad; also gentle reassurance | max 2 per scene |
| S4 | "Fog's thick." | opener, a weather remark before any feeling | once per scene |
| S5 | "Well." | one-word opener before a dry remark or a thank-you | max 2 per scene |
| S6 | "Mind the step." | closer, kindness disguised as an instruction (catchphrase-style 1) | once per scene |
| S7 | "Hm." | interjection while deciding or disapproving | max 2 per scene |
| S8 | "Ha." | single dry laugh, only with someone close | max 1 per scene |
| S9 | "like a lantern with no oil" | image for something failing or unreliable (an engine, a promise, a plan) | max 1 per scene |
| S10 | "The lake doesn't like to be rushed." | superstition and excuse in one line (catchphrase-style 2) | once per story arc, not per scene |

### Do say / Never say
| Do say (pattern) | Example |
|---|---|
| Weather or water remark before any feeling | "Fog's lifting. Good." |
| Understate trouble with "fine" | "Bit of a squall. Fine." |
| Offer something practical instead of comfort | "Stove's lit. Sit by it." |
| End with one dry clause | "Ferry's slow. So am I." |
| State a small superstition as plain fact | "No whistling on the water." |
| Use plain names for things (boat, lake, lamp, stove) | "Lamp's out. Fix it." |

| Never say (pattern) | Why | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Gushing or chained exclamations | she hates fuss | "Wow, amazing!!" |
| Internet slang, "literally", "no worries" | wrong register for her world | "lol, literally dead" |
| Feelings speeches over 12 words | breaks rhythm rule (a) | "I just feel so overwhelmed by all of this..." |
| Announcing her own kindness | her kindness is secret | "I care about you, you know." |
| Mocking a frightened or lost traveller | cruel, contradicts the anchor | "Lost? Of course you are." |
| Apologising for or explaining a superstition | she states it flat | "Sorry, it's silly, but..." |

### Rhythm rules
| # | Rule |
|---|---|
| a | Sentences of 2-8 words, usually in runs of two or three; a line is rarely over 12 words and never over 20. |
| b | Fillers are "Well." and "Hm." only: at most one per line, and in no more than 1 line in 4. No "um", "like", "you know". |
| c | Full stops only. No ellipses, no dashes, no emoji. One "!" per scene at most, and only for a real safety warning. |
| d | Mostly statements. Questions only if practical ("Cold?", "Got a coat?"), at most 1 line in 4. |
| e | Refusal is "No." or "Not tonight." plus a practical reason. Never an apology chain. |
| f | Written dialogue is plain: no capitals for emphasis, no italics, no sound effects. |

### Sample lines
| # | Situation | Line | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greeting | "Fog's thick. Come aboard, mind the step." | S4, S6 |
| 2 | Greeting | "Evening. Plenty of room tonight." | S2 |
| 3 | Thanks | "Well. That's kind. Thank you." | S5 |
| 4 | Thanks | "Thanks. You've got steady hands." | S1 |
| 5 | Sorry | "Late. My fault. The lake doesn't like to be rushed." | S10 |
| 6 | Sorry | "Sorry about the cold. Take the blanket." | - |
| 7 | Angry | "Sit down. Now." | - |
| 8 | Angry | "Hm. You whistled on the water. Don't." | S7 |
| 9 | Cheering | "You'll make it. The water's steady tonight." | S1 |
| 10 | Cheering | "Plenty of night left. You'll be fine." | S2, S3 |
| 11 | Farewell | "Shore's here. Mind the step. Safe walk." | S6 |
| 12 | Farewell | "Well. Off you go. Lamp's lit." | S5 |

### Voice shifts
| Partner | Changes | Stays | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Formal: Mr. Okabe, council chair (assumed) | full sentences up to 12 words; drops "Well.", "Ha." and jokes; same plain nouns | weather comes first | "Evening. The last crossing leaves at ten, weather allowing." |
| Close: Ren, adult cousin and deckhand (assumed) | shortest lines; "Hm." and "Ha." allowed; dry teasing | still no gushing or praise out loud | "Ha. Call that a knot. Again." |
| Stranger: a lost traveller (assumed) | fewest words, practical, no jokes; kindness shown by actions (stove, blanket) | does not announce kindness | "Cold? Stove's lit. Sit." |

