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piece of literature. It's both a tangible feeling and a constant intangible presence
The mood creates an emotional response in the audience and allows for greater
The mood is the aura created by many sentences. It exists nowhere on the page.
Just as a person can't speak without their voice betraying what kind of mood
they're in, a writer can't write without creating some type of mood. If the mood
Consider the following vital elements of constructing mood in your next piece
of writing.
Dean explores manipulating mood. Image Credit: Mark Freeth via Flickr Creative Commons.
Diction
Diction is the choice of words and how the author decides to express
mood. For example if the author wants to create a foreboding atmosphere, they
wouldn't say 'the clouds were light and puffy', they would say 'the clouds were
When I was writing 'You Suck,' in 2006, I constructed the diction of the
book's narrator, perky Goth girl Abby Normal, from what I read on Goth
blog sites."
Thus he was able to find the correct words to use for his character and establish
mood of a piece. The time of day, season, weather, and physical location can
setting and imagery also comes into play here. The warehouse may have broken
windows or hanging rafters. The alley might be littered with debris. All these
Imagery
Imagery also comes into play. The broken windows or hanging rafters of the
littered with debris to convey the presence of people and danger. All these
Consider this excerpt from Stephen King's recent novel Revival as an example
of evocative imagery:
On our right was an old cabin with a mossy, sagging roof and crashed-out
the gray, paintless sides. Ahead and above us was a great bulging forehead of
granite. At the summit, just as Jacobs had told me half my life ago, was an iron
pole jutting toward the clouds, which were now black and seemingly low
enough to touch.
Tone
Tone can sometimes be confused with mood, but they're not one and the same.
Tone is more about the author's attitude towards certain events or situations and
For example, the tone might be suspenseful because the author holds back
particular information from the reader. The tone is articulated through the
thoughts, words, and actions of the characters and is a large contributing factor
Theme
Theme and mood have a very close relationship as they often reinforce each
other. Identifying the theme, the overall meaning of a poem or story, will go a
long way to recognising the mood of the piece. Conversely, ascertaining the
mood of the writing will help a reader understand the meaning of the work.
For example, if the theme of a poem is suicide, the mood will be dark, sad, and
lonely. Or, if the mood seems joyful and celebratory, the theme might be based
Always remember mood is one of the most important and powerful tools
writers have at their disposal, so it's important to pay close attention to it. Find
other writers who are good at it and study their work. One author who comes
straight to mind, when thinking of mood, is horror writer Stephen King who is
master at unsettling the reader and playing on their emotions. For
literature.