How Words Can Trigger Specific Emotions

one in Writing 101: How Words Can Trigger Specific Emotions

When the right tone is employed, writing can transcend the words on the page. It’s what allows writers to create complex characters, to build a world that feels real.

“Tone, to me, is like the Harry Potter house-elf of craft,” says author and sensitivity reader Dennis Norris II. “If I remember the language of something I’ve read, I am remembering the tone. It’s just there, and you’re benefiting from it. If the work was memorable, the tone played a role in it.”

Whether you’re writing a book, a tweet, or an email, emotion and tone help define the message. To help you master it, we’ve put together this guide to tone, emotion, and writing:Your writing, at its best.Be the best writer in the office.GET GRAMMARLY

What is tone in writing?

Tone is the attitude your writing employs. Just like tone of voice, tone in writing gives much more context beyond the words used. It can reveal intention or conceal it. As memoirist and writing coach Adair Lara says, “Tone is what the dog hears.”

If, for example, your boss sent you a Slack message that said, “Do you have a minute to talk?” you might think, “Oh no, what’s wrong?” If she rephrased it as, “Got time to chat real quick?” you might be less alarmed. There isn’t a negative force lurking in the background. That contrast is because of tone.

And while the emotional response you take away from a message may not necessarily be the intention of the sender, it still exists, and people will seek it out when reading. “If the reader doesn’t respond the way you want them to,” says Lara, “you don’t have a reader.”

What informs tone in writing?

Tone, like language itself, works because people agree on the meaning behind words. Cultural norms often dictate how those are perceived. And it takes knowledge of those norms and expectations, as well as the context of the conversation, to be able to convey the intended emotions. The stakes are often elevated to match the importance of the message, so more attention is warranted. Norris II is well-versed in this phenomenon.

“When I’m doing a sensitivity read, I typically examine every single aspect of the work—the language, the content, the plot, the psychology of the characters, the [political and personal] context,” they say. “Inequity doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and neither does humanity. I have to mine the work incredibly closely if I’m going to help the author complete a piece that doesn’t further marginalize folks who are often not portrayed, or not lovingly portrayed, on the page.”

Even if you aren’t writing a book about complex topics like race, gender, and class, tone-based misinterpretation can still happen in everyday exchanges. If you’re texting someone you just met and are interested in romantically, the difference between “For sure!” and “Ok” can be painfully apparent. That has to do with the cultural expectations placed on words within the context of texting.

“Perhaps because we have become accustomed to exclamation points and emojis, when they are missing, the text can seem angry or cold,” notes Dr. Tchiki Davis, founder of the Berkeley Well Being Institute. In fact, that gap between the desired emotional reaction and perception is very common. And many readers will read text as slightly more negative than the writer intended.

Types of tones in writing

Tone is as diverse as our emotions. It can convey the positive, negative, neutral, and everything in between.

Let’s say you were invited to someone’s party. Here are a few examples of tones that can be employed in a response:

Enthusiastic: I’d love to!

Casual: Sounds good [thumbs up emoji]

Formal: I would be happy to join you.

Irreverent: But I HATE parties [winking/smiling tongue out emoji]

Joyful: Yay! Yes!

Solemn/Serious: Thank you for the invite