WRITING ATMOSPHERE AND MOOD🌙 how to write an immersive story

[@RoseBookblood]

Your writing advice is hands down the best on all KZbin. I swear you give tips on things I didn't even think I could control in my writing. I'm very attentive to color and I strongly relate to using it as a factor in creating atmosphere, everything to me is color-coded, from the story itself to the characters.

[@arieltkotz4877]

"My ideas usuallly start from like a vibe" is a vibe...

[@KSCdd]

I feel like atmosphere and linguistic ecosystems go hand in hand to a large degree.

[@juanmontanerolancharro8978]

"A still, grey sea. A hazy fog that blurred all edges of the world" What a great and ominous line...

[@passantamreltarek9946]

All the tips were amazing but the first part with the photos and voiceover was SO soothing and poetic, it made me feel so calm and warm - thank you for yet another wonderful video

[@Mynamenikki]

Came here to say the same. The creating atmosphere section was poetry. ❤️

[@ShaelinWrites]

Ahh I'm so glad people are enjoying that part of the video, definitely something I'd like to bring into more of my videos if possible!

[@KillianProse]

As someone who's been following this channel for years, I'm loving the redux versions of the older videos.

[@billyalarie929]

This is the one. This is the perfect culmination of all perfect Shaelin videos, of which there aren’t too many that DO NOT qualify as this (seriously, think back…. Direct me to a Shaelin video that is NOT a banger. I’ll wait). But this one really encapsulates, I think, all of the ones that hinted at this before. And there will surely be more perfect Shaelin vids that can get more specific (!!!) and granular about each POINT WITHIN THIS ONE VIDEO. Seriously tho, thank you for everything, Shaelin. You give me confidence that I would’ve been hard pressed to find in any other space. I recently was on an online writing retreat featuring Anne Lamott, Lauren Sapala, SARK, Julia Cameron, among others. That was a supplement to what I’ve needed to hear, to feel, to know, in my journey as a writer. This feels like both an extension of that, as well as another version of the same thing. It’s a kind of nudging further into the healing process. It all works together. And your voice has been FUCKING REMARKABLE to that end. Seriously, Shaelin. Thank you so much.

[@t0dd000]

Yes. Yes! And YES! Not enough people cover this and I think it's something every one of us struggle with more than probably anything else and yet it impacts nearly every line of our prose. Just the other day I was ripping my hair out trying to convey that feeling of: You are cold, exhausted, and miserable, but you finally got a chance to set your backpack on the ground when suddenly someone hands you a cup of hot chocolate-a treat that, in this world, is extremely rare. ... I spent an hour just trying to figure out how to describe the feel of that hot mug in her hands through woolen hours, what she felt as that misery was slightly lifted, and not just the taste of the cocoa, but the smell of it. So difficult to do in an efficient, yet artful, way. A challenge for anyone reading this: try describing the smell of hot chocolate and how it makes you feel in this context without sounding banal. Thank you for this video. You and Ellen Brock (she doesn't post as often) are top tier.

[@absolutelycitron1580]

"The story's intersection between senses and feelings". This definition is so clear! Never saw the original video but this one is 🔥

[@Notanotherbooktuber]

Okay but the narration in this video is a poem in itself. ❤️‍🔥

[@SparkleOwl3]

This is one of the best videos I have ever watched!!! Great work as always, Shaelin!

[@PsychOnlineAldrian]

I felt like I was watching a guest lecturer's presentation in a creative writing class. Thank you so much.

[@bennobenny750]

Thanks Shaelin. Thanks to you I found the strength to write again.

[@FrontierStarterGroup]

You NEED to do voice over alongside showing pictures and descriptions like that all the time. That shit was magic.

[@valhatan3907]

Hell, agree

[@potatosalad68]

I mean Shaelin herself is pretty magical too...

[@eboyer97]

100% agree! It was such a cool way to understand and be IMMERSED in the knowledge she's sharing 😊

[@u_t_d_s_h-1_a]

Writing atmosphere and mood require special sets of skills...

