I want to create a certain feel to my story but I don’t know how to go about doing that. I want to give off a cold dark dramatic atmosphere but I’m not sure how to write that with words. Like the end of the world “Matrix” feel. Do you know what I mean? Any tips or advice?
Well it's more than just a scene. It's the kind of feel I wanted to give through out the entire story. The story takes place in a post apocalyptic police state world where disease plagues the country. The FDA who is suppose to be protecting the public isn’t protecting the public at all but themselves and there own profits. That there are in fact natural cures for illness and disease but certain government agencies and the media are suppressing the truth all for money, power, and control. Etc.
All you have is words to paint the picture and convey the atmosphere. Selecting the correct word each time has a cumulative effect, building the atmosphere. Get the section down on paper (or file), then go back, and for key words, find the proper synonyms or phrasing that better portrays how characters see, feel about, experience, and respond the world you're writing about. In addition, use figures of speech such as similies and metaphors, to help further paint the picture, use paradoxes where appropriate. Just some initial thoughts. Hope they help. Terry
It depends on how the scene is set up. Dank: "Overcast by the approaching storm, the crater-ridden metropolis was preparing for yet another wash of acid rain." Or... middlish... "Though the sky was clear and the sun was bright, a light mist of rain settled on the clean cut lawns of suburbia." Or... happy: "People of all ages were reclining in their lawn chairs as they enjoyed yet another sun filled day in residential Kentland."
looks to me like you need to do a lot more reading, before you try writing... read the best works by the best writers of what you want to write, to see how it's done... no one can really 'tell' you how... to learn how to write, one must read!
I dunno, it seems like the situation will seem dark anyway if he writes the scene vividly. "It was a bright cold morning in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen" is an example: the weather is good, the sun is out, and the character goes to his beaten-down apartment where the cold eyes of Big Brother glare down at him and he has to rest his ankle every few flights of stairs because he has an ulcer and the electricity's out again. It could be a sunny afternoon in July; if the roads are deserted and there are roadblocks and warning signs - and a dark brown stain on the sidewalk next to a "Warning: Trespassers Will Be Shot" sign, then the mood is bleak despite the environment. Corrupt officials - grieving people on the streets - grim newswomen on the six o'clock telecast. All of these details, or others like them, will evoke the mood suitably. Just remember to have your main character show his or her emotions. Even a mildly corrupt official might feel uncomfortable with the knowledge that a drug is being withheld from a dying child because "someone more important might get sick"; a regular officer in the police force might be horrified to find out that his superiors are power-hungry and ready to kill someone to get their way. Good luck in your writing.
