The tone of a book can make the difference between a best seller and a flop. After all, the same story told in two different tones can become completely different experiences for a reader. Tone is often that missing puzzle piece when you just can’t put your finger on what is wrong.
So what is tone?
When people refer to the tone of a piece of writing, they are talking about a writer’s attitude toward a subject...the way an author makes you feel while you are reading.
Tone is primarily conveyed through the author’s word choice (diction), point of view, syntax, and the level of formality in the writing.
So how do we teach tone to our
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Relax into writing to acquire your true, natural
writing tone!
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This is where things get complicated, because much of an author’s tone is natural. Just as comedians are born funny, authors generally have a natural tone that just oozes from their pens!
The best advice we can give our children is to relax into their writing. Writing performed under stress and fear never exudes a natural and appealing tone. Instead, it evolves into a harsh, formal tone that alienates the reader. Once a student relaxes and enjoys the process of putting his words on the page, his natural tone will emerge.
Happy writer = happy tone!
Encourage children to write anything and everything. Write lists, write thank you’s, write poems and notes! It is the frequency and familiarity with writing and seeing the effect that it has on other people that will eventually free your student to develop and discover his own unique tone.
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