Writing Lessons & Advice: Tone
Have you ever been told to watch your tone during a conversation? A combination of your voice, emotions, and attitude may have gotten away from you, and the resulting expression was not acceptable for the situation. You likely needed to do things like pause, take a few breaths, and rethink how or what you were communicating if you had a point you wanted to get across more successfully.
Tone is something to watch in writing too. It relates to mood and feeling conveyed in a text. Sometimes a writer’s mood and feelings manifest onto the page. Other times, a writer can invoke certain moods or feelings in their readers.
Identifying tone or writing with a certain one is often part of literary studies, discussions, or exercises. Love or hate them, they can improve how you paint the mental picture for your readers. Here’s what you need to know about the palettes and tools for accomplishing this:
Finding and studying tone
Tone is created largely through word, language, and/or detail choices. While these are key to strong details to begin with, they also contribute to the text’s emotional quality. An interesting exercise that shows this in effect is to analyze popular misunderstood songs; the lyrics make the difference!
Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” is a prime example. People want to think it is a patriotic song based solely on the anthemic chorus, but take a look at some of the other words. Would a song intending to be patriotic start with “Born down in a dead man’s town/The first kick I took was when I hit the ground”? Springsteen’s fans know the track is really an anti-war song commentating on what veterans faced with deployment to Vietnam or upon returning home:
“Got in a little hometown jam/so they put a rifle in my hand/sent me off to a foreign land/to go and kill the yellow man...”
“I had a brother at Khe Sanh/Fightin’ off them Viet Cong/They’re still there; he’s all gone...”
“...I’m ten years burnin’ down the road/nowhere to run, ain’t got nowhere to go...”
“I’m a long-gone daddy in the USA now...”
The juxtaposition between music and lyrics may have been intentional. But the lyrics, isolated from the music/production, set a tone of hard knocks. Additionally, this song is an instance of a writer’s feelings on a topic prevailing through text.
Another interesting one is “The Way” by Fastball, a nineties pop/alt-rock song I grew up with (and my top song on my 2024 Spotify Wrapped). Musically, a very upbeat, catchy tune, but the lyrics portray a bittersweet story of travelers getting:
Lost: note the recurring verse outro, “Where were they going without ever knowing the way?”
Drunk and car troubles: “They drank up the wine/and they got to talking/they now had more important things to say/And when the car broke down they started walking...”
And not reaching an earthly destination: note a reference to Heaven or the afterlife in the third line in the first verse: "An exit to eternal summer slacking..." also several in the chorus, “Anyone can see the road that they walk on is paved in gold/And it's always summer/They'll never get cold/They'll never get hungry/They'll never get old and gray/ You can see their shadows wandering off somewhere/They won't make it home/But they really don't care/They wanted the highway/They're happier there today, today...”
Most alt-rock in the nineties was essentially a happy medium between the early decade’s grunge and the late decade’s burgeoning pop style. The music embraces the pop aspect, yet, a dramatic tone on par with grunge's grittiness can be read in the lyrics. Incidentally, founding bandmember Miles Zuniga even stated on the Spotify artist clip that its intended to be a song about "escape and a brighter tomorrow". He further emphasized that that ithe song is only loosely inspired by a newspaper article telling of a road-tripping elderly couple disappearing along their journey.
Applying this same exercise to literature, one good example comes from the first lines in George Orwell’s dystopian novel, 1984:
“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. Winston Smith, his chin nuzzled into his breast in an effort to escape the vile wind, slipped quickly through the glass doors of Victory Mansions, though not quickly enough to prevent a swirl of gritty dust from entering along with him. The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats...”
What kind of vibe is given from this selection? The fact that clocks strike thirteen is definitely an indicator that this is no ordinary world or story. The details about the wind, weather, and smell also signify that this scene/setting is not the most comfortable or welcoming place. So one might say the tone is gloomy. Anyone familiar with the rest of the story would agree this tracks as it continues to develop Winston’s world under Big Brother.
Conveying tone
Tone often informs the decisions in details. A writer may have at least a basic tone idea in mind at the start, which acts as a guidepost for developing their project. In practical terms, if a positive tone is intended, positive language and details will be the majority. If the tone is meant to be informative, the text will consist largely of facts and an objective approach. If a tone is to be encouraging, the words/message/details should evoke hope and inspiration. On occasion, a project may also express tonal blends or shifts. For instance, in Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Ring, the tone starts out casual, but progresses to seriousness as the adventure develops. Or I aim for a mix of friendly and informative tones in my Lessons & Advice.
As much as I’d love to delve into how to convey more tones, they run the gamut like colors, emotions, and flavors. But the Further Reading links give more focused insight if you’d like more direction on this point!
How can one know for sure that the text/content jives with a particular tone? I have five helpful strategies:
Language and vocabulary study- Getting and staying attuned to vocabulary, phrases, literary devices, and any other language assets will build your confidence and expand your horizons in expression. To see one way this looks in action, review the discussion on old versus ancient from the synonyms lesson.
Read other work with an eye for analyzing tone- Study how other authors convey tone. What mood(s) do they express and how? Look at language and sensory details.
Seek out a second opinion- Ask them if they pick up on your intended tone or which one they sense. Or what needs improving in that respect.
Hone your intuition- Like a resonating theme or topic sparks your interest, perhaps expressing your thoughts in a certain way or certain tones in general comes to you naturally. Lean into your instincts and unique perceptions as you write. Conversely, try getting into a positive, or at least reasonable, mindset to limit unwanted attitudes in your writing.
Edit and proofread with a focus on tone- Perchance are there words or details that don’t fit the intended tone? Is there enough showing and telling? Are any words or phrases confused with others? Does the tone make sense for the scene/section (or vice versa)?
How you sound, what you say, and sometimes even how you look make your tone clear in in an in-person or verbal disagreement. Meanwhile, tone in writing is more carefully crafted through your selection of words, phrases, and details to depict your ideas. Ultimately, aspects of critical thinking play a big part in understanding tone in reading and developing it appropriately in writing. Hope this gives you some insight into this element and inspires you to hone your reading, writing, and critical thinking skills!
If there’s a topic you want me to cover in the future, you’re welcome to reach out to me on the web chat features or socials!
Sources/further reading
Comments