[@chiooh]

Your videos FUEL me when it comes to my writing… seriously. I really want to thank you for this channel because it’s insane how excited I am to start my writing sprints for the day after watching this.

[@luizmbarcellos]

I´d add that even when there´s an absolute stillness to the scene we can and should make the absence of movement be felt

[@tinyprettymoon]

I’m so glad you mentioned people’s names. It feels like such a nitpick to say that the naming choices were weird or bad but it sucks to have a ton of people with names you can’t pronounce or half or more don’t really fit the time period, genre, or actual setting (like is it 2023 America or a completely made up fantasy world?)

[@eboyer97]

Such a struggle! I'm in my first draft and I figure if a new variation of the characters' names come to mind, I'll change them later. For now, I enjoy most of them and am only 100% questioning a secondary character lol

[@ArthurPhulusa568]

That's why i really love using an app that allows me to change the background like focus writer to be in the mood or atmosphere of the scenes. It's really hard sometimes to capture atmosphere but this really helps

[@ShaelinWrites]

ohhh yes this is a genius tip for making your writing sessions more immersive!!

[@SUPER_ORION]

You’re a great teacher.❤

[@dicelady20]

I have been looking for this type of vibe my entire writing career! I THRIVE on making my worlds immersive and breath-able (and at times get compliments), but I struggle with sticking with the related ecosystem. I can't wait to work on this.

[@jonathancompo828]

Holy shit. I have been so busy with work that I haven't caught up on this most recent banner run of Shaelin content. I think this is hands down your most mature video: it feels much more *written* than most videos, which tend towards the conversational (and are effective because of that), but that written quality really works here, you're able to draw so much out of a topic which would be, in someone else's hands, too abstract and too nebulous to distill into useful content. Really baller.

[@EricaCalman]

Pages of predictable detail turned into one really impactful detail is something I want to reflect on and seems like S tier advice

[@sirigusdal3286]

The Idiot by Elif Batuman is one of my fave vibes based books and there's this passage in it that feels very relatable to this vid lol: "like all the stories I wrote at the time, it was based on an unusual atmosphere that had impressed me in real life. I thought that was the point of writing stories: to make up a chain of events that would somehow account for a certain mood--for how it came about and for what it led to."

[@ceric5837]

This video just helped me figure out why I've been unhappy with some scenes I'd written. Thanks for making a "part 2" on this topic!

[@ejwilly2309]

You have been killing it with topics recently 🫡

[@gretaeklovhager5428]

This is really something else. The atmosphere in this video says a lot about building the atmosphere itself. I'm simply in awe!

[@EricaCalman]

I've been trying to write the feeling of claustrophobia applied to something on the scale of the entire planet. I'm writing speculative scifi and I want to capture the sense of war as a close in knife fight where because of long range aircraft and ballistic missiles there is no such thing as out of range and no matter how far the protagonist is from the front lines and even though they're not a combatant it's never really safe.

[@connorkennedy1794]

This is a insightful and useful reference video, extending even beyond writing books or stories. Thank you for sharing.

[@locomore1390]

using these ideas to help me with writing a game! I've never been good at writing but I am a visual artist- excited to see how your advice can help me fully form my idea. I am a "vibes" thinker too and so its been really difficult rounding out the story. thank you for this!

[@Michelle0320-k7e]

The color tip hit home, def going to look at my own work with that in mind 🤩

[@edsheeranandcoffee]

Thanks so much for these videos!! You are always so well spoken and make things easy to understand, go beyond the popular/well known writing advice, and go in depth on topics. All the hard work you put into this channel shows

[@l.36125]

omg this video is SO good i'll definitely be revisiting it more than once

[@76kilosofshade81]

These comments are so good. Your points are always new and relevant, your instruction style is amazing. I wish I'd had a writing teacher half as good/articulate/imaginative as you when I was first developing my skills. But happy I stumbled upon you.

