Tuesday, July 8, 2014

What the Heck is the Difference Between Tone, Plot, and Theme?

Tone is what the author wants the reader to feel.  This means words usage, grammar, voice, and interactions between characters.

Wistfully-It was the last chance I would have to travel with my family, gone, in the blink of an eye. It was fate that drove us off that bridge. It was death who took them from me.

Guiltily-They died that day. It was my f-ing fault. I wish above all else that I had only taken better care when coming around the curve. I could still hold my little boy and kiss my wife. But I ruined it all.

The tone of the book can change

You have a character who was down on his luck through the whole book, noting went right.  He lost the house, his car was repossessed, his wife left him and took the kids. Now he lives with his mother. Then, he  he spends his last 5 dollars on a winning mega million lottery ticket. The tone will change from sad and depressing, 'why am I living', to hopeful with a new start.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Plotmountain.jpg

Plot is driven my the motivations and actions of your characters-what they want to accomplish throughout a story, what the characters do to make their desired goals come true.  Plot is the exchange of high and lows which drive a story and the changes in the characters.

Try this plot generator just for fun.

The theme of a book is the over arching idea of what the writer wants to purvey to the reader.

  • love concurs all 
  • heroes journey
  • revenge in not the answer (dig two graves, one for them and one for you), 
  • blood in thicker/family ties

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