Moody Writing: How to Create Realistic Characters, Dramatic Settings, and Unforgettable Scenes
Why Do We Need Moody Writing?
Writing with deep emotion gives stories richness, drama, and realism. It is especially useful when writing stories in otherworldly settings, because emotions help readers relate to fantastical characters, creatures, and places.
When you use moody writing...
Your characters will feel more realistic and relatable.
Your settings will sparkle and evoke a tangible mood.
Your scenes will contain moments of unforgettable intensity and grace.
They will. I promise! Just read more to find out how.
How Do You Feel?
Don’t be like Spock and dismiss your feelings!
To write a story that evokes deep emotions, the writer has to develop his or her own emotional intelligence.
Feelings are a part of being human. They are much more than inconvenient or, as Spock would say, illogical sentiments. Our emotions reveal the hidden truths in our hearts. They show who or what matters to us - what we love and what we hate. They also make us capable of compassion and empathy.
The Vocabulary of Feelings Exercise
But how do we tap into these raw human emotions? You can use the Vocabulary of Feelings Exercise to put you or your characters’ emotions into words.
The Vocabulary of Feelings Exercise:
Review the Vocabulary of Feelings Chart by Tom Drummond.
Feel your feelings, without analyzing or self-correcting them.
Ask: why am I feeling this way?
Choose a virtuous/appropriate response to your emotion(s). Some examples:
Passionate – Use that positive energy to write your next scene!
Annoyed – “My daughter won’t stop crying about how I cut her toast the wrong way. I’ll have her take a time-out so we can both calm down.”
Grieved – “My friend didn’t thank me for the dinner party I worked so hard on. I’ll call and let her know how I feel, so I won’t hold a grudge.”
Important Note:
Your feelings are morally neutral. It’s how you respond to them that leads to morally good or bad decisions.
Vocabulary of Feelings Exercise - Your Protagonist
Place yourself in a key scene in your story.
How is your protagonist feeling in this scene? Vocabulary of Feelings Chart
Allow your character to “feel” their feelings, without self-correcting them.
How would my protagonist respond to this emotion? Would they hide or reveal their feelings to others? How does their emotion affect their external behavior?
If you give your characters honest emotional reactions, they will come alive for your readers – no matter the story’s setting, style, or place.
Creating Realistic Characters
Even if you’re writing a fairy tale, give your characters some “real-life” moments:
Failure: Let your characters fail at something that matters to them. In real life, people fail all the time, much more than they succeed.
Temptations: Push your protagonist’s virtue to the limits. Let them be tempted to do the easy, immoral, or most emotionally satisfying thing. And then, if they are the hero – let them choose to do the right thing, anyway.
Dramatic Settings
Before you start writing, place yourself into your story’s current mood. Choose settings, locations, and times (morning/evening/night) that match the mood of your story and its characters.
Write your settings through the lens of your protagonist’s personality and emotions during the scene. You can also write while listening to music that emulates your setting’s mood.
Give each setting its own “vibe”:
A chill fantastical teahouse, where traitors and villains make deals over honey lavender cakes.
An elite fencing academy nestled in the Scottish Highlands, where it’s almost always raining.
Unforgettable Scenes
Push your characters to their emotional limits. Consider what your protagonist wants most, and place him or her against obstacles and antagonists that directly oppose those desires.
Let your characters’ emotional responses be real, raw, even shocking:
If they are the hero, have them use those raw emotions to make bold, heroic decisions.
If they are the villain, have them use those emotions as motivation to do evil and wrongdoing.
See the image below for some examples:
Three Moody Takeaways:
Work to better understand your own emotions and emotional responses.
Don’t repress your feelings – instead, accept them and learn to express them in appropriate ways. Not only will this make you a better, healthier person – it will also make you a far better writer.
By all means, do the worldbuilding, plotting, and deep thinking…but don’t forget how all this action will make your characters feel!
A Final Faith-Based Takeaway:
The Lord is a God of mercy and compassion. When you write stories that show empathy and compassion for your characters and their struggles, you also reveal God’s love for fallen humanity. So writing emotionally resonating fiction can become a window into God’s own heart.
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Also if you are looking for a super moody book read this winter, check out my YA fantasy novel, AVALON LOST. It is currently available in paperback and e-book, but the audiobook version, narrated by Zephyr Thomas, will be released in late January or early February 2025! :)