[@Finn-gs9dx]

Your entire channel is so valuable

[@MohammedKoudia]

Well explained and the way you presented the images is just so enjoyable

[@ian-online]

I'm gonna part this because I can't focus, thanks for the detailed video though... Y'all allow swearing ??... I got too excited. What is atmospheric? 2:08 contrast and negative space 3:19 sounds 3:41 color (+image comparisons) 5:40 imagery 7:14 motion 7:20 texture 8:25 emotions of a specific character (what does it feel like?) What can you use for your writing? 10:55 use the character's POV 12:23 create tone to the story (view of narrator) (aka my favorite :3) 13:28 grounding the scene in the body 14:51 add movement 15:34 using visual references (moodboard) 16:06 color palettes through the imagery 17:11 using words in the same 'field' 18:06 bring in outside imagery 18:48 choose settings for individual scenes (rather than the same place) 20:15 signs of existence 20:37 names 22:17 specific-setting nouns (kind of the same 'field', specific to the setting) 23:29 don't let yourself in the story BITCH... (look for authorial intrusions) 25:01 throw off details

[@Exayevie]

Can you do a whole video on 0:50-1:05? Vibes are the main thing I care about in a story, and the source of all my ideas, but I struggle to turn them into a concrete plot. I often feel like the plots I eventually come up with are subtly mismatched from the core vibe I initially loved. Advice from someone who gets this struggle would be utterly invaluable to me! No one talks about it! P.S. I wasn’t here for the 45k video - I’ve come along since that era. But I am SUPER here to stay!

[@ShaelinWrites]

Ohhh this is really interesting - as a very vibes based writer, I also find that the end book (or even just the more realized version of the concept) always does seem slightly mismatched from that initial vibe I started from, I think because as the idea solidifies it removes that vagueness, and maybe some of the magic as a result? Also, I think it happens just because stories inevitably shift and change as you write, but it can be frustrating when it shifts away from your initial aesthetic inspiration. But it's something I also experience so interesting to hear it's not just me!

[@icye.l.f8681]

You've really upped your game. This is incredible❤️‍🔥😮‍💨

[@nemofish4937]

loving these video ideas lately and the new thumbnails are *chefs kiss* 🙌🏻✨

[@sunshinegirlonbeach1993]

This is literally a creative writing class - people, skip on those MFAs and come here

[@didyoujust7810]

This is really good. Thank you! Your advice is always on point. I'm trying to work on the movement tip! Sometimes things seem very still unless the characters are moving. ❤️

[@Andrewtr6]

I would love a video about writing a closer/personal character POV. I'm taking a writing class right now for my final semester of college, and it helped me realize, as I revise one of my stories, that I don't utilize POV fully. My story is in third person yet, in my last draft, I rarely stepped into my main characters head to show what they think or feel. I think I could learn more about how to control character POV.

[@onlyfrog]

truly amazing and inspiring video, there's no one doing it like you do in the "writertube"

[@nate4732]

Great video as always! Super helpful tips

[@AdamFishkin]

Taking all these ideas in and trying to retain them. The creativity has been burnt out, but I'll get back to it in a few weeks.

[@gwynnathawinna]

wonderful content! im definitely applying these tips to my current dev edit. thank you!

[@thestockimagequeen]

this is my favorite video of yours by far, and that’s saying something since you always have great content :) aghh this was so helpful! would you ever consider doing a video on character description? Something my creative writing club talks about is how to describe a character’s appearance without the cliche mirror trope or it feeling forced, and we have not yet cracked the code haha. Thanks for this incredible video :)

[@naomiparker2502]

Hey! Not sure if you read comments, but I've watched this video 4 times already. Would you be willing to make a part two that goes more in depth? If I beg pretty pretty please would you do it?😅 Either way, thanks so much for this video!!

[@VideoGameRoom32]

Great video. This is very helpful. I can improve on this with my writing.

