what is tone and why should i care?

Welcome to my tone talk.

Here you'll find out what tone is and why it matters to your writing.

You might be thinking, I know what tone is! It's like building muscles, right?

While I'm sure you never skip leg day, you're wrong. You have much to learn, but you can still do some squats as you read.

Let's go!

Tone, used in literature, is how a writer conveys a mood through their words. It can be comedic, sarcastic, poetic, serious, excited, sympathetic, or hateful. It can be grand and complicated, or informal and casual. It is limitless in possibilities and can be any emotion.

Tone's function is to create an emotional atmosphere in written word and provoke the reader to feel something.

Tone awakens emotion.

In "The Book of Longings" by Sue Monk Kidd, she writes about childbirth:

Tighter, tighter, the pain bit down, and I saw how it would be, bearing a child. The fangs would chomp and let go, chomp and let go, and there would be nothing to do but give myself to the slow devouring.

The tone is earthy, primal, and painful. It reads quick and staccato. You can almost hear the short and labored bursts of breath.

When writing a poem, you can convey hope, darkness, or joy. You can use one or more emotions to set the tone of your poem.

In Rupi Kaur's book "Home Body," she writes.

anxiety feels like i'm hanging

off the side of a building

and my hand is going to

slip any second

This poem's tone feels immediate. She’s going to slip any second. The tone of the poem uncovers sadness and hopelessness. I feel her anxiety.

In a excerpt of "The Swan" by Mary Oliver, she writes:

Like black leaves, its wings Like the stretching light of the river?

And did you feel it, in your heart, how it pertained to everything?

And have you too finally figure out what beauty is for?

And have you changed your life?

This poem's tone is wonder and joy for the natural world. It feels etherial and warm. It's a fresh breath of outdoor air. It's a pleasant fire and a soft blanket.

Now that you have an idea of what tone is, notice it in your reading. Pay attention to different articles, websites, and books. How is tone used? When you read a news article, is it sympathetic or offended by the story it's reporting? What about your emails, and the advertisements you get in your social media feed. Is the tone casual? Are they trying to be friends with you so that you'll buy from them? It's a smart marketing ploy.

Choose a prompt and write something with an emphasis on tone.

Here is a short list of different tones to give you some inspiration:

Melancholy

Anxious

Angry

Sarcastic

Casual

Humorous

Friendly

Excited

Persuasive

Rude

Dry

Apathetic

Elegant

Dominate

Stoic

Passive

Festive

Critical

Nervous

OK write!