WS102 Week 8: Exploring Tone and Voice in Fantasy
The Power of Tone and Voice
Tone and voice are two of the most essential elements in crafting a compelling fantasy world. They shape how a story feels, how characters come alive, and how readers engage with the narrative.
✔ Tone refers to the mood and atmosphere of the story. Is it dark and brooding? Light and whimsical? Sarcastic and irreverent?
✔ Voice refers to the narrative personality—the unique way the story is told. This can be seen in character dialogue, narrative style, and word choice.
A story’s tone and voice influence reader expectations, emotional impact, and thematic depth.
📌 This week, we’ll explore:
✔ The difference between tone and voice.
✔ How different fantasy authors use tone and voice to shape their worlds.
✔ How satire and absurdity influence tone and voice in fantasy.
✔ How to craft a distinct voice for your own writing.
I. Understanding Tone vs. Voice in Fantasy
📖 Tone = The emotional atmosphere of a piece.
📖 Voice = The narrator’s personality or the way the story is told.
🔹 Examples of Different Tones in Fantasy:
✔ Epic & Grand – The Lord of the Rings (J.R.R. Tolkien)
Formal, poetic, filled with weighty themes of fate and destiny.
✔ Dark & Gritty – The Broken Empire (Mark Lawrence)
Brutal, cynical, violent; doesn’t shy away from moral ambiguity.
✔ Comedic & Satirical – Discworld (Terry Pratchett)
Playful, witty, absurdist, constantly poking fun at fantasy tropes.
✔ Whimsical & Fairytale-like – Howl’s Moving Castle (Diana Wynne Jones)
Lighthearted, full of playful magic, humor, and wonder.
🔹 Examples of Different Voices in Fantasy:
✔ The Omniscient Narrator:
The Hobbit – Tolkien’s narrator is a storyteller guiding the reader through Bilbo’s adventures.
✔ The Close First-Person Narrator:
The Name of the Wind – Kvothe’s voice is deeply personal, poetic, and reflective.
✔ The Sarcastic & Witty Narrator:
The Color of Magic – Pratchett’s voice is playful and ironic, frequently breaking the fourth wall.
📌 Craft Takeaway: Your choice of tone and voice should match your world, characters, and themes. A comedic, lighthearted voice might not work for a grimdark war fantasy—but could be perfect for a satirical look at bureaucracy in a magic-run kingdom.
A theme is the central idea or message that runs through a story. It’s not just the plot—it’s what the story is truly about on a deeper level.
II. Case Study: The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett
📖 This week’s reading: The Color of Magic (Part 1, continued)
Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series is a masterclass in satirical tone and voice.
🔹 What Makes The Color of Magic Unique?
✔ Playful, self-aware narration – The book constantly pokes fun at traditional fantasy tropes.
✔ Absurd worldbuilding – The Discworld itself is an illogical, comedic take on medieval fantasy.
✔ Characters with exaggerated flaws – Rincewind is not a great hero, and Twoflower is dangerously naïve.
📌 Discussion:
How does Pratchett’s tone and voice differ from traditional epic fantasy?
How does satire shape the way we engage with the story?
What makes Rincewind an unconventional protagonist?
III. How to Develop Your Own Tone and Voice
Step 1: Define Your Story’s Tone
✔ What kind of emotional experience do you want to create?
✔ Do you want the story to feel serious or humorous?
✔ Should the language be elevated and lyrical or casual and conversational?
🔹 Example Tones:
✔ Majestic & Mythic – Long, flowing sentences, formal speech.
✔ Snarky & Comedic – Short, punchy sentences, sarcastic remarks.
✔ Dark & Foreboding – Heavy, descriptive language, unsettling imagery.
Step 2: Develop a Distinct Narrative Voice
✔ Who is telling the story?
✔ How do they see the world?
✔ What is their perspective on the events?
🔹 Examples of Narrative Voices:
✔ A storyteller spinning a folktale (whimsical, all-knowing).
✔ A bitter ex-soldier recounting a lost war (cynical, weary).
✔ An unreliable narrator (twists the truth, omits key facts).
📌 Craft Takeaway: Tone and voice should reinforce the story’s world and characters. If you’re writing satire, the voice should be witty, playful, or absurd. If you’re writing high fantasy, the voice might be poetic and grand.
IV. Activity: Write a Short Scene Incorporating Satire or Absurdity
🎯 Objective:
Write a short scene (1-2 pages) where satire or absurdity plays a role in your fantasy world.
📜 Prompt Ideas:
✔ A magical kingdom with terrible customer service at its wizard guild.
✔ A knight attempting to slay a dragon that just wants to negotiate a real estate deal.
✔ A prophecy that is so vague and contradictory it’s useless.
📌 Instructions:
1️⃣ Choose a scenethat highlights humor, absurdity, or satire.
2️⃣ Focus on tone and voice—how does your narrator or character interact with the ridiculousness?
3️⃣ Keep it short (300-500 words).
📤 Deliverable:
📌 Write a 1-2 page short scene incorporating satire or absurdity.
📌 Save as [YourName]_Activity8_SatireScene.
📌 Upload to Google Drive.
V. Discussion: Exploring Tone and Voice in Fantasy
📜 Prompt:
Tone and voice shape how readers engage with a story.
📌 Discussion Questions:
✔ How does Pratchett’s tone and voice in The Color of Magic affect the way we experience the story?
✔ How do tone and voice shape your favorite fantasy books?
✔ How can humor or absurdity change the emotional impact of a scene?
📌 Requirements:
1️⃣ Reference The Color of Magic or another fantasy novel.
2️⃣ Discuss how tone and voice shape storytelling.
3️⃣ Respond to at least one peer, engaging thoughtfully.
🔹 Example Post:
"I love how The Color of Magic takes traditional fantasy ideas and completely twists them. The tone is playful and sarcastic, and Pratchett constantly breaks the fourth wall. It reminds me of how The Princess Bride also uses humor to challenge fantasy tropes. I think tone and voice are really important in shaping how we experience a world—imagine if Tolkien had written Discworld! What other books do you think have a distinct tone that changes the way we see their world?"
VI. Conclusion: The Importance of Tone and Voice
📌 Key Takeaways:
✔ Tone affects mood and atmosphere—it shapes how the story feels.
✔ Voice is the storyteller’s personality—it gives the narrative a unique perspective.
✔ Humor and satire can reshape fantasy tropes, making them more engaging and thought-provoking.
✔ Choosing the right tone and voice will help define your world and characters.
📚 To-Do This Week:
📖 Read Part 1 (continued) of The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett
✍ Write and submit Activity 8: Short Scene with Satire or Absurdity
Next Week: The Challenges and Rewards of Collaborative Storytelling
How do writers work together to build shared worlds, develop characters, and craft stories? How does collaborative storytelling shape creativity? Stay tuned! 🚀