Tone pass
Also known as tonal map
A skill that maps tonal shifts scene by scene — flagging accidental breaks while respecting intentional gear changes — so the draft’s emotional through-line stays coherent.
In practice
Tone problems often hide until a cold read: a comic button that undercuts a funeral, a thriller scene that suddenly plays sitcom without intention. A tone pass maps shifts scene by scene so you can tell accidental breaks from gear changes you meant to make on purpose in the draft.
Treat the output as a reviewable map and suggested fixes, not an automatic sanding of every mood into one gray. Mark intentional shifts as deliberate when the tool flags them. You decide what changes; unaccepted suggestions do not rewrite the draft underneath you while you are still thinking.
Use it after structural rewrites when emotional through-lines tend to drift, and before you hand pages to a room that will feel tone faster than they can articulate it. Pair with Dialogue pass when the break lives in voice, and keep a save point so you can restore after aggressive cleanup passes.
Common questions
Will Tone pass rewrite my scenes automatically?
No. It surfaces a tonal map and suggested fixes as reviewable output. You decide what to change; intentional shifts can be kept on purpose.
Is every tonal shift treated as a mistake?
It should not be. The point is to catch accidents while respecting deliberate gear changes — mark intentional moves so they are not "fixed" away.
When should I run a tone pass?
After major rewrites, before a table read, and anytime Act Two starts feeling emotionally random compared with the opening promise.
How is Tone pass different from Dialogue pass?
Dialogue pass targets line craft and voice. Tone pass looks at emotional through-line across scenes — related jobs, different scopes of attention.