Thread: Drastically different tones/moods in the same story?

I'm working on a story that jumps all over the spectrum of human experience. The light parts are very, very light, but the heavy parts are very, VERY heavy. Do you guys think it's problematic at all to have that kind mix? I'm worried about giving the wrong impression only to alienate people later on.

... I'd be more worried about how you're writing an eight volume series, half of which apparently revolves around the backstories of your supporting cast. Sounds like a heck of a lot of filler....

I'm not one to worry much about tone and mood shifts, especially not when played out over the course of a whole novel or three or eight. Take Feed, for example- it starts out hilarious, grows darker, and finally shifts to outright horror down the stretch. And it never feels like it's departing its proper realm. Or look at Douglas Adams' (I'm a sci-fi guy, just so you know) Hitchhiker's trilogy, which alternates outright funniness with moments of black-hole sarcasm. Or, on a more insane note, look at the Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series (Skip the film; it sucks.) Very light, whimsical material on the whole, but packed inside with hidden emotional depth that leads to a very touching ending.

But anyway, the point is that all you have to do is make certain all of the elements are present in one measure or another at some point early on (say, volume one) so that when you start to lean more in one direction, the reader won't be wondering where the heck that turn came from. Just hint at it, and when going to a shift, don't jump in all at once. Pace yourself.

That's about it.

OK, thanks for setting my mind at ease on that point. I do give the full range in V1. It really shouldn't come as much of a surprise. I guess I just worry too much.