New Writers Page
Anna Michelle Page
Forged in Fire is one of my top shows. Weird. I can’t forge a knife and decline to try. A forge fire can reach up to 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit, and a whetted blade can slice through a wild boar. Call me poultry, but I get enough danger while striking the keys on my keyboard, typing words on the page. Brr... Did you feel the chill?
So why do I tune in to Forged in Fire? Simple. I can’t wait to hear Doug Marcaida say, “It will keal.”
On the contrary, my nerves catch fire each time J. Nelson says that the test is not to find out what the blade will do to the ____, but what the _____ will do to your blade. Not an exact rendition but close.
Then why mention it? Marcaida and Nelson posses a unique voice that draws viewers into the show. Ego’s would skyrocket if the judges alone brought spectators to the screen, but alas, it also requires the contestants and today’s message... Tone.
The show’s tone matches the thrill for the “keal.” Watching the bladesmith’s forge their knives under pressure, often with tools they’ve never used, away from home and working with unfamiliar metals, raises my pulse. I’m dragged in by their pressure as I push them along, telling them how to forge their knives, (ahem... I abstain from yelling or fowl language), since after only a handful of episodes, I’ve turned into an authority. (I’m serious here!)
Then the magic moment happens. The bladesmith’s stand in line, their last blades displayed; the patina of the blade made more wonderful by the exquisite handle. Each contestant jittery as they wait. Will their blade break? Bend? Chip? Get dull?
The tension flexes my muscles as I watch.
This tension sets the tone. Viewers come back to the same show over and again, because the tone excites them, giving the observer time to cultivate a mental connection with the characters.
Forged in Fire the novel, not so much. Readers don’t want to read the same phrases spoken over and over from one addition to the next. Nor does the reader connect with the contestants. A comic book with the right imagery, word choice, cadence and tension might draw interest for a few copies.
Tone helps draw the reader, planting them inside the story, the setting, and the different personalities. Once they connect, whether with the protagonist, antagonist, or Auntie Em who stands out in a tornado yelling for Dorothy, they’ll be hooked. A hooked reader becomes a lifelong fan. Exciting, huh?
One way to find the tone is in the details. Paying extra consideration to the setting provides those details. Search for ideas watching old movies, visiting the area, finding a community Facebook page, and even reading an indie book from a local author. Online newspapers are another source. Digging into the details fills the writer’s lair, but don’t use everything you uncover.
Readers are smart. Great settings take readers on a search to experience the protagonists steps first hand. They may find the location on Google Earth, or take a family vacation. Don’t laugh. I’ve done this multiple times. If you botch the setting, or give the characters a flimsy voice, the reader will hand the book off to the kid with instructions to toss it in the trash. Since they handed it off to a kid, you may get lucky and the book will linger long enough to get thrown into a Goodwill box.
Conflict and tension sustains tone. Get into the dirty of your characters. What can they throw at your protagonist to buckle their knees? Prepare your reader. Set them up to experience an asthmatic fit of laughter, to fall in love, experience a shattered heart, shake in their boots, break into heaping fits of tears, or crap their pants. Do this by setting the proper mood. This mood sets the tone of the book. You set the tone when molding your first sentence.
Tone consistency must stay the same throughout the book. Before choosing a tone, try writing the first sentence in distinct tones and POV’s (Point of View). The sassy narrator may suit the overall theme of the story, or you could find a little comedy fitting the page. It’s the first line. What can you lose? Nothing, but a great story.
Stephen King mentioned telepathy as an important tool for the writer in his novel, Stephen King On Writing. Telepathy allows the reader to see what the writer sees through their written words. Powerful!
If you are struggling with developing tone, I recommend you read The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron: The book can be found on Amazon.com, ebay, or at https://juliacameronlive.com/.
Send your work to: ampage18@gmail.com and risk revealing your story, poem or article on the Page. After a painless critique, learn basic tools for improvement. Right here. On the Page.
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