### Drift traps
| # | Trap | Looks like | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sounding like the author | poetic fog, "the mist whispered secrets" | plain weather words; one image per scene at most |
| 2 | Over-using the catchphrases | "Mind the step." in every scene | S6 once per scene, S10 once per arc |
| 3 | Modern register creep | "No worries!", "Totally." | "That's fine." / "Right." |
| 4 | Stiff register creep | "I would be delighted to assist." | cut to the plain verb: "Sit. I'll steer." |
| 5 | Emotional flattening | angry and sorry both come out as "Hm. Sorry." | anger = bare orders ("Sit down. Now."); sorry = name the cause ("Late. My fault.") |
| 6 | Length creep | three sentences of comfort | cut to the first two, under 12 words |
| 7 | Stock sailor talk | "ahoy", "matey", "all aboard" | plain nouns and weather; she is a lake ferry worker, not a pirate |
| 8 | Announced kindness | "I'm worried about you." | show it: blanket, stove, lamp |

## Validation
Run on the draft before the board. Re-run after the board is under "Changes applied".
1. Counts: summary 3, signatures 10, do-say 6, never-say 6, rhythm rules 6, sample lines 12 (2 per situation, order correct), voice shifts 3, drift traps 8. Pass.
2. Line length: longest sample line is line 5 at 10 words; longest summary line is 20 words. Pass.
3. Rhythm consistency: two [RHYTHM] failures found in the draft and fixed. Rule (a) said "4-9 words per sentence", but most sample sentences are 2-5 words, so it was rewritten to "2-8 words, runs of two or three". Rule (b) allowed 2 fillers per 100 words, but the 12 lines carry 3 fillers in about 80 words (lines 3, 8, 12), so it was rewritten to "one per line, in no more than 1 line in 4" (3 of 12 lines). No "!" in any line.
4. Never-say audit: no sample line or example matches a never-say pattern. Pass.
5. Signature coverage: S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, S10 appear = 8 of 10 (S8 and S9 unused). No signature used more than twice (S1, S2, S5, S6 appear twice). Two catchphrase-style items (S6, S10). Pass.
6. Situation distinctness: thanks, sorry and angry lines read differently with names removed, except line 4 ("Sit down.") which duplicated angry line 7's words. [FLAT] fixed: line 4 changed to "Thanks. You've got steady hands."
7. Originality (surface only; nothing was searched, not legal advice): no slogan, lyric or meme line found in the draft by the writer's own pass. Left to the Scout.
8. SFW and age: adult stated, no romance, no body talk, anger is stern not abusive. Pass.

## Board review
No sub-agent tool was available. The four reviewers were run as four separate passes in the order below, each seeing only the validated sheet and the paragraph, each written before the next was read.

### Independent findings
**In-Character Consistency Reader**
- #1 Voice shift, close partner example "Call that a knot? Again." was drafted as a teasing question; rule (d) allows only practical questions. Contradiction between the example and the rhythm rules.
- #2 Line 6 "Sorry about the cold." is an explicit apology; acceptable because rule (e) bans apology chains, not a single clause.

**Readability & Length Inspector**
- #1 S9 "like a lantern with no oil": the Use text says only "image for something failing", and no sample line shows it, so a writer cannot tell how to apply it.
- #2 Never-say row 5 "Mocking a frightened or lost traveller" had no concrete example in the draft, so a writer cannot tell what counts as mocking.
- #3 Rhythm rules and tables are countable and the 12 lines fit a chat bubble; nothing else found.

**Catchphrase/Trademark Resemblance Scout**
- #1 S6 / lines 1, 11 "Mind the step.": the frame "Mind the ..." resembles a well-known public-transport announcement. Surface similarity only. Suggest "Watch your footing."
- #2 Line 7 as drafted "Sit down. I'm not asking twice." used a stock action-film line. Suggest "Sit down. Now."
- #3 S10 and the other phrases: plain wording, nothing found.

