While tone reflects an author’s attitude toward what she’s written, mood refers to the reaction, or feeling, that readers get from the written work.
In fiction, the tone, theme, plot, setting, and characterizations all help set the mood. Each scene should reflect the point of view character’s emotions, and focus on details or actions that help readers relate to them. For example, a scene may feel suspenseful, romantic, mysterious, or humorous, depending on what’s happening to the characters.
Even though the mood can change from scene to scene, one mood should be dominant throughout the story. There can be elements of romance or humor in a suspense novel, or suspenseful moments in a romance novel, but each genre requires a particular element to be emphasized.
Even though nonfiction books and articles are based on facts, readers will react to the mood they create. The subject, the details that are focused on, the author’s tone, and the style of the writing all work together to create a particular mood.
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So, what was your mood after the last book you read? What do you do to put yourself in the mood to write, or to make your reading experience more enjoyable? Do you ever get angry while reading a story?
Like you say, Carol, mood is determined by what is going on inside the characters. So to get myself in their mood I read over the last section I wrote and meditate on that for a few minutes, then get stuck into it. Works a treat.
Jai
Jai, that helps me, too. Plus, I listen to music that fits the mood I want to create when I’m writing.
Carol, I agree with Jai. I also reread and mull on what I’ve written to get back into the mood of the characters again.
And I cannot listen to music as I write. I have to have complete quiet. Music or television distract me and negatively influence my work.
Elizabeth, you’re fortunate to have the quiet you need to work. Some of us have to drown out other noises with music in order to focus on writing. (In fact, I have a post on that ready to put up later today. Right now I’m off to my Bible Study group!)
[...] words that connote more than their literal meaning can affect the tone and mood of what we write, and adds depth to both fiction and nonfiction by stimulating the reader’s [...]