Writing to a Theme: Questions to Find Your Story's Heart
by Sarah (Sally) Hamer
Are you in the throes of NaNoWriMo? Of course, it has just started at the time you'll be reading this, but early days are often the most important, because how you handle them makes a huge difference as to how far you get. Otherwise, it's like Matthew Reilly's quote, "We didn't come this far just to come this far." Or, maybe even a better quote from the Cheshire Cat, "If you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there." (Lewis Carroll)
So, where are you going? Whether or not you're in NaNo this month, the question still stands. Don't get me wrong, writing for the sake of writing is one of the most healthy things we can do, IMHO. Some people are not and never will be writers, but they're not the ones who will be reading blogs on Writers in the Storm's website. But, for those of us who cannot NOT write, anything that comes out of our brains can be beneficial.
It's also a good thing to have words go together in a coherent and useful manner. After all, most of us really do want to take the right road and complete a story. But just writing doesn't always make that happen.
So, the questions we can ask ourselves are pretty darned simple. It's the answers that can get us to thinking:
What are you writing about?
I'm not talking characters or plot but, instead, how theme is the heart of a book. It's a word that often strikes fear in a writer's heart because most of us just want to write a story. But finding the real reason for that story can make all the difference as to whether it makes sense to anyone else. Take Frank Herbert's Dune books. It's about a future universe of war and avarice, spice and addiction, and desert vs. water planets. But the theme is how a boy, whose family and life is destroyed by a maniacal emperor, matures and, ultimately, grows into a maniacal ruler himself. The books lead us from innocence to a growing understanding of how choices made for the "right" reason can lead to unbearably "wrong" consequences. And, love it or hate it, Dune gives us a theme that resonates across history.
Why are you writing about what you're writing about?
We write what we know. Each of us is deeply engrained into our own history and how we got to this point. So, we write about different aspects of ourselves. I often have students tell me that "I could never kill anyone!" But we can certainly write stories where a character does just that. Sometimes in brutal, horrific fashion. So, why do we write stories about shame or fear or hate? It's because we have that facet within in us. No one can be all good or bad – there are always layers and polarities and balances going on. The brilliance of this for a writer is that we can pull on the traits we consider negative to express stories with truthful, believable characters because, although we may never act on those parts of us, we have them within us.
Do we have to know the theme before we start writing?
No. Not at all. Sometimes I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to be writing about before I start. It's just a character I find interesting who has gotten him or herself into a bind and I'm trying to figure a way to get them out. Theme often grows as the book does, twisting and turning until I have enough knowledge about what I want to say to let me unravel it. Then, I go back and tweak the places in the story that need to have theme. But it does make it easier to know where you're going first.
What if I have no idea what my themes are?
I have a "built-in" theme, as I believe most people do, which is pretty much the same for almost every story I've ever written, so it's usually not too much of a problem for me. But not everyone knows the theme "of their heart." So I suggest that worrying about it is not the best route to figuring it out. Examine your own stories. Is there a particular commonality? What books/movies do you like? What is the underlying idea? What draws you to those stories? What makes you feel good/uplifted about them? That’s usually the theme.
Still have no clue? Read more about it in "Finding Your Story's Theme.
Bottom line
Theme is the backbone of a story, with all of the other aspects – character, plot, pacing, action, goals, etc. – wrapping around it like the muscles, nerves, and flesh of a fully-articulated body. And, whether we're writing like fiends to get 50,000 words down in a month or not, theme can sit in the back of our brains and guide us through the stories we want to tell.
When do you know what your story's theme is? What is the theme of your current WIP?
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About Sally
Sarah (Sally) Hamer, B.S., MLA, is a lover of books, a teacher of writers, and a believer in a good story. Most of all, she is eternally fascinated by people and how they 'tick'. She’s passionate about helping people tell their own stories, whether through fiction or through memoir. Writing in many genres - mystery, science fiction, fantasy, romance, medieval history, non-fiction – she has won awards at both local and national levels, including two Golden Heart finals.
A teacher of memoir, beginning and advanced creative fiction writing, and screenwriting at Louisiana State University in Shreveport for over twenty years, she also teaches online for Margie Lawson at www.margielawson.com and hosts symposiums at www.mindpotential.org. Find her at info@mindpotential.org.
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23 comments on “Writing to a Theme: Questions to Find Your Story's Heart”
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I *wish* I was doing Nano this year, Sarah! But other projects took priority, sadly. Who knows... maybe I'll do WorldEmber (December) or just do my own another month.