[@trillgutterbug9378]

Really love these tips, you have such a great way of explaining and solidifying concepts that I may already understand on an intuitive level but haven't thought about in such a specific and actionable way before. Very helpful for consistent replicability across a range of projects! (PS I do literally have a little reminder note on my laptop that says "*Shaelin voice*: specificity." 😂)

[@kinzee8062]

Absolutely loved this video and how you presented the info! Thank you so much for sharing

[@c1975stark]

This is an incredible video. One of your best I think. I was mesmerized the whole time. 🖤🖤

[@michaellauritano5252]

Extremely helpful, as usual

[@ozzyvalentines8264]

i love the editing in this video :D

[@gloriafrimpong17]

This is literally way too helpful. Can you become a professor?

[@ShaelinWrites]

I'm going back to school so I can become a prof!!!

[@african_chris]

Thank you. 🙏🏼

[@lamiagunyuz5047]

Thank u❤

[@unicorntomboy9736]

What are anyone's tips for creating a brooding gothic atmosphere and vibe for a grimdark fantasy novel?

[@immagns]

i'd like to think that yt sidebar recommending me kendrick lamars "bitch dont kill my vide" is a silly wink by the machine

[@valhatan3907]

I'm trying to write something out of my element, which is gothic theme with gloomy and sinister writing tone. I'm usually write something goofy, so it's frustrated me when the tone shift into middle schooler novel lmao

[@theoneandonline]

I feel seen.

[@kimwicks5540]

Honey wake up. The goddess has sPokeN

[@torbjornlekberg7756]

Concerning authorial intrusions I would like to push back a little bit. Authors such as Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams have alot of alot of those for world building and humor, usually in combination, so this depends a bit on the genre you are writing and how entertaining you make it. At times, and if you are skilled enough, authorial intrusions can be an asset rather than an issue. I remember reading one of the Tiffany Aching books (A Hat Full of Sky, if I remember correctly), wich starts with a several pages long info dump where you can see the author clearly, but written in such a skilled way that I enjoyed every sentence. Now that was, admittedly, written by a very skilled and experienced author (T. Pratchett), but my point remains. It depends on your writing style and if you are good enough to pull it off.

[@ShaelinWrites]

Those are definitely great examples of points where the authorial intrusions are a really effective part of the style! Though I think what makes those cases special is that because the intrusions are an intentional part of the style, they don't break the immersion of the story, so they aren't really intrusions. Authorial intrusions are really only intrusive if they break the limits/form/style of the piece, but I think in those cases, feeling this external voice is used very brilliantly as part of the form, rather than as a lapse in it.

[@torbjornlekberg7756]

@@ShaelinWrites I see. Well, that makes sense.

[@saranevillerogueart9627]

Have you thought of putting your ideas on writing into printed chapter by chapter self help book on writing? I would buy it 😊

[@Dzire-7i]

Love From ❤

[@donkyoofficial]

This is so off topic but I love your shirt! It looks very comfy.

[@lakeshagadson357]

I feel like you can be a storyteller

[@jarinchandler]

How might one separate atmosphere from foreshadowing and theme?

[@elisabethcuningham3526]

Does anyone have a book to recommend that is a really good example of this done well? I’d love to read something while intentionally paying attention to this.

[@pauline_f328]

Ironically, I am here Right after plotting a story that has a vibe and themes and symbolism but no plot yet Arghhhhh 😂

[@eboyer97]

Out of curiosity, why do you keep your university info private? Asking as a music grad working on her first novel right now... Is there a safety issue of sharing uni/grad info if you are an alum?

[@ShaelinWrites]

When I was in university I was stalked so now I've become very careful about sharing that information. As an alum it was less serious, but I still lived in the same area and didn't want people to know where I lived. It likely won't be a risk for most people but just for me because I have a larger platform!

[@sleepy-sheepy6517]

I’m writing a horror novel right now and atmosphere is so important in horror but I have no clue if it has any atmosphere.

