Intro:
I've been blogging about how to write more literarily. A lot of people listen to music to match or alter their mood. If they're depressed, they may listen to something depressing or maybe something soothing or happy. Part of what they seek may be in the rhythm and music, but the other half of the equation is language. When you write a book, you don't have a soundtrack (well, other than an audio book). All you can do to invite the mood (or in literary terms, tone) are the words. This time of year, people invite the holiday feeling, whatever that means to them, with the words they're listening to. You, too, can control the tone of your piece through your careful use of language.
Mr. Editor:
You can think of what tone you're seeking as you write the first draft. Many people carry a mood with them that automatically translates to the page with everything they write. But most people have to really work on this for the second draft. However you write, just get that first draft out. You don't even have to think about mood or specific language detail until later. For me, if I let Mr. Editor in the door when I'm working on that first draft, I'll never get anything done. So the mood/tone has to wait.
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| [Macbeth-source] |
Consistency:
The second draft, you decide what kind of tone you want either consistently throughout for, say, a thriller, a romantic tear-jerker, a chipper kids' book, or something else. Dr. Seuss's books are consistently whimsical. A bodice ripper may drip with passion and lust. A thriller may exude tension and excitement. Or you may just take decide with each scene. Think of Macbeth. In one scene, Macbeth murders the king. The tone is dark. The next, two porters are telling knock knock jokes. The two moods juxtaposed are part of what makes this play so classic, so respected, so complex. The lighter tone is there to lighten the mood after an intense scene, before you're once more plunged back into darkness.
Schlumping Borfins:
After you decide on a tone, you make sure each word in that scene or book matches that tone. If you're going for a kids' whimsical book, make sure each word, each line, brings in that spirit. Does it bring joy? If not, you may want to trim or change it. Also, techniques like rhyme, assonance, and alliteration can enhance that whimsy, or whatever your tone. How much fun would a Seuss book be without rhymes like, "So don't you feel blue. Don't get down in the dumps./You're lucky you don't have a Borfin that shlumps"? We don't know what a Borfin is or why it schlumps, but we delight in it along with kids because the whimsical mood carries us.
Word Choice:
Word choice is the primary controller of tone Think of light brown/dark blond hair, for instance. If you're going for something like a fairy tale, that hair color can be described as pure as gold or simply golden. If you're writing women's fiction in which the main character doesn't feel good about herself, that same hair can be called mousey or just light brown or nondescript. If she's a murderer, you may think in terms of emphasizing the darkness of that blond hair or mention blood red highlights. If you're talking about dark blond hair with blood red highlights in a whimsical kids' story, your reader will be distracted by how that does not match the tone.
What tone do you need to make your piece work? Choose the tone then read your piece carefully. Is there anything that needs to change? Is there a moment or scene that will be a tonal mismatch?
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