Style & Tone

Style & Tone is important!

It influences how a story reads. It defines how the characters look and behave. And maybe most importantly, it sets the stage for the world being crafted. Simply put, style and tone are the framework for fiction, and there isn't one correct answer on what that style and tone should look like.

When deciding on style and tone, genre needs to be considered first.

Is it a drama... A comedy... An action? It's okay to mix genres together, or consider sub-genres, but I typically limit myself to no more than three genres as to avoid crafting some sort of nondescript hodgepodge.  

Sci-Fi/Martial Arts/Drama (for example) is a perfectly acceptable combination.

Sci-Fi/Martial Arts/Drama/Comedy/Action/Tragedy (for example) is a bit muddled and contradictory.

After considering genre, it's time to establish the style and tone. This part is important because after the style and tone is set, the entire work of fiction must be crafted within that framework. I like to use three key descriptor words to define the style and tone. And the best part is, there's no set list. They can be anything you want them to be!

Here area a handful of descriptors to use as examples:

Campy
Comedic
Dark
Futuristic
Gothic
Gritty
Light
Punk
Retro
Serious
Sexy

The list can go on and on... But each of these descriptors offers a clue to the style and tone of whatever I'm going to be writing.

So let's go back to genre:

A sci-fi/martial arts/drama that is: campy, comedic, and light will look very different from a sci-fi/martial arts/drama that is: gritty, serious, and dark.

I think for many writers just starting out, there's often a desire to make something overly dark and gritty, in an attempt to avoid being light or campy. But some of the best fiction is (for lack of a better word) light! And in the world of comics and sci-fi, there are some absolutely amazing stories that are light, and there are some absolutely amazing stories that are dark. So, when I say there's no correct formula, there really is no correct formula.

Good writing is about crafting well developed characters and intricate plots. Great writing is about crafting a consistent style and tone throughout the narrative. The only rule with style and tone...  Is picking a style and tone.

So, let's see how this works in practice!

Below, you'll find an ultra-short superhero adventure starring Chris Ember, the fiery superhero who can transform into fire and water at will! The genre for this short story will be: Superhero/Action/Adventure, and in this first version, I'm writing the story with no specific style or tone built into the narrative.

It's not overly light or overly dark. It avoids being either too serious or too comical. It has no real edge and it doesn't take any kind of creative stand. In short... It plays it safe.

Let's take a look!

***

Chris Ember
"The Tremont Street Showdown"

A rainy night in Boston.

Chris Ember turned up the volume on his television. He had to hear every word.

Tara Wellword: "This is Tara Wellword, reporting live from downtown Boston. Police have Tremont Street blocked off, attempting to keep crowds away from the violent scene. Massive casualties have already been reported, and unless Poison-Wraith can be stopped, the numbers could climb exponentially."

In a wave of water, Chris was gone. He arrived on Tremont Street, in a rainstorm, materializing directly in front of Poison-Wraith.

Poison-Wraith: "Chris Ember... I'm not surprised."

Chris Ember: "Nobody else gets hurt tonight, Wraith. Drop the plasma swords."

Poison-Wraith: "You really are a fool, Ember. Not even you can stop me."

Out of control, Poison-Wraith lunged towards Chris, swinging his swords wildly. The fight was intense, as Chris dodged one swinging strike after another. As Poison-Wraith lunged forward with a final thrust, Chris transformed into water, flying up into the rain, and then back down, directly behind Poison-Wraith.

Without time to react, Poison-Wrath stumbled into a side-wall, knocking himself unconscious. As quickly as it began, the fight was over.

Chris turned back, towards the end of the street, where he could see the lights from the police cruisers blaring.  And then, in another wave of water, he was gone.

***

And there you have it, a perfectly neutral story! It also isn't very interesting. More generic and uninspired.

So, let's add some style and tone to the mix!

We'll stick with our original genre selection: Superhero/Action/Adventure. But we'll lighten it up with the style and tone selections of campy, comedic, and light! With this adjustment, we'll be crafting something geared more towards a younger "Saturday Morning Cartoon" audience.

Let's see how it reads!

***

Chris Ember
The Tremont Street Showdown

A rainy day in Boston.

Chris Ember turned up the volume on his television. He had to hear every word.

Tara Wellword: "This is Tara Wellword, reporting live from downtown Boston. Police have Tremont Street blocked off, attempting to keep crowds away from the dastardly Poison-Wraith. Can anyone save the city from this unimaginable foe?

In a wave of water, Chris was gone. He arrived on Tremont Street, in a rainstorm, materializing directly in front of Poison-Wraith.

Poison-Wraith: "Chris Ember... Why am I not surprised!"

Chris Ember: "You picked a bad night to cause trouble, Wraith. Now drop the plasma-tomatoes before it's too late!"

Poison-Wraith: "You really are a fool, Ember. Nobody can stop me!"

Out of control, Poison-Wraith lunged towards Chris, throwing his plasma-tomatoes wildly and frantically. The fight was intense, as Chris dodged one tomato after another, watching them splatter against the ground and on the buildings in a dangerously ketchup-stained barrage. In a final bold and uncontrolled maneuver, Poison-Wraith lunged forward to attack, but not before stepping directly on one of his very own splattered tomatoes, and slipping backwards, into a trash can, knocking himself unconscious!

As quickly as it began, the fight was over.

Chris Ember: "Now that's what I call stepping in it!"

Chris turned back, towards the end of the street. A crowd of people were rushing towards him, eager to meet the hero of Boston.

Police Officer: "You did it, Chris! You saved us all."

Chris Ember: "All in  day's work, Officer! All in a day's work!"

***

That was the light version! It's fun, it's campy, and who doesn't love those plasma tomatoes! This version might not be everyone's taste, but it makes a creative choice and it sticks with it.

