Voice Rules Are Constraints. That's the Point.

"But these voice rules are so limiting."

Yes. That's the point.

Why Voice Rules Feel Restrictive

A good voice rule excludes things.

"Never use exclamation points." "Always keep sentences under 20 words." "Never say 'seamless' or 'powerful.'"

Exclusion feels uncomfortable. You might have a context where an exclamation point works. You might have a sentence that needs to be 22 words.

The rule says no anyway.

"Constraints feel limiting because they are. The limitation creates the coherence."

Why Exclusion Works

Without exclusion, every piece of copy is a new negotiation.

"Should I use an exclamation point here? Maybe just this once."

That negotiation happens thousands of times across a product. Different writers. Different contexts. Different moods.

The result: inconsistency. The brand sounds like multiple people arguing.

Voice rules eliminate the negotiation. The answer is already decided. Apply the rule. Move on.

As Pablo Picasso reportedly said: "Art is the elimination of the unnecessary." The same applies to voice. What you don't say shapes what remains.

Constraints Create Recognition

Read five sentences from your favorite writer. You know it's them. Something about the rhythm. The word choices. The punctuation.

That recognition comes from patterns. Constraints that the writer applies consistently, consciously or not.

Hemingway: short sentences, simple words, no subordinate clauses. Didion: long sentences punctuated with short ones, observational stance. Sivers: extreme brevity, direct address, no padding.

The patterns are constraints. The constraints create recognition.

"When you enforce constraints consistently, users don't consciously notice. They unconsciously recognize."

The same is true for brands. Users don't consciously notice that you never use exclamation points. They subconsciously recognize the calm. The recognition accumulates into trust.

What Good Voice Rules Look Like

Specific and testable: "No exclamation points" is testable. "Be friendly" is not.

Restrictive: If the rule allows everything, it's not a rule.

Applied everywhere: Buttons, error messages, marketing copy, emails. Same rules.

Few in number: 5-10 rules max. More than that is unenforceable.

Google's Technical Writing courses recommend no more than ten style rules: "Beyond ten, writers can't remember them, and the rules become decoration rather than direction."

Example: Vox Animus Voice Rules

1. No em dashes. Use periods instead. 2. No rhetorical questions as transitions. 3. One idea per sentence. 4. Banned words: seamless, powerful, robust, leverage, solution, unlock, elevate, streamline. 5. Maximum one exclamation point per page. Zero is better. 6. State facts. Skip the setup. 7. Error messages are direct. Say what's wrong. Say what to do.

Every rule is testable. Every rule excludes something.

"Voice rules aren't suggestions. They're the specification for how your brand sounds."

Enforcement Is the Hard Part

Writing voice rules is easy. Enforcing them is hard.

Every new piece of copy needs to pass the rules. Every new writer needs to learn them. Every update needs to maintain consistency.

This is why Brand Schemas include voice rules as copy-paste prompts. Feed them to your AI tools. Include them in your briefs.

Example prompt snippet: "Write this in Vox Animus voice: Direct, calm, no enthusiasm. Never use exclamation points. Maximum 15 words per sentence. Banned words: seamless, powerful, robust, leverage, solution."

The AI now enforces your constraints automatically.

The Freedom in Constraints

Paradoxically, constraints create freedom.

When the rules are clear, you don't have to decide. You just write. The rules handle the consistency. You handle the content.

T.S. Eliot wrote: "When forced to work within a strict framework, the imagination is taxed to its utmost and will produce its richest ideas." Constraints don't limit creativity. They focus it.

"Writers often find voice rules liberating. The endless decisions about tone and style are already made. Focus on what to say, not how to sound."

Build Your Rules

Start with three rules. Things you always do. Things you never do.

Document them. Test existing copy against them. Find the violations. Fix them.

Then add rules as you notice new patterns. What do we always want to do? What do we always want to avoid?

The rule set grows over time. The voice gets clearer. The brand gets stronger.

"Constraints are the point. The alternative is chaos branded as flexibility."

Build the constraints. Enforce them. Watch consistency accumulate into recognition.

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Ready to build your voice constraints? Try the Vox Animus demo to create enforceable rules you can apply everywhere.