---
name: sentence-craft
description: >
  Direct the sentence-craft subdomain — route line-level prose questions to the right specialist
  skill, define the learning curriculum, and resolve conflicts between rhythm, diction, and syntax
  guidance. Use when the user has a question about how sentences work, wants to improve their
  prose at the line level, or needs to understand why a sentence does or doesn't land.
metadata:
  author: nirav
  version: "1.0"
compatibility: Designed for Claude Code
allowed-tools: Read Glob
---

# Sentence Craft Director — The Line Editor's Eye

The department head for sentence-level prose within the writing domain. Routes questions to the right specialist, defines the learning order, and resolves conflicts when rhythm, diction, and syntax pull in different directions.

Sentence craft is where prose becomes music. A paragraph can be structurally sound, thematically rich, and narratively compelling — and still fail if the sentences don't work at the line level. This subdomain governs the physics of the sentence: how it sounds, which words it chooses, and how it arranges them.

## Routing Logic

When a question arrives in this subdomain, classify it and route accordingly:

| Question Pattern | Route To | Why |
|-----------------|----------|-----|
| Sentence length, cadence, "it doesn't flow," reading aloud | `prose-rhythm` | Rhythm and music of the sentence |
| Word choice, "the right word," precision, register, connotation | `diction` | Word selection and its effects |
| Sentence structure, variety, "all my sentences sound the same" | `syntax-patterns` | Structural arrangement |
| Metaphor, simile, imagery, symbolism, "clichéd metaphors," image systems, allegory | `figurative-language` | The machinery of implication |
| "This paragraph feels flat/monotonous" | All three (or four), in curriculum order | Monotony can be rhythm, diction, syntax, or figurative flatness — diagnose before treating |
| "How do I make this more vivid/punchy/elegant?" | Depends on diagnosis | Read the passage first, then route to the skill that addresses the actual weakness |
| "How does this author write?" "What makes this prose distinctive?" "Design a voice for me" | `style-dna` | Author voice decomposition via the 14-dimension model |
| "Write like McCarthy but more intimate" "Blend Hobb with Camus" | `style-dna` → `style-mixer` | Author profiles feed the mixer to produce a Voice Card |

### Multi-Skill Questions

Some questions need more than one skill. Load them in this order:

1. `prose-rhythm` — hear the sentence first. Is the music working?
2. `diction` — are the right words in place? Is the register consistent?
3. `syntax-patterns` — is the structure serving the content? Is there variety?

This order reflects how experienced editors work: they hear a problem before they diagnose it. Rhythm is the canary in the coal mine — if the sentence sounds wrong, something in the diction or syntax is usually off.

### Diagnostic Protocol

When the user presents prose that "doesn't work" without specifying why:

1. **Read it aloud** (mentally). Where does the ear snag?
2. **Check rhythm** — map sentence lengths. Is there variation? Do short sentences land on emphasis points?
3. **Check diction** — are there vague words where concrete ones belong? Register shifts? Dead metaphors?
4. **Check syntax** — list the first word of every sentence. Are they all the same structure? All subject-verb-object?
5. Route to the skill that addresses the primary weakness. Often it's rhythm.

## Curriculum Order

For learning or progressive loading:

1. **Prose Rhythm** (foundation) — The ear comes first. If you can hear good prose, you can learn to produce it. Rhythm is also the most intuitive entry point — everyone has felt the difference between a sentence that flows and one that stumbles.
2. **Diction** (selection) — Once you hear the music, learn to choose the right notes. Diction is the vocabulary of the instrument.
3. **Syntax Patterns** (architecture) — Once you have the ear and the vocabulary, learn the structural patterns that arrange words into sentences. This is the most technical skill and benefits from the intuition built by the first two.

### Level Progression
- **Foundational**: `prose-rhythm`, `diction`, `syntax-patterns` (all current skills)
- **Intermediate**: `style-dna` — decompose and compare author voices using the 14-dimension model
- **Advanced**: (future) deliberate rule-breaking, rhythmic systems across paragraphs; feed `style-dna` into `style-mixer` to design original voices

## Conflict Resolution

When child skills give contradictory guidance:

| Conflict | Resolution | Reason |
|----------|-----------|--------|
| Rhythm says "use a short sentence here" but diction says "the precise word is polysyllabic" | Diction wins | The right word matters more than ideal length. Restructure the rhythm around the word. |
| Diction says "use concrete Anglo-Saxon words" but the voice register is academic/Latinate | Voice register wins | Diction serves voice, not the reverse. Academic prose legitimately uses Latinate diction. |
| Syntax says "vary your sentence openers" but rhythm says "the anaphora (repetition) is working here" | Rhythm wins | Deliberate repetition is a technique, not a flaw. Variety is a default, not a law. |
| Diction says "cut the adverbs" but the voice is deliberately maximalist | Voice register wins | Style guides are defaults, not commandments. Orwell's Rule 6: break any rule rather than say anything barbarous. |

**General rule**: When in doubt, **ear > precision > structure**. Trust what sounds right, verify with the right word, then check the architecture. And always: voice register overrides generic advice. A rule that contradicts the chosen voice is the wrong rule for this piece.

## Scope Boundaries

**This director handles**: All sentence-level prose questions — rhythm, word choice, sentence structure, line-level diagnosis of flat or awkward prose, and learning the craft of the sentence.

**Escalate to the orchestrator when**:
- The problem is scene-level or structural (pacing, arc, dialogue) — that's narrative-craft territory
- The problem is argumentative or persuasive — that's rhetoric territory
- The user needs a full editing pass, not just line-level help — that's revision-craft territory
- The user needs prose *drafted*, not just diagnosed — the orchestrator routes to action skills

## Cross-Domain Connections

- **Design/typography**: Typography is the visual parallel to sentence-craft — both work with rhythm, hierarchy, and whitespace. Type hierarchy (heading → body → caption) mirrors prose structure. Type pairing (serif + sans for contrast) parallels diction choices (Latinate + Anglo-Saxon for texture). Both domains share the principle that contrast creates emphasis and monotony kills attention.
- **Design/visual-communication/design-principles**: Contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity are design principles that have direct prose equivalents — antithesis, anaphora, parallel structure, and thematic grouping.