Bow Tie Kreative Writing System
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Rules / structure

STR-001 Context default layer: paragraph

One controlling move per paragraph

IF a paragraph performs more than one unrelated rhetorical move, THEN split it at the move boundary ELSE retain.

Why the rule exists

Paragraph boundaries tell readers when the discourse changes jobs.

Condition

The rule fires when this evaluates true. Paths marked below must be present in the fact base; the engine reports the rest rather than guessing them.

  • paragraph.unrelated_rhetorical_move_count gt 1

Facts this rule reads

PathSource
paragraph.unrelated_rhetorical_move_count You supply it

Then

  1. split — target paragraph

Else

  1. retain — target current_text, No triggering condition is present.

LAKA

Smallest sufficient intervention
Yes
Primary axes

Sources

  • The Elements of Style — William Strunk Jr.; E. B. White
    Conciseness, conventional usage, and composition principles.
  • On Writing Well — William Zinsser
    Clarity, simplicity, voice, and nonfiction craft.
  • Handbook of Technical Writing — Gerald J. Alred; Charles T. Brusaw; Walter E. Oliu
    Grammar, mechanics, formats, and workplace documents.
The raw rule record

Verbatim from 10-paragraph-document-rules.json. Also available at /v1/rules/STR-001.

{
  "id": "STR-001",
  "name": "One controlling move per paragraph",
  "domain": "structure",
  "layer": "paragraph",
  "strength": "context_default",
  "human_logic": "IF a paragraph performs more than one unrelated rhetorical move, THEN split it at the move boundary ELSE retain.",
  "when": {
    "path": "paragraph.unrelated_rhetorical_move_count",
    "operator": "gt",
    "value": 1
  },
  "then": [
    {
      "action": "split",
      "target": "paragraph",
      "by": "rhetorical_move"
    }
  ],
  "else": [
    {
      "action": "retain",
      "target": "current_text",
      "reason": "No triggering condition is present."
    }
  ],
  "unless": [],
  "because": "Paragraph boundaries tell readers when the discourse changes jobs.",
  "diagnostics": [],
  "examples": {},
  "source_ids": [
    "BK-001",
    "BK-013",
    "BK-025"
  ],
  "laka": {
    "smallest_sufficient_intervention": true,
    "primary_axes": [
      "scope",
      "depth",
      "magnitude",
      "reversibility"
    ]
  }
}

Other structure rules

  1. STR-002 Expose the paragraph point IF the paragraph’s controlling point is absent or recoverable only after rereading, THEN state or move it to a strategic position ELSE retain an intentional delayed reveal. Heuristic
  2. STR-003 Support consequential claims IF a paragraph makes a consequential factual claim, THEN provide evidence, cite it, qualify it, or remove the claim ELSE retain. Hard constraint
  3. STR-004 Keep evidence beside the claim IF evidence is separated from the claim it supports by unrelated material, THEN move it closer or label the relation ELSE retain. Context default
  4. STR-005 Use transitions that name the relation IF adjacent paragraphs have a meaningful but unstated relation, THEN add a transition that expresses that relation ELSE retain. Context default
  5. STR-006 Delete orphan paragraphs IF a paragraph neither advances the purpose nor supports another necessary move, THEN delete or relocate it ELSE retain. Heuristic
  6. STR-007 Section answers one reader question IF a section answers multiple unrelated reader questions, THEN split and label them ELSE retain. Context default
  7. STR-008 Heading predicts content IF a heading does not accurately predict its section, THEN rename the heading or repair the section ELSE retain. Hard constraint
  8. STR-009 Maintain heading hierarchy IF heading levels skip or reflect visual size rather than logical nesting, THEN repair the hierarchy ELSE retain. Hard constraint