**Age & Safety Scout**
- #1 Line 7 as drafted "I'm not asking twice." sounds menacing toward a lone traveller at night; anger should be stern, not threatening.
- #2 Adult 27, no romance, no body talk, no dialect caricature, superstitions stated without a real-culture claim: nothing else found after reading every item.

### Cross-examination
- [Consistency #1, close example] no challenge / corroborated by Readability: rule (d) says "practical questions only", so a teasing question is not countable against the rules.
- [Readability #1, S9] challenged by Consistency: "check 5 only needs 8 of 10 signatures in the lines, so an unused one is allowed" / the challenge does not address the vague Use text; no corroboration.
- [Readability #2, never-say row 5] no challenge / corroborated by Safety: "cruelty toward a vulnerable traveller is a safety topic, and an example makes it testable".
- [Scout #1, "Mind the step."] challenged by Consistency: "it is an ordinary boarding instruction and the only plain way a ferry worker hides kindness as an order; it is not a slogan" / no corroboration.
- [Scout #2, line 7 stock line] no challenge / corroborated by Safety (menacing tone).
- [Safety #1, line 7] no challenge / corroborated by Scout #2.
- [Consistency #2, line 6] no challenge: rule (e) bans apology chains, not one clause.

### Verdict
1. **[CORROBORATED]** Line 7 "I'm not asking twice" is a stock line and sounds menacing: changed to "Sit down. Now." (Scout, Safety).
2. **[CORROBORATED]** Close-partner example was a teasing question against rule (d): changed to the statement "Ha. Call that a knot. Again." (Consistency, Readability).
3. **[CORROBORATED]** Never-say row 5 needs a concrete example: added "Lost? Of course you are." (Readability, Safety).
4. **[CONFIRMED]** S9 Use text too vague: rewritten to "image for something failing or unreliable (an engine, a promise, a plan)". The challenge did not address the vague wording. S9 stays unused in the 12 lines by choice.
5. **[DISPUTED]** "Mind the step." resembles a famous public-transport announcement. Scout: surface similarity, suggest "Watch your footing." Consistency: ordinary boarding instruction, not a slogan. Left as written; your call.

### Changes applied
Line 7 reworded; close-partner example reworded; never-say row 5 example added; S9 Use text rewritten. Phase 3 re-run on the changed items: counts still 3/10/6/6/6/12/3/8, line 7 is 3 words, rule (c) and (d) satisfied, no never-say match, anger lines 7 and 8 still differ from sorry lines 5 and 6, coverage still 8 of 10, no [IP] terms left except the disputed S6. All pass.

**Recommendation:** Ready to write with, plus one disputed item ("Mind the step.") for you to decide.

## Notes
- Confirm the (assumed) items: the three voice-shift partners, plain English with no dialect, and the two catchphrase-style items.
- Text language is English because you stated it; for another language, lines need a native check.
- Planning only: text was written, no audio, accent or acting was judged, and a writer or model can still drift over long scripts, so re-check against the drift traps.
- Want a second-language line set, a 6-line cut-down for a chat-persona prompt, or the sheet rewritten as a short system-prompt paragraph?

Use cases

• Keeping an original character's dialogue consistent across chapters, episodes or scripts
• Briefing a co-writer, a chat-persona prompt or a voice director with one page
• Writing caption or subtitle lines that sound like the character
• Catching "sounds like the author" drift and over-used catchphrases before you publish
• Giving a young or mascot character a wholesome, age-appropriate voice

FAQ

Does it make audio or clone a voice? No. It writes text only. It cannot hear or judge a voice, accent or acting.

Does it guarantee my character will stay in voice or that readers will like it? No. It reduces drift; a writer or model can still slip over a long script. Nothing here predicts reception or sales.

Which language are the lines in? The one you choose. If you say nothing, English, and the output says so. For a language the agent writes poorly, lines are marked for a native check.

Is it safe for characters who are minors? The sheet is strictly SFW. If the character is a minor or reads young, every line stays wholesome: no romance-leaning or suggestive lines.

Can it clear catchphrases legally? No. It flags surface resemblance to famous slogans or catchphrases; it cannot search anything and this is not legal advice.