What Is Mood? 140 Words To Describe Mood In Fiction
What is mood in fiction? Learn how to create it, with examples, and discover 140 words to describe mood in your writing.
What Is Mood In Fiction?
How readers feel after reading a book or a short story, or after watching a film, is known as the mood in fiction.
Writers use tone to establish a mood in a work of fiction. (Suggested reading: 155 Words To Describe An Author’s Tone) While tone is often said to be what the author feels, what the reader or viewer feels is known as the mood. This mood affects readers psychologically and emotionally.
We describe mood with adjectives like ‘light-hearted’, ‘nervous’, ‘foreboding’, optimistic’, and ‘peaceful’.
How Is A Mood Created?
There are basically five things that allow authors to create a mood:
- Setting: The way a setting is described greatly affects the mood. Authors often use foreshadowing in their descriptions. The use of motifs also creates a mood.
- Style: Our style is the way we use words to tell a story. The way we choose words, the way we structure sentences, and use tenses and figurative language describes our writing style.
- Viewpoint: Choosing first, second, or third person viewpoint will affect the mood of a work.
- Tone: Tone conveys an attitude towards a topic. It is expressed by our word choices, sentence lengths and use of punctuation. If we use a compassionate tone, our readers may feel sympathetic or empathetic. If we use a depressing tone, our readers will feel sad.
- Genre: The genre also affects the mood. A light-hearted romance should make you feel happy. A literary thriller should make you feel unsettled.
In 9 Literary Terms You Need To Know I said: ‘The author creates the mood through his or her style and tone. The way the author describes a setting is important to the atmosphere. The overarching feeling and atmosphere the reader experiences is the mood of the work.’
Obviously the mood created in a work of fiction can change through the course of the story.
Why Is Mood Important?
Mood is necessary for us to engage readers. As Maya Angelou said: ‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’ We need to make readers feel something when they read our books.
Examples Of Mood In Fiction
1. The Hobbit
In The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, the author makes us feel safe and content. The mood is comforting and hopeful.
How did the author create this?
- Setting: He describes homely settings with comforting food.
- Style: His style is simple and descriptive.
- Tone: His tone is fatherly and parochial.
- Viewpoint: The viewpoint is third person, which is the most normal and accepted way of telling a story.
- Genre: The mood suits the genre, which is a fantasy adventure.
2. The Rebus Series
In the Rebus detective series by Ian Rankin, the author makes us feel uneasy and curious. There are times when we feel scared and even horrified. When a crime is solved, we feel relieved. The mood is suspenseful and melancholic.
How did the author create this?
- Setting: Edinburgh has become a character in the series. The gritty underbelly of the city is unsettling, unyielding, and secretive.
- Style: His style is spare and workmanlike.
- Tone: His tone is cynical, dispassionate, acerbic.
- Viewpoint: The viewpoint is third person.
- Genre: The mood suits the genre, which is police-procedural.
3. Bright Lights, Big City
In Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney, the author makes us feel uncomfortable. The character is usually in an altered state and we feel alienated as he tries to keep moving at all costs. The mood is restless and uncomfortable.
How did the author create this?
- Setting: Manhattan is impersonal, superficial, and it is a fast-moving, which adds to the mood. We are taken to nightclubs, fashion shows, editorial offices, and loft parties – in a blur.
- Style: Using present tense forces the reader to witness the humiliations and defeats of the main character in uncomfortable, real-time.
- Tone: His tone is satirical, distant, and critical.
- Viewpoint: The viewpoint is second person. This choice is perfect for the drug-addicted character. The distancing effect of using ‘you’ allows the character to observe himself in an almost disinterested manner. This is uncomfortable to watch.
- Genre: The mood suits the genre, which is literary and unconventional.
140 Words To Describe Mood In Fiction
| Mood | Words To Describe It |
|---|---|
| Positive And Uplifting | amazed, amused, astonished, awed, cheerful, confident, courageous, determined, eager, ecstatic, empowered, energetic, enlightened, enthralled, excited, exhilarated, fulfilled, grateful, happy, harmonious, hopeful, impressed, inspired, joyful, jubilant, liberated, light-hearted, loving, optimistic, passionate, pleased, powerful, proud, refreshed, rejuvenated, relieved, satisfied, thankful, touched, trustful, warm |
| Calm And Peaceful | calm, content, dreamy, idyllic, mellow, peaceful, relaxed, safe, serene |
| Thoughtful And Reflective | contemplative, dignified, empathetic, interested, nostalgic, open, pensive, sentimental, sympathetic, thoughtful |
| Excited And Surprised | hyper, playful, silly, surprised |
| Sad And Melancholic | alienated, bored, crushed, depressed, desolate, disappointed, discontented, empty, envious, heartbroken, hopeless, isolated, lonely, melancholic, morose, painful, rejected, remorseful, sombre |
| Angry And Frustrated | angry, annoyed, cranky, critical, frustrated, grumpy, hostile, irate, irritated, vengeful |
| Anxious And Fearful | anxious, apprehensive, embarrassed, frightened, hesitant, intimidated, nervous, restless, scared, stressed, tense, terrified, uncomfortable, vulnerable, worried |
| Dark, Unsettling, And Uncertain | apathetic, brooding, cold, confining, confused, cynical, dismayed, distressed, drained, exhausted, fatalistic, foreboding, futile, gloomy, haunting, humiliated, indifferent, lethargic, nauseated, nightmarish, numb, overwhelmed, perplexed, pessimistic, powerless, sceptical, serious, shocked, sick, suspenseful, suspicious, threatened |
The Last Word
The right words can change the way a reader feels about your writing. Use them to create the mood you want, draw your readers deeper into your story, and make every moment more memorable. Click here for more examples of mood in fiction if you need them.
Image by Enrique Meseguer from Pixabay
© Amanda Patterson
More posts from Amanda:
- What Is Fantasy Fiction? Plus A Fantasy Book Title Generator
- 9 Essential Character Questionnaires Every Writer Needs
- How To Choose A Book Title: 10 Things Every Writer Should Know
- 10 Ways To Move Your Plot Forward
- The 4 Pillars Of A Memoir
- Writing A Memoir? Narrow Your Focus
- How To Write A Query Letter In 12 Easy Steps (With Examples)
- 5 Essential Exercises For Creating Characters
Top Tip: Sign up for our free daily writing links.
2 thoughts on “What Is Mood? 140 Words To Describe Mood In Fiction”
In the line:
As Maya Angelou said: ‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’
This quote is from Carl W. Buehner. Maya Angelou may have repeated it, but you should attribute it to the right person.
Accuracy matters.
He said: They may forget what you said — but they will never forget how you made them feel. —Carl W. Buehner, she said more.
Comments are closed.