Developing Atmosphere in Writing and Creating a Vibe

The aesthetic, vibe, and atmosphere are all related yet distinct ingredients in building your story. Aesthetics are the visual, thematic, and stylistic parts of a story.

Vibe is about the emotional tone or energy. Atmosphere refers to the sensory environment or mood in a scene. Defining these aspects early on can more clearly guide your tone, imagery, and narrative choices. This can help create a cohesive and immersive experience.

Elements of Story Aesthetic and Vibe

Aesthetic: Look and Style

If someone says “cyberpunk”, you would think of neon lights, high-tech gadgets, and gritty crowded cityscapes. This is because these are key aspects of the Cyberpunk aesthetic.

A story’s aesthetic is all about the visual, thematic, and stylistic elements that create a specific look in the reader's mind. 

Vibe: The Emotional Energy

The Vibe is more about how the reader feels as they read the story. Vibe is created through character interaction, tone, and narrative. While aesthetic is tied closely to genre, your vibe should be tied to your theme.

If a cyberpunk story revolves around a group of misfit young adults that form a “found family” as they carry out Robin Hood-style crime in their corrupted city, then that could involve themes of resistance, belonging, and justice.

The mood can change throughout the story based on the theme. Maybe most of the story is gritty, tense, and dark. However, at the end, it becomes vulnerable and hopeful because it has a happy ending. 

Atmosphere: The Sensory Experience

While vibe is tied to emotion and acts as the baseline of your story, the atmosphere is created through sensory details, setting, and character interaction to establish the mood in individual scenes. A high-stakes meeting in a neon-lit nightclub would feel charged and chaotic. In contrast, a post-mission meetup between characters in a dilapidated library would feel somber and introspective.

We’re using sensory details to our advantage. For a vibrant atmosphere at a summer carnival, we would write about the flashing lights, the sound of the music, and the smell of fried foods and cotton candy while warm summer air passes by on a breeze.

Defining your story’s atmosphere, vibe and aesthetic

Key questions to ask

Aesthetic: What thematic and visual elements do you think of when you visualize your story’s world?

Vibe: What emotions should your readers feel throughout the story?

Atmosphere: On a sensory level, how should each scene?

Experiment and refine

Write practice scenes that mix aesthetic elements with different vibes and atmospheres to find a mix that feels unique and true to your story. Have critique partners read these test scenes or chapters of your work in progress and ask specifically for feedback on these aspects. Is the vibe consistent? Does the aesthetic feel well-developed?

Tips

Create a mood board on Pinterest or save photos and videos you see on Instagram. Using these are inspiration to create a collection to visualize your story’s aesthetic elements.

You can use a playlist to keep the right mood for your story. You might even want two playlists: one for high-tension moments and another for low-tension scenes.

As you review your work, ask if each scene shows the right atmosphere. Check if the vibe and style match the genre and theme.

These elements work together to fully convey your story and captivate your readers. Defining these early will make the stages of your writing that much easier. What are some of your favorite stories with strong aesthetics, vibes, and atmosphere? Let us know on your socials or in the StoryForge Discord Community!