What we say is only as important as how we say it. This is how we differentiate ourselves from other authors: our unique approaches to similar subject material. If we want a strong, original story, we’ll need mastery over tone.
In this article we will talk about tone, what it is, and how to manipulate it to our story’s advantage.
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Key Takeaways:
- Tone as the vibe of the story
- Tone is the most interconnected aspect of a story
- Tone is reliant on craft
What is Tone?:
We can think of tone as the result of all the choices we’ve made in our story. Our diction, sentence structure, characters, setting, plot: everything comes together to generate the tone of our story. It’s easiest to discern the tone of our story once a draft has been completed.
Let’s analyze a familiar literary example for tone. Edgar Allen Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart may be his most famous work of gothic horror. One need look no further than his word choice to see the sort of tone Poe hopes to foster in his story. “Hellish”, “hideous”, “groan of pain or of grief”, “dark as pitch”; even without context, we might predict the general vibe of the story. Tone isn’t just indicated by the words in a sentence, but also how the sentence is constructed. Many of the sentences in The Tell-Tale Heart are run-on-sentences. Combine these run-on sentences with morbid word choice and we have a strong tone for a story about a madman.
In the example above, we can see that tone is reliant on other elements of writerly craft. Tone is where the author can transform reality. Take Poe’s tone and apply it to something light-hearted, an episode of Friends maybe. Ross and Joey might seem less entertaining if they spoke in lengthy monologues or used morose analogies. If the tone departs too far from the subject matter, there better be a reason.
Building Tone:
Now that we know what tone is, it’s just a matter of developing our own. It is up to we to decide what kind of tone best fits our kind of writing.
Word choice is the most obvious starting point for any author looking to manipulate our tone. Strong verbs will carry our sentences but adjectives can be where we really clue our reader into our tone. Remember that our tone must be purposeful, we are building it for a reason. In Poe’s case, he wanted the tone to reflect the mental state of a madman, and he wanted his readers to be affected by fear. In the case of a technical writer who works on textbooks, their tone would need to be sanitized, free of impartial emotion. This extends to what we choose to show the reader. A character death will inevitably alter the tone; how will our word choice change to fit the moving narrative of our story?
An author must also take into account the point of view and perspective of their story before tackling tone. To illustrate the importance of perspective on tone, imagine a bus ride. The young man on his way to a date might view the bus ride in a different light than the homeless man riding until he’s kicked off. If we’re using the first person perspective, the tone must match the emotional and mental state of the main character. In third person, we are allowed the liberty to change tone as frequently as we wish, but keep in mind a scattered tone leads to a confusing narrative.
Conclusion:
Tone can be tricky to understand, but master it and the atmosphere of your writing will never be the same. Many readers seek new stories to read based solely on tone; carve your niche and you will cultivate new audiences.
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