Writer's Tips: Mood
Okay,
let’s devote some time to talking a little bit about mood. As always, let’s define what the mood of your
story is first. I think the easiest way
to do this is to give you an example to relate to. Let’s say you’re watching a movie, and in the
duration comes a tear-jerking scene.
Let’s evaluate what makes it so sad.
The soft mournful funeral music playing in the background obviously,
maybe a monotonous pitter-patter of rain on the window, and seeing the actors
and actresses crying. Another big point
is lighting. If it’s a gray, rainy day,
the lighting in the movie might be dim and washed out; if it’s a quiet evening,
the lighting might be cozy and warm from lamplight while shadows play around
the corners of objects. Additionally,
the setting of the scene makes a big difference as well. All these work together to give you that
somber, tear-jerking feeling. To create
the mood of the scene.
The
mood of a scene is the feeling it gives you.
Is there such a thing as the mood of the story versus the mood of scenes? Maybe, but since stories are composed of
scenes, we’re only going to discuss the mood of individual scenes in this post.
Words
are very powerful, and therefore, as a writer, you have the ability to
manipulate your readers’ emotions. The
key is to learn how to write to evoke the response you want. And that’s what we’re going to talk about
here.
So
how do you transmit emotions through your writing and to your readers? The first and most important point is to
write with passion and feeling. As you
write, if you don’t feel the emotion you want your readers to feel, it isn’t
going to show through in your work.
Readers can tell if you’re passionate about your story. If you want your readers to cry, you have to
feel that strong emotion yourself first before they ever can. In really sad scenes I write, I’ve
cried while writing them, and as a result, my readers cried over
them. In fact, sometimes I can’t even
see the scene of my laptop through my tears.
If you want your readers to feel a sense of freedom and love of
simplicity in the nature of a summer day and blue sky, you have to experience
yourself that airy feeling- that take-a-deep-breath, sigh-in-contentment
feeling.
Secondly,
you have to make good use of your tools.
What are your tools? Well, what
created the mood in our example of the movie scene? Music, display of emotions, lighting, and setting. Those are your tools in creating mood in the
scenes of your story. Your story is no
different than a movie. It’s just a
movie playing on paper.
All
right, let’s talk about your first tool in the list: music. Obviously, you can’t add background music to
your scenes… not literally anyways. But
just because your scene is on paper rather than on a TV screen doesn’t mean
that you can’t employ music at all in creating the mood of your story scene. For instance, you might mention soft music is
playing in the background. Even though
your readers can’t actually hear the music with their ears, if you include
music in your description of the setting of the scene, your readers will know
the music is there and will imagine what it sounds like. If it’s a well-known song, you might even
specify what song it is. The important
thing to note here is that you can NOT use in your story any lyrics from a song
without express permission. No, not even
a part of the song; how much of the lyrics you use makes no difference. This is an infringement of copyright laws,
and you could potentially be sued for using them. Not something you want to chance. However, you can use the title of a
song in your story. As far as I know,
the title of a song is too short to be copyrighted in which case you could
legally mention the title of the song in your book without any
infringement.
The
second tool is a display of emotions.
This one too doesn’t require much discussion. Just as seeing actors and actresses crying pulls
on your heartstrings, so does the display of emotions your story characters
show. Your characters’ reactions,
dialogue, and thoughts relating to the scene all help contribute to the
mood. We already spent the past two Writer’s
Tips posts talking about characters and dialogue though, so I won’t go
in-depth on that topic again, but if you need more details about how to convey
those elements, look back at the past two Writer’s Tips posts.
Lighting. This is a big one, and one that I personally
think is one of the most influential.
Lights and shadows give your scene realism, and realism is imperative in
order for your readers to experience the emotions you want them too. Just as lighting plays such a big role in
taking a photograph, so lighting plays a momentous role in giving your scene
the tone you want it to have. For
example, we say dim light, fire glow, and dripping candles “sets the mood” for
a romantic atmosphere in a room.
Lighting “sets the mood” in the scenes of your book. The two types I personally employ most are the
cozy glow of lamplight and the cheerful radiance of sunlight.
And
lastly, your tool of setting. We’ve
discussed the setting of a book as a whole before, but this time, I’m talking
about the setting of an individual scene.
Just as the setting for a book is where the book takes place, the time
period and season in which the story is set, and the like, so is the setting
for a scene where the scene takes place, and the time of day and season in
which it occurs. But the setting of a
scene includes much more than what the setting of an entire story does. The setting of a scene incorporates two of
your other three tools: music and lighting.
They both contribute to the setting of your scene. You develop the setting by describing the
characters’ surroundings in the scene.
Objects in the room, cars passing by on the road, the glow of
streetlights, the crackle and sparks of a fire, the song of birds in the trees,
the gentle wind rustling through the dewy blades of grass and setting the new
leaves dancing… The possibilities are
endless. Also remember that you don’t
have to go into immense detail in describing the setting. You don’t need to describe every piece of
furniture in the room, but decide what details would add to the setting of the
scene and help draw your reader into the moment. My rule of thumb is to use as little details
as I can and still create a well-rounded setting for my scene. This helps me avoid flowery language,
drawn-out descriptions, and the danger of losing my reader’s interest.
