For Writers · The Canon
Every Slushproof finding cites its source. These are the sources — 67 rules from the craft books our engine measures against.
Slushproof didn’t invent these rules. They come from the writers who spent careers distilling what makes prose land, scenes turn, and structure hold. When we flag an adverb density or a midpoint that drifted, we name the writer who noticed it first. Read the canon.
King
“"End each chapter with a hook."”
Chapter Hook Miss
“complexity spikes signal reader overload.”
Complexity Spike
“"The road to hell is paved with adverbs."”
adverb_density
“rhythm variation keeps prose alive.”
avg_sentence_length
“"End each chapter with a hook."”
chapter_ending_hook_pct
“clichés signal a shortcut where the work wanted a thought.”
cliche
“said is the only verb most dialogue needs.”
dialogue_tag_adverb
“"The road to hell is paved with adverbs."”
ly_adverb
“"2nd draft = 1st draft − 10%."”
overwriting_passage
“rhythm variation keeps prose alive.”
sentence_length_cv
Gardner
“tonal consistency anchors the reader.”
Tone Drift
“time-jumps skip the scenes that were worth writing.”
chapter_open_time_jump_count
“frigidity is withheld emotion where emotion belongs.”
frigid_chapter_count
“interiority calibrates psychic distance.”
interiority_density
“POV drift breaks the reader's dream.”
pov_consistency
“psychic-distance wobble inside a chapter breaks the dream.”
pov_drift_chapter_count
“psychic-distance shifts break the vivid continuous dream.”
pov_oddity
“who is perceiving calibrates POV.”
sensory_attribution_pct
“sentimentality is emotion the story hasn't earned.”
sentimental_chapter_count
“show the world, don't report it.”
show_tell_ratio
“summarising time passes breaks the continuous dream — dramatise instead.”
summary_marker
McKee
“the dramatic peak is the book's argument.”
Intensity Peak
“subtext is what's said vs what's meant.”
Sentiment Dissonance
“every scene must turn.”
Structural Dead Zone
“the controlling idea is stated — often once, clearly.”
Thematic Statement
“"Every scene must turn."”
chapter_turn_pct
“a chapter without conflict is a dead zone.”
dead_zone_chapter_count
“a chapter without conflict is a dead zone.”
dead_zone_run_count
“characters reveal themselves in relation.”
interaction_density
“conflict reveals character under pressure.”
interaction_tone_conflict_pct
“scenes must turn on value shifts.”
paragraph_sentiment_variance_avg
“tonal balance shapes the reader's hope / dread curve.”
plot_point_emotion_ratio
“tonal uniformity signals a flat emotional arc.”
plot_point_tone_uniformity
“subtext is what's said vs what's meant.”
sentiment_dissonance_count
“tension is the engine of narrative.”
tension_avg
“the climactic peak is the argument of the book.”
tension_peak
Brody
“the whiff of death.”
All Is Lost
“the B Story carries the theme's answer.”
B Story
“external and internal pressure compound.”
Bad Guys Close In
“the synthesis — external and internal merge.”
Break into Three
“the protagonist commits to the upside-down world.”
Break into Two
“the Catalyst is the event that can't be un-happened.”
Catalyst
“the protagonist confronts their misbelief.”
Dark Night of Soul
“the hesitation before the act.”
Debate
“mirror of the Opening Image — transformation proof.”
Final Image
“the climactic test.”
Finale
“the promise of the premise.”
Fun and Games
“one chapter should carry the peak.”
High Delivery
“a false victory or false defeat, mid-manuscript.”
Midpoint
“establish the world before the catalyst.”
Opening Image
“the Set-Up is the ground that the Catalyst disrupts.”
Set-Up
“theme stated early, proved late.”
Theme Stated
“introduce your cast early.”
character_introduction_spread
“one chapter should carry the dramatic peak.”
high_delivery_count
“structural beats pace the read.”
plot_point_density · Save the Cat Writes a Novel
Strunk & White
“avoid turning verbs into nouns.”
nominalization
“"Use the active voice."”
passive_density
“"Use the active voice."”
passive_voice
“avoid qualifiers like 'very', 'just', 'really'.”
qualifier
“maintain tense.”
tense_consistency
Truby
“a character offstage loses weight in the web.”
Absentee Character
“the protagonist's desire drives the plot.”
Agency Gap
“foils define the character web.”
character_foil_pair_count
“allies shape the protagonist as much as antagonists.”
interaction_tone_positive_pct
“the character web is the book.”
unique_character_pair_count
Goldberg
“"Not a car, a 1956 blue Chevy."”
generic_noun_thing
“specific > generic.”
specific_noun_ratio