Have You Set the Right Tone for Your Story?

Tone is one of those things, along with author “voice,” that can be difficult for us get our heads around since to some extent it just happens. But tone, even more than voice, is something we can—and should—deliberately consider and plan for the good of our stories. Think of tone as sort of like a flavor. If readers take a spoonful of your story, are they going to get a mouthful of sweet, salty, tart—or an unpalatable glop that includes a little bit of everything?

The first consideration when it comes to tone is consistency. We want to set up and frame the story in a way that will guide reader expectations and then completely fulfill them. Unless we’re pulling a “Happiest Little Elf” à la Lemony Snicket, it’s not likely to be a good idea for us to start out with a whimsical tone, only to turn the story into something dark and graphic. For example, when we begin a Terry Pratchett novel or a Tim Burton movie, we know exactly what we’re going to get because the tone is set right from the beginning.

Sweeney Todd (2007), DreamWorks Pictures.

To a large extent, your tone will probably choose itself. But because it will influence the entirety of your story, it’s something worth thinking about and playing around with.

Are you going for light and happy? Dark and grungy? Straightforward and businesslike? Poetic and ethereal?

These choices will dramatically influence readers’ perception of your story. Your plot and characters can remain the same, but if you change the tone, the whole story changes. So when you’re beginning a new story, take a few minutes to play around with the tone. Write your opening line in a variety of different tones. Play around with narrator voices and explore them from different emotional angles. When you’re done, evaluate which one you enjoyed writing the most and which best evokes the type of story you’re wanting to create.

Wordplayers, tell me your opinions! How would you describe the tone in your most recent story? Tell me in the comments!