The Writers' Group 9,284 members · 56,341 stories
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6697362 Sticking to one particular tone (or genre, as the case may be) can lead to a number of constraints. This is a problem I'm dealing with right now, where I've written crossovers for so long I feel like I can't write anything but. So if you stick with what you're doing, you should be fine so long as you keep things consistent within the universe.

A lot of writers like to change things up from time to time to either try something different or break up their normal schedule. Stephen King is known for his horror stories, but The Dark Tower and 11/22/63 aren't horror stories (the latter being a time travel/conspiracy novel and the former being fantasy/Western). Jim Butcher, author of the dark Urban Fantasy/Detective series The Dresden Files also wrote Codex Alera, which is a more optimistic High Fantasy series partially inspired by Pokemon of all things. Keeping your writing diversified helps expand your horizons as a writer, allowing you to try new things and bring other ideas into what you might consider your bread and butter.

I watch the thing that inspires me. For example, if I want to write something that has horror themes to it, I would watch a horror movie or play Silent Hill 2. If it's a cute story, watch cute vids or MLP.

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Do something else. Drink beer or go to the shooting range.

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There’s absolutely no reason to keep a consistent tone between separate works. Why would there be? Like if you’re a professional writer famous for your cozy mysteries and then you come out with a brutal serial killer thriller it’s gonna throw your fans, okay. Though I’ve read writers who do this. Iain Banks was known both for science fiction and literary fiction (though with a very similar voice between the two). Barbara Hambly has written science fiction, fantasy, and mystery. My favorite horror writer Laird Barron just put out a crime novel.

In fanfic the only commonality is supposed to be the world and the characters. The stakes are super low, so why not experiment?

I’ve even doing a mix of dumb clop, slightly less dumb romance, horror, and more “artistic” pieces from the get go.

I write what gets the most people to enjoy it. Some people like horror, others adventure, some prefer... *ahem* lewds, and so on! I started writing on the site wanting to do a grand adventure but it never really took off. Then, on a whim and with a moment of inspiration, I wrote the first three chapters of my story 'Prank War!' and relations were well above average. Since then I've stuck to that story and comedy in general. Because more people read it, and therefore more people enjoy it.

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On one hand, I want to write a dark story about demons, werewolves, and lizards but on the other, I like to make people laugh to as life needs more joy.

It's possible to write a dark comedy with demons, werewolves and lizards.
As long as your tone is consistent within the story, you're good.

You don't need to worry about keep the tone the same across different stories.

Just write the story.

I don't bother keeping the tone the same across my stories.

honestly trying to maintain a tone through several stories is sort of self destructive, if you enjoy writing certain stories with certain themes and tones within them then great! keep it up! But if you're forcing yourself to maintain that tone that's when you run into problems, as an artist trying to constrain your overall creative spirit is never a good thing; you should write whatever you feel like, forget about maintaining a tone if you don't enjoy it, horror, romance, comedy, western, clop, you name it as long as you have fun writing it. Besides it's good to have a mix of tones here and there, it's how the term 'comedy relief' got started, heck Mirai Nikki managed to expertly combine themes of horror and romance together too, there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to mix and match as long as you know you can make it work.

as for inspiration, I'd go the pop culture route: movies, tv shows, books, ect.

My stories often come from a need to make an observation about the human condition/what it is to be human/ how to be a better person, etc.
Some stories only work when they are funny. Others only work when they are dark and eerie. It's up to you to decide what tone and story morals are needed, of course.
In one case, I just wanted to tell a dirty joke. That works, too. :trollestia:

There is a difference between types of stories and story genres.

I've come to believe that there are three different types of stories, the heroic adventure, the romantic love and the man who learned better. These types of stories can be combined together, or used all on their own, but any one of them can be found in any story. They can be used in any genre (of which there are far more than three) meaning that before you decide where your story takes place you need to choose what kind of story it is.

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You are experimenting, and that's fine. It mostly just means that you're still trying to define your style. Eventually we end up with focusing on a type of story that we happen to be extra comfortable with and have an affinity for. If you want to speed the process up, take some time to consider what sort of story you are particularly passionate about, and what your strengths as a storyteller are.

Keep in mind that having a good ideas isn't the same thing as having ideas that suit your style. I can think of story concepts that are great in and of themselves but they just aren't the sort of stories I happen to be good at telling, and therefore I know I won't be particularly driven to write them. In such cases it's healthy to learn to let go of the idea and prioritize ones you can make full use of.

On one hand, I want to write a dark story about demons, werewolves, and lizards but on the other, I like to make people laugh to as life needs more joy. Or maybe a little in between like adventure stories for boys. What do you think? What type of tone in your stories have you struggled with? Is it possible to to both tones in their separate tones?

That's a bit of a strange question. If you're asking if you can mix horror motifs with comedy, then sure, that's totally doable - even sort of common. That's an issue of genre, which is very fluid and malleable concept.

Tone is something a bit more subtle, essentially what your story "feels like," the attitude it presents. It can be a bit flexible, you also want to careful with it or you risk ending up with tonal dissonance. When that happens, parts of your story will come across as jarring and seem "wrong", and the readers will get the impression you couldn't decide on which type of story you wanted to tell.

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Along with what others have said, I'd say you don't even have to stick with full stories if you're casting about trying to find something to write and can't decide what. Write short one-offs, vignettes, character studies, scenes, homages, etc. Play around with a lot of different tones and styles. That's the best thing for inexperienced (by which I mean, someone without a decade or multiple decades of writing experience) writers to do to explore the craft and develop skills and their own voice.

Don't be afraid to write something that turns out to be crap, don't be afraid to write something you're not necessarily comfortable with, and don't be afraid to shelve or discard an idea or story that just isn't working out. And always finish writing before publishing.

Writing exercises are not only necessary, they can be a lot of fun if you approach them with that kind of attitude.

For inspiration, read. And I mean real books, not fanfiction, not "bestsellers", not pulp, but actual literature. The "masters" of the craft, if you will. And try writing a bit in their style, emulating the writers that you enjoy, for the experience and fun of it.

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