Now let's go the other way, and darken the story up with a more serious style and tone... We'll go for a mix of gritty, dark, and serious.

***

Chris Ember
The Tremont Street Showdown

A rainy night in Boston.

Chris Ember turned up the volume. He had to hear every word.

Tara Wellword: "This is Tara Wellword, reporting live from downtown Boston. Police have Tremont Street blocked off, attempting to keep crowds away from the violent scene. Massive casualties have already been reported. What remains of Tremont Street looks like battle-zone. Unless Poison-Wraith can be stopped, the numbers could climb exponentially."

Crushing the remote in his hand, Chris stood up, and in a wave of water, he was gone. He arrived on Tremont Street, in a rainstorm, materializing directly in front of Poison-Wraith. The reporters weren't exaggerating. The devastation was beyond anything Chris had ever seen.

Poison-Wraith: "Chris Ember... I'm not surprised. Ready to die like so many others?"

Chris Ember: "Nobody else dies tonight, Wraith. Nobody but you. Now, drop the plasma swords before I burn you to a crisp."

Poison-Wraith: "You really are a fool, Ember. You can't stop me."

Out of control, Poison-Wraith lunged towards Chris, swinging his swords violently. The fight was intense, as Chris dodged one swinging blade after another. As Poison-Wraith lunged forward with a final thrust, Chris flew upwards, into the rain, and then back down, behind the sword-swinging-sociopath.

Without giving Poison-Wraith time to react, Chris locked his arms around the monster's neck, and then, slamming Wraith head first into the brick wall, collapsed his skull like a tin can.

As quickly as it began, the fight was over.

Chris turned back, towards the end of the street, where he could see the lights from the police cruisers blaring.

Chris Ember: "Spineless cowards!"

And then, in a wave of water, he was gone, leaving Poison-Wraith's lifeless carcass in the pooling gutter of blood.

***

So, now you've read the same story three times. What's the takeaway?

While we had the same exact villain doing the same exact thing three times, they were all very different.

The first version of the story, which was neutral in tone and played it safe. In that version, there's nothing exceptional about the hero, the villain, or the setting. It's not a terrible story, but without a strong style and tone, it's also generic.

The light version of the story is fun. It amps up the humor while reducing the danger, but that's also part of the charm. The villain might not be the credible threat he could be if the story were more serious, but the fun is in the deliberate silliness.

The dark version leans on atmospheric. The characters are more violent, and far less morally black and white. For readers that want something a bit more grim, this is it.

***

None of these stories fit the exact genre or style and tone of Perro Worldwide Comics stories. We use a different set of descriptors. But I won't be telling you what they are... At least not today.

Maybe, though, if you read closely, you can figure it out for yourself!

***

Chris Ember
The Tremont Street Showdown

A rainy night in Boston

Chris Ember turned up the volume. He had to hear every word.

Tara Wellword: "This is Tara Wellword, reporting live from downtown Boston. Police have Tremont Street blocked off, attempting to keep crowds away from the violent scene. Massive casualties have already been reported, and we're getting word now that Poison-Wraith has taken a hostage!"

In a wave of water, Chris was gone. He arrived on Tremont Street, in a rainstorm, materializing directly in front of Poison-Wraith.

Poison-Wraith: "Chris Ember... I'm not surprised."

Chris Ember: "Nobody else gets hurt tonight, Wraith. Drop the plasma swords."

As Poison-Wraith turned around, he revealed his hostage, Monica Tello... The only woman Chris Ember has ever truly loved.

Chris Ember: "Oh no!"

Poison-Wraith: "You really are a fool, Ember. You think I would come unprepared?"

Monica Tello: "I'm sorry, Chris, I had to try to stop him."

Poison-Wraith: "And she was doing quite well, too. At least for a little while. She managed to disarm all but one of my tomato bombs... This one!"

Poison-Wraith revealed one final tomato bomb.

Monica Tello: "Don't worry about me! You need to stop Poison-Wraith. The entire city is in danger."

Chris Ember: "Let her go, Wraith."

Poison-Wraith smiled demonically before violently throwing Monica into the side wall. In a rush of water, Chris materialized on the other side of the street, catching Monica before she fell to the ground.

Chris pressed his hand to Monica's head, which was cut on the corner of the wall.

Chris Ember: "I'm getting you out of here."

Monica Tello: "No, Chris, it's just a scratch, you need to stop Poison-Wraith."

Without warning, Poison-Wraith threw his final tomato bomb into the sky, where it quickly picked up speed, shooting higher upwards.

Poison-Wraith: That bomb is programed to detonate over the city, radiating everything. Try to stop it, and I gut your girl. Stop me, and the bomb goes off. Your call, hero.

Monica Tello: "Chris, you need to stop that bomb."

Chris Ember: I'm not leaving you here.

Still holding Monica, Chris few upwards, into the rain. And then, in a tornado of water, forced the final bomb into the Atlantic just before exploding. Then they were back, standing in front of Poison-Wraith.

Chris Ember: "You're finished, Wraith!"

It a fit of rage, Poison-Wraith lunged towards Chris. The fight was intense, as Chris dodged one swinging sword after another. As Poison-Wraith lunged forward with a final thrust, Chris few upwards in another geyser of water, and then back down, behind Poison-Wraith.

Without time to react, Poison-Wrath crashed into a side-wall, knocking himself unconscious. As quickly as it began, the fight was over.

Monica Tello: "Nicely done, Chris. Now, how's about you take me someplace far away and fun!

Chris Ember: "I was thinking more like the hospital."

Monica Tello: "You must be joking, I told you, it was only a scratch. Now scoop me up! If we're not on our way to breakfast in the next five minutes, I'll be pouty all day.

Chris smiled, and in a rush of water, they were gone.

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