I Want My Readers to Feel: An Exercise in Tone


Though I’ve always dreamed of being a writer, I’ve only ever had the chance to take one creative writing course in college. The course briefly covered flash fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. It was a great class, and I enjoyed learning from my professor. However, as I go about writing my first novel (I mean actually writing it), I want to learn as much as I can about writing. That’s why I recently checked out a book from my library called Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell.

In this book, Bell runs writers through the main elements of plotting, different plot structures, and a variety of plotting exercises. As I prepare to complete my first exercise, I thought I would share it here with my own spin. While Bell intends for the exercise to be used as a means of learning your approach to plotting, I believe that it will tell me (and you) a lot about the tone you want to set for your novels. This is crucial because the tone of your writing is a key element of your author brand.


What’s In This Post

  1. a writing exercise for tone

  2. My attempt at this exercise

  3. What I’ve learned from this exercise

  4. 2 questions to ask yourself when completing this exercise


The exercise:

Set a timer for ten minutes and answer this question: When readers read my novels, I want them to feel at the end. That’s because, to me, my novels are .

My Answer:

When readers read my novels, I want them to feel transformed, inspired toward action, and curious at the end. I want my readers to be transformed by my novels as they adopt new ways of thinking through my characters. I want them to feel inspired toward positive actions like serving others and pursuing adventures. I want to spark curiosity in my readers and pique their imaginations. I’ve always loved reading books that make me feel like I’ve just been transported to a whole new world and when they’re done, I love taking what I’ve learned from those worlds and bringing them into my reality. That’s what I want for my readers. I want them to feel as though they, too, have been seeing life through the eyes of my characters. That’s because, to me, my novels are stories that intrigue the imagination and teach valuable lessons. I want to write works like Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, and The Chiveis Trilogy. Not that my novels will always be fantasy, but my novels will pull the elements of curiosity and hidden truth that I see in books like these.

What I’ve Learned About My Author Brand

Maybe I’m just too early in my writing career to know exactly what genre I like, but I consider myself the type of writer who is interested in writing a variety of genres. It’s clear through this exercise that, although I want to write multiple genres, I have a clear message I want to get across to my readers. There’s also a distinct tone I want to have in my writing. Whether I’m writing a romantic drama or an epic fantasy, I want my readers to feel transported into a different reality that stirs their imaginations. This means that I can write in such a way that I brand myself as a writer whose stories are inspiring, compelling, and imaginative, rather than a writer who writes “X” genre.

2 Questions to Ask Yourself When Doing This Exercise

  1. After completing this exercise, can I adequately describe the tone I want from my books? If so, what is it?

  2. What are three ways that this exercise has helped me to understand my author brand?