Setting the Mood

Kayley’s comment on Hamilton’s Essential Literary Terms helped me focus on the importance of atmosphere.  It’s the author’s job to set the mood.  If a guy is trying to set-up a romantic home-cooked meal for his girlfriend, is he going to leave dirty socks and underwear on the floor?  I doubt it.  Probably, he will clean his house carefully, put out candles, flowers, put on some music, etc.  The author needs to do the same thing as the boyfriend above; they need to create the right atmosphere if they want to get the right reaction from the audience.  We need to remember this in our own writing.