Three-Axis Model
Why Three Axes?
Section titled “Why Three Axes?”Most writing guidance collapses “who is writing” and “how they are writing” into a single undifferentiated concept called “voice” or “style.” This works for a single author writing in a single context, but it breaks down when you need to reuse and remix writing instructions across different tasks and audiences.
The three-axis model separates writing instruction into components that vary independently:
- Who is writing and how they feel about the audience (Voice & Tone): Voice is stable across all contexts for a given identity; Tone is situational and changes with context. Together they form the first axis.
- How they structure reasoning (Style): independent of both identity and mood
- How they present output (Format): purely structural, applies to any voice/tone/style combination
Because these three axes are independent, you can compose any combination. A pragmatic-architect voice with an encouraging tone writing in a problem-solution style formatted as a daily-standup is a fully specified, reproducible writing instruction.
Axis 1 - Voice & Tone
Section titled “Axis 1 - Voice & Tone”Voice and Tone are two dimensions within the first axis. Voice captures persistent identity (how you always sound). Tone captures situational register (how you sound right now). They are kept as separate catalog directories because they have different frontmatter and different entry counts, but they belong to the same conceptual axis.
Voice is the persistent identity of the writer. It captures:
- The professional archetype they embody (
pragmatic-architect,product-thinker) - The concerns they characteristically surface (constraints and trade-offs vs. user outcomes)
- The level of abstraction they prefer (systems vs. features vs. operations)
- The assumptions they make about the reader
Voice is stable across contexts. A pragmatic-architect voice behaves the same way whether writing a Slack message or a technical RFC - it always reasons from constraints, names trade-offs explicitly, and avoids hand-waving.
Seed Voice Entries
Section titled “Seed Voice Entries”| ID | Description |
|---|---|
pragmatic-architect | Reasons from system constraints and trade-offs; names costs explicitly |
product-thinker | Centers user outcomes; connects decisions to measurable value |
operator | Grounded in what actually runs and breaks in production; prioritizes reliability over theory |
technical-writer | Explains precisely and clearly for a reader unfamiliar with the system |
researcher | Questions assumptions; demands evidence before committing to a claim |
Tone is situational coloring applied on top of voice. It reflects how the writer wants the reader to feel, and what relational stance the writer is taking in this particular message.
The Voice/Tone Distinction
Section titled “The Voice/Tone Distinction”This is the most important distinction in the model. Voice does not change; tone does. The same pragmatic-architect can be:
candid: direct, no softening, states the problem plainlyencouraging: patient, supportive, meets the reader where they areconfident: acknowledges problems while holding a position without hedging
Separating tone from voice means you do not need a different voice entry for every emotional register. You have one pragmatic-architect entry and five tone modifiers.
Seed Tone Entries
Section titled “Seed Tone Entries”| ID | Description |
|---|---|
candid | Direct and unhedged; states the situation plainly without softening |
encouraging | Patient and supportive; guides the reader rather than directing them |
confident | States a position and holds it without hedging or excessive qualification |
skeptical | Surfaces risks prominently; prefers explicit caveats |
celebratory | Motivating register; marks and amplifies a win or milestone |
Axis 2 - Style / Mode / Genre
Section titled “Axis 2 - Style / Mode / Genre”Style describes the cognitive and rhetorical pattern of the writing: how ideas are organized and sequenced. It is independent of who is writing and how they feel.
Seed Style Entries
Section titled “Seed Style Entries”| ID | Description |
|---|---|
problem-solution | Diagnosis first, then remedy; clear causal structure |
layered-disclosure | Lead with the answer; bury supporting detail for readers who want depth |
decision-log | Documents a choice: context, options considered, decision, rationale |
chronological-narrative | Situation, complication, resolution, told in time order |
procedural | Sequential instructions with explicit ordering and numbered steps |
Axis 3 - Format / Output Structure
Section titled “Axis 3 - Format / Output Structure”Format entries define the visual and structural container. They specify headings, bullet depth, table layouts, section templates, and field ordering. Format is purely presentational and can be applied to any voice/tone/style combination.
Seed Format Entries
Section titled “Seed Format Entries”| ID | Description |
|---|---|
adr | Architecture Decision Record: Status, Context, Decision, Consequences |
daily-standup | Three fields: Yesterday, Today, Blockers |
slack-message | Short-form message tuned for a team channel; reaction-aware length |
rfc | Proposes a change and invites disagreement before deciding: Context, Proposal, Alternatives, Open Questions |
one-pager | Flat, scannable structure for a decision-ready summary; minimal prose |
How Composition Works
Section titled “How Composition Works”The writing-instruction-builder skill reads one entry from each axis and assembles them into a single structured prompt prefix. The prefix has up to four sections - Voice, Tone (both from Axis 1), Style (Axis 2), and Format (Axis 3) - concatenated in that order.
Any axis can be omitted. If you only specify a voice and a format, the skill generates a two-section prefix. The composed instruction is designed to be prepended to any writing task without modification.
See Compose an Instruction for a worked example.