Every situation in your story has a different feel to it, and this is what is known in creative writing as the tone and mood. The tone and mood of your prose should always be compatible with the situation that you describe. When we talk about tone, it is the pervading viewpoint attitude of the writer in a given situation and interaction with other characters. The writer’s word choices impact the tone. Mood, on the other hand, is what readers feel while reading the story. Stephen King’s story has a scary tone and mood. Jeffery Deaver is suspenseful. Woody Allen has a witty and humorous feel. If the tone does not blend with the scene, the mood will not emerge.

Here’s a story that most of us are familiar with: Snow White meets a frail old woman peddling apples. The old woman offers a free apple and Snow White accepts it reluctantly. The old woman persuades her to take a bite and guarantees that she will crave more.

This is a suspenseful scene in a classic fairy tale. The writer must set the tone to create suspense. In setting the right tone, the writer’s style in word choices, diction, and syntax will establish the overall feel.

Example: The old woman reached into her basket and offered a shiny, red apple. Snow White gave a wan smile and shook her head. The old woman bit into the apple, showing how juicy and crunchy it was. She reached into her basket again and offered another apple.  Snow White reluctantly took the apple and noticed how plump and shiny it was.

This example gives a detailed glimpse of what is happening. But the action does not indicate aggressiveness on the part of the old woman by merely attracting Snow White to eat the poisoned apple. If the old woman wants immediate results, she must demonstrate more aggressiveness in her persuasion.

Example: The old woman reached into her basket and offered a shiny, red apple.  “Are you hungry?” she said. Snow White gave a wan smile and shook her head. The old woman bit into the apple, showing how juicy and crunchy it was. She reached into her basket again and offered another apple. “Come on, my dear, take a bite. It’s the best apple you’ll ever taste. It’s a rare variety.” Snow White reluctantly took the apple and noticed how plump and shiny it was.

The old woman wants Snow White dead. She uses words of persuasion to push her target to eat the apple. Her words put her at the center of the action that makes the reader want to warn Snow White not to bite the apple.

In any genre, you must pay attention to the tone and mood of the scene. The wrong word choice and syntax can make you fall short in achieving your desired effect. It is always ideal to plan ahead, to think of what outcome you wish to see in a given scene so that you blend the elements effectively.