Emotional Arc
Tone Shifts
Detect emotional pivot points and sudden intensity changes across the text.
What It Does
Analyzes sentiment valence and emotional intensity line-by-line, then identifies:
- Abrupt tone shifts — sudden changes in emotional trajectory (e.g., from joy to dread in a single paragraph)
- Intensity spikes — moments where emotional language dramatically intensifies
Why It Matters
Tone shifts are often the most powerful moments in fiction — the scene where the comedy turns dark, or the tense thriller suddenly becomes contemplative. But unintentional tone shifts feel jarring. A romantic dinner scene that suddenly reads like a horror novel (without narrative justification) confuses the reader. This analyzer highlights where your emotional trajectory changes direction, so you can decide whether each shift is earned.
What Gets Flagged
Abrupt Emotional Reversal
Severity: Information
Example (flagged):
Tone shift: abrupt emotional reversal at line 47 — large shift from negative to positive valence without transition
Why: The sentiment scores change dramatically between adjacent sections, suggesting an abrupt tonal shift that may need a transitional passage.
Intensity Spikes
Severity: Hint
Example (flagged):
Tone shift: emotional intensity spike at line 23 — sudden increase in charged language
Why: The density of emotionally charged words increases sharply, which may be intentional (a dramatic moment) or accidental (purple prose).
Configuration
No configuration options.
Technical Details
- Source:
prose-craft - Scope: Line/paragraph-level
- Method: Rolling sentiment valence and intensity scoring; delta detection for abrupt changes