The Harmony Of A Story's Theme, Tone, and Mood
A Story's Theme? What is that?
In the world of story craft, you might have heard someone ask, "What's your story's theme?"
And for a long and awkward moment, you had to stop and think...gee, what is my story's theme? Sometimes, when people ask this question, what they might be asking is this.?
"What's your story's point?"?
People often confuse a story's theme with a story's point. I know I had the two confused for a long time.?
Fret not. I’ve got you covered.
By the time you finish this article, you should leave with a better understanding of both.
How The Confusion Began
From elementary school to high school, teachers have tasked us with writing a story from time to time.
When giving such an assignment, teachers often asked, "What's the theme of your story?"?
Why did we dread this question so much? Because often, we needed to figure out what our teachers were really asking for.
The great irony is this: Your teacher probably didn't completely understand what she was asking for, either.
Remember back to your grade school days when you once sat at your desk in class? When your teacher mentioned "theme," panic arrested your thinking.
Sweat poured from your forehead. The room seemed to close in on you; breathing became nearly impossible.
You had no earthly clue what "theme" was. How could you determine what your story's specific theme would be?
So with your head spinning, you spent the next hour in class trying to conjure up a compelling story with an equally persuasive theme.
Yet, you hadn't written the first word on your blank sheet of paper.
Woof.
Forgive me for making you relive the scary times of grade school. So, how could the story have turned out differently?
How The Confusion Could Have Been Cleared Up
Mrs. Snodgrass, your sixth-grade teacher, could have simply asked, "What's the point of the story you intend to write?" instead of "What's the theme?"
Had she understood the difference between a story's theme and a story's point, and explained it to you, you might have been able to write a story worthy of a gummed foil gold star.?
And your memories of sixth grade would probably be a lot less traumatizing.?
So, to make sense of this perplexing word, let's give the word "theme" a closer look as it relates to story.
Is it important? Extremely. But what exactly is theme?
How To Make Sense Of A Story's Theme
Let's examine a more accurate definition stated by Lisa Cron in her book, Wired For Story, which comes in two questions.
Some authors and writing coaches refer to a story's theme as the "universal theme," which is also true.?
But the universal theme refers more to general motifs of a story such as love, acceptance, survival, and respect. Or even life and death.
If you adopt Lisa Cron's definition of theme, then the theme for your story must be more specific.?
"What your story says about human nature and how humans react to circumstances beyond their control must be fleshed out to escalate the struggle between your protagonist's greatest goal and longstanding misbelief."?
This internal struggle is the protagonist's "third rail." It's what gives a story its electricity.?
It's what gives stories that play out in best-selling novels and blockbuster movies their irresistible power.
How To Use Theme To Electrify Your Story
Show your audience how your characters interact with each other. How? Through your story's theme. Show them the emotional world your characters live in.
In other words, use theme to show how your characters treat each other. And how they respond to circumstances they can't control.?
For example, the characters might argue, fuss, and fight in a love story. But at the end of the day, they'll act amiably toward each other, and love will cover many sins.?
In a taut suspense story, the characters are suspicious of each other. Tension mounts among them as one character sets a chip on his shoulder, daring anyone to knock it off.?
And in a horror story, the characters will kill each other without hesitation to survive.
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This is what the theme is. This is how theme works in a story.
How To Use Tone And Mood In Your Story
In addition to the story's theme, two other forces are at work. These forces are the story's tone and mood.?
So, how do theme, tone, and mood work together in perfect harmony to tell a compelling story???
How To Set Your Story's Tone
First, let's look at what tone is as it relates to the story.?
The tone is the narrative's overall feel, vibe, or attitude.
Characterization, dialogue, and setting all play a part in developing a story's tone.?
So, what does the theme have to do with tone??
The theme determines how the characters will act toward each other on a human level. And the characters' interactions with each other will affect how you craft the plot, dialogue, and setting.?
Will the characters forbear and love each other? Will they examine each other with skepticism or suspicion? Will they be so filled with primal fear that they desire to kill each other to survive??
The tone is the resulting sentiment in these scenarios, whether lighthearted, tense, or barbaric. Think about these questions, then answer them in as much detail as possible.?
Be specific. And always remember your protagonist's internal struggle as you build your characters.?
Once you've worked out your characters' interactions, you must craft everything in your story, especially your protagonist's overall story arc, to set the tone you define (lighthearted, tense, or barbaric) for it.?
How To Beget Your Reader's Mood
Where does mood come into play?
Mood is the overall emotion or vibe your reader feels when she reads your story. What kind of atmosphere does the reader find herself in as she reads your narrative? Is the atmosphere uplifting? Is it somber? Is it dark?
If you set your tone effectively, your reader should subconsciously feel and immerse herself in the story world.?
Will the tone make her happy, sad, or angry while she reads your story? What kind of mood will it put her in? This is part of what gives the narrative its enchanting power.?
Your reader will have no choice but to feel the overall emotion or mood that your tone sets.?
Remember this handy rule of thumb given by Lisa Cron in Wired For Story: "Tone belongs to the author; mood to the reader. In other words, your theme begets the story's tone, which begets the mood the reader feels."
How To Harmonize All Three Elements
The harmony of your story's theme, tone, and mood is crucial to your narrative. You can evoke powerful emotions from the reader that will engage her, drawing her into the tale.?
Just be sure to take your story's point, the protagonist's greatest goal, and longstanding misbelief into account while you craft the theme and tone.
You can deliver any message about human nature when you appropriately craft your theme and tone to set your reader's mood.?
You can persuade her to adopt your point of view.?
If you set the right mood, she'll see things your way as she reads the story.
To better understand how these three things work together, read the first few pages of some of your favorite novels. Identify the overall mood you feel as you get lost in the narrative.?
Does the story make you laugh, cry or make you bite your nails down to the quick?? How is it influencing your emotions as you read? Write your observations down.?
Then, find ways to implement the devices you observed in those novels into your work to set the desired tone.??
Remember: Tone belongs to you, the writer. Mood belongs to the reader.?
How To Wow Your Reader
Crafting the proper harmony of theme, tone, and mood in your story will make it a book readers will want to read again and again.?
Let's recap what we've covered.
Theme comes in two parts:
Tone is the narrative's overall feel, vibe, or attitude.?Characterization, dialogue, and setting all play a part in establishing a story's tone.
Mood is the overall emotion or vibe your reader feels when she reads your story. It's the atmosphere you create for your reader as she reads your narrative.
Remember: Always keep your story's point, your protagonist's greatest goal, and longstanding misbelief in your mind while you orchestrate the theme and tone to set your reader's mood. Your protagonist's internal struggle will create perfect harmony between all three vital elements.
Putting all of these things together takes work, but your efforts will pay off when you craft a novel that readers can't put down. And happily recommend it to their family and friends.