One
more point I want to note on is that some moods are harder to convey than
others because some emotions are harder to evoke. They’re emotions that come from deeper
within, like verbal laughter or visual tears.
We all have our strong points and our weak points in writing, but with
anything, practice improves our writing ability and deepens our
experience. Being the romantic that I am,
creating the mood in a romantic scene comes naturally to me. Sad scenes and action scenes of tension and
chaos are more difficult. A good piece
of work though successfully reflects the feelings of the author to the reader,
and a good writer will make good use of mood.
It takes practice, and trust me, you probably won’t strike the deepest
core in your readers with your first try.
But keep at it. Don’t get
discouraged. Practice makes perfect, and
it’s a skill worth cultivating and mastering.
It’s a challenge, but experimenting with unusual combinations of music,
displays of emotions, lighting, and settings is all part of the fun.
Below
are three examples of mood. The first
two are from a composition assignment in my sophomore year of high school. They aren’t the best examples, but they serve
the purpose of giving you an illustration. Notice that the same scene is being described
in each, but note the different feelings they produce. In the first, we get a favorable impression
of the wintery day; in the second, we get an unfavorable one. Also notice that the details I chose to
describe are very specific to the feeling I wanted you to receive and I only included
those that would contribute to the overall mood of the scene.
Favorable Impression:
Sally
stood at the door and looked out the window.
A fresh snow had fallen the night before and a blanket of white now
covered the yard.
A
cold breeze had begun to blow outside, but a roaring fire blazed within the
house, warming up the lower level as the wood crackled in the fireplace. The sun had begun to sink in the west and the
temperature was beginning to drop both inside and out. Sally pulled the heavy quilt closer around
her shoulders.
As
she stared out the window, it seemed to her as though she was looking out into
another world. The snow was so perfect
and white; it gave everything a clean appearance. The afternoon sun shone its last rays of
light through the icy trees and from behind the barn, Sally saw the sun burst
into a flame of light, its last rays sparkling on the icicles like magical
flame that burned for a quick moment before vanishing. The disappearance of the sun left the world
in the dusk of the night and all was still.
No movement was seen outside.
Looking hard enough, Sally was certain she could see snow fairies
dancing across the blanket of white.
Minutes
passed and she still stood staring out the window, caught under the enchanting
spell of enthrallment. Finally she saw a
flicker of light from within the barn, and through the crack between the two
barn doors, she saw the lantern light as it drew nearer. A moment later her older brother emerged from
the barn, and pulling his coat tighter, he barred the doors closed. Carrying the lantern in one hand and the milk
pail in the other, he trudged through the drifts of snow as he made his way
across the yard to the house door.
Behind
her, Sally could smell the potatoes and gravy as Grandma lifted the lids to
stir them and she quickly turned to help her serve supper.
Unfavorable
Impression:
Sally stood at
the door and looked out the window. A
heavy snow had fallen the night before and drifts stood piled around the yard.
The
wind whistled outside, and though a fire roared inside the fireplace, the house
maintained a constant degree of coldness as, through the icy windows, blew a
winter draft. The door felt like pins
and needles to the touch and the frosty window glass left Sally’s fingers
burning. The coldness made her feel
tired and her body had grown stiff. As
she grasped the heavy quilt that draped across her shoulders, her fingers felt
numb and she fumbled as she drew the blanket more tightly to her.
The
warmth of her breath melted the ice crystals on the windowpane and she peered
out into the wintry world. The sun had
begun to sink in the west and the temperature was beginning to drop
rapidly. Sally sighed; the nightfall was
approaching and already its cold and darkness was beginning to creep into the
house. How she dreaded those cold winter
nights! Though the blazing fire helped
to warm the downstairs, the bedrooms remained untouched by the source of
heat. At night, the sheets in her bed
would feel like a layer of ice through her flannel pajamas.
Minutes
passed and she still stood staring out the window, too cold and numb to
consider any movement. Emptiness gnawed
at her stomach as she waited. Finally
she saw the lantern light as her older brother emerged from the barn, and
pulling his coat tighter, he barred the doors closed. Sally was glad that she did not have to be
out there, it was cold enough indoors and she disliked having to step through
the deep snowdrifts. She watched as her
brother trudged through the mounds of snow towards the house door, carrying the
lantern in one hand and the milk pail in the other.
Behind
her, Sally could hear the clanging of lids as Grandma stirred the potatoes and
gravy. She quickly turned to help her
serve supper; it was finally time to eat.
And then lastly, this third one is a
more recent scene that I wrote over the summer.