[@rachelthompson9324]

Too much atmosphere can lead one into purpled prose. Seeking it for its own sake makes it easy to stray out of the narrator's POV and into the writer's. A lot depends on how the narrator sees the world. How many MC narrators think lyrically? Atmosphere is tricky. Too much basil ruins the sauce.

[@tomlewis4748]

I'm experiencing a bit of cognitive dissonance here. You released a video (for Reedsy, always more constrained than the 'Shaelin Writes' videos) just hours ago, where you kind of went hard at things like mentioning the weather. As if maybe a writer should not do that. As if it might be too 'tropey' or 'cliched'. I can't completely disagree with that notion, but I think there are ways to use something like that as a tool to create atmosphere, and maybe what is necessary is to do it somewhat uniquely, freshly, and differently than we commonly see it done. IOW, creatively rather than mimicking what we've all seen before. And now, I turn around and you are expressing a positive attitude toward a number of different things, including, quite prominently, 'showing the weather'. But it seems the critical thing is what you say here, which is to have what you say, even about the weather, be a reflection of the way it influences how the character feels, or expresses how they feel. I am quite guilty of 'showing the weather' as an attempt to add atmosphere, but I checked, and in every instance, it does reflect the emotions of the characters. So I think I get a break on that. (Whew!) People, readers, want to feel emotion. They also want to see or experience fresh and different things, and they want to be intrigued-they like tiny mysteries that will make them curious and engaged. I keep those three things uppermost in my mind when finding the words to construct a scene. But I also want to paint a picture, which is why I try to add grounding elements to scenes, and I want it not to be a painting, but a moving picture, which is why I try to add kinetic motion whenever possible. After all, film and TV are our competitors, and if we can get a movie to flow in the theatre of the readers' minds, film is less competition. 'The weather' is to me, just one more tool. If it comes out of the blue, it will likely be jarring and not fit. If it comes as something organically from the feelings a character has, it likely will fit. The only other thing that I think makes it acceptable, and even powerful, is if it is economical and brief. This is not the best line I ever wrote, but 75 words into a story, I wrote this: "I yanked open the blinds, but might as well not have-overcast. A threat of the wet stuff in the foothills." I think it works. You, or anyone else, can have whatever opinion you wish, and I welcome anyone's input on this. Why do I think it works? It's brief: the entire picture is painted in one word-overcast. The MC is depressed bc he's been left alone on Thanksgiving by the girl he loves, so his mood is somewhat down, and 'might as well not have' and 'threat' kind of imply that he is not happy about the weather not being bright, sunny, and cheerful that day. And 'the foothills' kind of helps set the scene location (northern Los Angeles, 1949). And it has kinetic motion ('yanked open the blinds'). All that happens in 21 words, which at 250 wpm takes all of five seconds to read, meaning a lot happens and it does not interrupt the flow of the story-the reader won't have enough time for that to bore or annoy them. I'd like to think this is an example of how to use things like 'the weather' effectively, but maybe I have no idea what to really do. Any input from anyone is entirely welcome.

[@ShaelinWrites]

In the Reedsy video, I just said the weather isn't a very strong opening for a novel. Nothing against describing it throughout a book, in fact it's often a great way to set a scene!

[@jaginaiaelectrizs6341]

Hey, basic tips are a great place to start! It's okay to start somewhere, and graduate to less basic tips over time. It's good for aspiring writers to have both things to help guide them at different points along the way; and it's okay for aspiring advice givers to start somewhere different than they'll eventually end up or learn things and/or adapt things differently as they go along too. 😊💜🤍 It's actually a good sign-when someone never stops learning//never stops honing & or fine-tuning, or find their focuses differ(or the things they deem more and/or less important to shift) somewhat over time! Those are the people at the top of their game, whether they are always the most recognized players in that game or not.💖😊

[@newtocamelot]

What an incredible video, Shaelin! Just what I needed while I work on polishing a short story. Where did you get all those beautiful images? I found them so inspiring. 🤍

[@ShaelinWrites]

they're from unsplash!!