How to Get the Most from Your Themes
Every story has a theme or two
that cover the main topics within the story, but they also convey deeper
meanings within it. Stories need them in order to help the reader understand
the concept of the story.
Themes embody different subjects
that might surface during writing, so it’s common for writers to uncover these
themes as they write, but there’s nothing wrong with having certain main themes
in mind before you begin writing, either. Themes such as love, hate, betrayal,
deceit and lies are all very popular themes, as are ones about growing up,
discovering the world or growing old. They can incorporate just about anything,
but they must relate directly to the story.
How to make the most of your
themes?
Know your audience. The genre,
and what the plot is, often determines a main theme. For example, with two
lovers who can’t be together, the main theme would be love. For a story about
conflict between the main characters, the main theme might be hatred or
bigotry. A crime novel might have the main theme as deceit or vengeance. A
sci-fi might explore a main theme of discovery.
But around these main themes, we
often find smaller themes emerge to provide deeper meaning, relevance and extra
detail, so if you want the most from your themes, ensure that they enhance
the story rather than distract.
Emotion is also a great theme
developer. What characters feel often dictates what they do, and how they
behave affects situations and other characters around them. Characters do this with
their dialogue, thoughts and actions. How they act and react bring themes into
focus, especially as characters develop and change throughout a story. Who they
are at the beginning of a story is different to who they are by the end – and there’s
often a theme behind this (understanding, forgiveness or seeing things
differently and so on).
Conflict is another theme
enhancer because each character will have their own views, beliefs, opinions
and principles, especially with a protagonist versus antagonist. Not everyone
in your story will get along. This is where conflict and bad situations can
create new themes.
Situations within the story
happen for a reason, usually due to character actions, so major events could
help you develop sub-themes that ebb and flow beneath the surface of the story,
enough to provide extra depth and dimension for the reader.
Use symbolism and motifs to bring
themes to the forefront of the story. Repeated motifs can be stand-alone themes
– like a ticking clock that represents the passage of time, or a colour to
represent a specific dark emotion to show the theme of sadness or isolation.
Know your audience and genre and
know your plot. Make sure your characters, emotions, conflict and key
situations work to create, develop and enhance themes. And don’t forget to use
motifs and symbolism to help those themes stand out.
One thing you can’t do is force
themes into existence. They will emerge naturally as you write. The main thing
is to create themes that help your readers understand the story, the characters
and the message you want to get across.
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