As I said, one of the fun parts of being an author is trying out different
combinations of your tools in your scenes, and one of my favorites is using
unusual settings for romantic scenes, as I did in this exchange between a
married couple in my first novel The Heart of a Hero (no, it’s not
published yet). The scene takes place
late at night in a Del Taco fast food parking lot on a street running through
the heart of Snellville, Georgia; restaurant parking lots are especially a favorite
“romantic” setting of mine. I told you I
like using unusual settings. :) Notice how I incorporate the use of lighting
and shadows in creating the mood of this scene though. Again, it’s not perfect, but it’s a good
example of how lighting can contribute to the mood of a scene. As always though, the most important thing in
writing is to enjoy it and just have fun!
Example
of use of lighting to create mood:
Swinging open the restaurant
door, Michael followed his wife outside into the stillness of the night. Overhead a clear night sky looked down upon
them, and a countless number of stars brilliantly twinkled, contributing to the
soft rays of light that shone from the windows of the restaurant on Highway
124.
“Remember when we were first
married we used to always go out on late night dates?” Isabella spoke up,
breaking the spell of silence. She
watched as her husband retrieved old receipts from his wallet and tossed them
into the nearby trashcan.
With a smile, Michael
nodded. “I must not have needed as much
sleep back then. It’s nice that
tomorrow’s Saturday though. I’m gonna
sleep in until noon,” he added playfully.
Returning his wallet to his back pocket, he took her hand, and they
slowly started across the parking lot toward the Ford, silence falling between
them.
“Michael… have you ever
considered us having another baby?” Isabella finally spoke again.
Michael cast a glance down at her
in surprise as she turned her gaze up to his face. “Well, I guess it… hasn’t really crossed my
mind with everything going on lately,” he replied. “Why do you ask?”
Isabella inaudibly drew a deep
breath, noting that they were nearing their parked truck. “Well, I was just wondering your opinion on
it because…” She paused, attempting to
suppress her smile. “Well, I have some
news to tell you.” She watched as
Michael reached into his pocket for the truck keys.
At her words, Michael’s thoughts
began to race, noting the irrepressible smile on his wife’s face and the
excitement in her voice. “All right….
well, what is it you need to tell me?” he finally managed the question
uncertainly. “There’s nothing wrong, is
there?” He returned the keys to his
pocket as he had unlocked the passenger’s side of the truck. Sensing that his wife wasn’t ready for the
conversation to end just yet, he kept the door closed.
Isabella’s smile beamed further
at the question, and she shook her head.
“No, nothing’s wrong,” she assured him.
“It’s just that…” Her voice
trailed off, and leaning back against the side of the truck, she slipped her
hands into his, peering up into his face now shadowed by the darkness of the
night. “Sweetheart, I really love you,” she whispered softly.
“And I really love you… only more,” he added.
She shook her head. “I love you most,” she contradicted
playfully.
“But I loved you first,” he
reminded with a smile. Stepping closer,
he kissed her lightly. As he broke the
connection however and stepped back, Isabella drew him closer again for another
kiss, lasting longer that time as he drew her closer into his arms.
Her smile grew warmer as he
kissed her cheek a moment later, then her other cheek as well, and then her
forehead before resting his forehead against hers. Their noses touched as he still held her
closely. “Michael…” She hesitated, her voice coming in a
whisper. She pulled back slightly to
meet his gaze. “You’re going to be a
daddy again, Sweetheart.”
Her words rendered Michael
speechless and stunned before he finally managed to find his voice. He instinctively cast a quick glance down at
her stomach, then returned his gaze to hers.
“You’re pregnant again?” he questioned in disbelief.
She nodded happily. “Yes.”
She paused. “I didn’t want to
mention it to you before; in case I was wrong, I didn’t want to get your hopes
up. But I saw the doctor today, and she
confirmed it,” she explained.
“She’s sure?”
She nodded again slightly, her
smile still beaming warmly. “She’s
positive. She said it was so obvious
there wasn’t any chance of a mistake.
Michael, I’m so happy. I really
wanted this baby,” she confessed. She
studied his expression, searching for any indication of his thoughts, as he
offered no response. “Michael?”
He smiled. “Bella, I feel overwhelmed,” he
admitted. “The Lord’s given me an
overload portion of blessings, and I don’t know why. Only months ago, I was the worst pessimist
and complainer,” he reminded good-naturedly.
“I don’t deserve it all.” A
slight trace of regret and shame at his past behavior was still perceptible in
his words.
With a warm smile, she reached up
and ran her hands across his hair before taking his face in her hands. “Sweets, the Lord is always more concerned with the man that you are than the man that you were,”
she assured him gently. “He doesn’t see
a pessimist; He sees a life willing to be written upon by His pen. He sees a humble leader and a life of service
and love.” At the word, she touched her
middle where within her womb, that little person- the very product of love- was
developing. “Michael, He sees a life of
integrity and a heart for others.” She
paused. “And so do I,” she added.
As she embraced him, Michael held
her closely again in return, his heart too full of pride and gratefulness for
words…. the good pride now though and gratefulness for love, for all of God’s
blessings… and for the grace of forgiveness and second chances.
