GACW Fall 2025 - Week 6: Mood in Writing

Written By Tara Griffin

Objective

Students will learn how writers use word choice, imagery, and setting details to create mood, then practice shaping mood in their own writing.

Intro - Tell Me Something Good

Warm-Up – “Mood Match”

5 short sentences that are neutral in action but can carry different moods depending on how they’re written:

She walked into the room.
The door slowly opened.
The dog barked.
He sat down at the table.
The wind blew through the trees.

Students quickly rewrite each sentence with words that make it:

    • cheerful

    • eerie

    • tense

    • relaxed

Examples:

Cheerful: She bounced into the room, humming a tune, sunlight spilling in behind her.
Eerie: The door groaned open, revealing nothing but a dark, waiting silence.
Relaxed: The dog barked lazily from the porch, stretching before curling back up.
Tense: He lowered himself into the chair slowly, fists clenched against the wood.
Eerie: The wind hissed through the trees, rattling the branches like bones.

 Mini-Lesson – What is Mood?

  • Define Mood: the feeling or atmosphere a writer creates for the reader.

  • Does anyone know what a mood board is – or Pinterest board?

  • Discuss common moods: joyful, ominous, peaceful, suspenseful, hopeful, gloomy.

  • Show examples from popular works (pick excerpts teens might know):

    • Wednesday (dark, gothic, quirky mood)

    • Percy Jackson (humorous, adventurous)

    • Stranger Things (nostalgic + suspenseful).

  • Quick strategy: mood often comes from setting + sensory detail + word choice.

 Brainstorm – Mood Webs

  • Students choose 2 moods (ex: mysterious and cozy).

  • For each, make a quick web of words, images, settings, and sensory details that could create that mood (e.g., mysterious = shadows, whispers, locked doors; cozy = warm blankets, cinnamon, firelight).

Writing Exercise – One Scene, Two Moods

  • Prompt: Write a short scene (6–10 sentences) where the action is the same, but write it two ways to show two different moods.

    • Example: “A character walks down a hallway” → one version eerie, one version joyful.

  • Encourage students to use their brainstorm webs as word banks.

Sharing & Reflection & Closing

  • Quick takeaway: Mood is how your writing makes the reader feel, and you can control it with setting, imagery, and word choice.

 Moods:

 🌞 Positive / Uplifting Moods

  • Cheerful

  • Lighthearted

  • Playful

  • Optimistic

  • Hopeful

  • Joyful

  • Serene

  • Warm

  • Whimsical

  • Peaceful

🌧 Negative / Somber Moods

  • Gloomy

  • Melancholy

  • Tense

  • Anxious

  • Dreary

  • Hopeless

  • Angry

  • Resentful

  • Foreboding

  • Isolated

🌪 Suspenseful / Dramatic Moods

  • Ominous

  • Mysterious

  • Intense

  • Unsettling

  • Urgent

  • Dark

  • Menacing

  • Tense

  • Chaotic

  • Brooding

🌙 Calm / Reflective Moods

  • Contemplative

  • Nostalgic

  • Dreamy

  • Tranquil

  • Thoughtful

  • Meditative

  • Soothing

  • Gentle

  • Bittersweet

  • Lyrical

🎭 Energetic / Excited Moods

  • Vibrant

  • Exhilarating

  • Frenzied

  • Jubilant

  • Triumphant

  • Electrifying

  • Hyper

  • Enthusiastic

  • Passionate

  • Dynamic

 👉 Pro tip: Mood words often overlap with tone words, but mood is more about the feeling the reader gets rather than the narrator’s attitude

Tara Griffin
Next

GACW Fall 2025 - Week 5: Plot & Comic Panels