I love to write to themes. The book I've been working on most recently has a theme of learning who you are and trying to uphold a legacy that my character doesn't believe in.
I would totally be with you to organize a writing month in January. We used to do "Write Up a Storm" events on Facebook over weekends and such. We could totally get that going again. 🙂
Ooooh! That would be SO MUCH FUN!
I have no idea what the themes of my books are when I start writing.
In my series, following a family through the generations, the title of the book that I came up with when it was almost finished,made me realise what the theme was. It's called Vengeance of a Slave, so it's about a young man coming to terms with his capture, slavery and desire for vengeance on the Romans.
The second book is about overcoming jealousy, and follows a descendant of the protagonist in the first book.
My fantasy duo is about friendship. But none of these themes were evident when I began the stories, and I still don't know what the theme is for another fantasy series, now up to book 4.
I suppose it will come. At least I hope it will.
And I'm not doing NaNo this year. But a WITS one sounds good.
V.M., with your already honed insight on theme, I have no doubt you'll find what you need when you need it. So many times, our themes are so deeply ingrained in the back of our mind, we write to them without realizing it.
I can't tell you how many established and successful writers have told me (or that I've read about) that they really didn't have all that symbolism and those allegorical ideas in mind when they wrote a story. They were just writing. I really think that's the way most of us roll. THEN we figure out what we wanted to say.
🙂
Thanks for the comment!
I'm in!!
Lisa, as you know, NaNoWriMo is an amazing exercise, but it has to be carved out of even a not-demanding schedule. Which doesn't describe you!
Maybe we could do a WITS NaNo another month?
Nano ? Not this year. Like last year, too much happening in our lives
Maybe Nano lite?
Theme of my current book? House of the Ghost Child . ( soon, TBC) In the beginning, just a simple ghost story Then other ghosts began to creep in, refused to leave - crucial to the sometimes painful theme. For this book, we had to create the cover ourselves - UK and California. -
Esther, NaNo Lite is very doable too. Sounds like a lot less pressure in our busy schedules. Or even NaNo-weekends. Or NaNo-once-a-month-for-two-hours. I'm in!
So, if I may, let me ask a question. Your WIP sounds great -- I LOVE ghost stories! Do you know what that "painful theme" is? You don't have to tell us, but do you know? That's half the battle!
I don't enter into the NaNo. I've never been good at writing because I "have" to. I've proven that to myself several times. I wish all those who do enter the best of luck and always enjoy their reports at the end.
C. Lee, I do the same. I am happy to cheer from the side lines!
A lot of writers are in a fight with NaNoWriMo now due to their position on AI. Since I have to use AI all the time in the day job, I don't hate it as much as the everyday writer. But it has been a massive kerfuffle this year with many of my friends making hex signs at the NaNo organization. Lots and lots of writers are doing their own thing this November.
For me, I applaud anything that equals a massive amount of story on the page. And you are speaking my language writing to theme. I'm a scene writer, so if I don't write to the books theme and turning points, I end up with a mess of scenes that go nowhere.
I don't hate AI either -- but there's a lot of polarity out there about it. Seems like most either love it or hate it. We'll have to see how it turns out.
I love the structure that theme allows us. I have a mess left over without it too.
Thanks, Jenny!
You make some very good points. Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks, B. Lynn. I love discussing the WHY of our stories. I think it is the difference between a good story and a GREAT story.
Thanks for the comment!
Hi Sally,
I opted not to write anything for NANoWriMo this year. Too much else happening in Ellenland.
I'm revisiting a story I wrote a few years back. I realized that my hateful antagonist has too much serendipity is his life. Plus, I needed to work on the ending. It will be much better soon!
As for theme, I never think about it until the story has some meat on it so-to-speak. My WIP is a hero's journey, but I didn't realize that until several chapters in.
Ellen, I often don't know where I'm going at the beginning but it's nice to know that, at some amazing, breath-taking moment, it all comes clear. LOL!
Thanks!
reinventing yourself (fictional character)
Yep! And, isn't it amazing what we find?
I'm not doing Nano because they are allowing AI.
The theme of my current WIP is "sometimes a person projects an image to hide who they truly are and we should be willing to look beneath the surface before we judge them." It's a Regency about a man who portrays himself as a frivolous fop to annoy the father who ignores him and a plain woman who uses her intellect to hide her true nature to keep from having a broken heart.
Pamela, I love Regency stories! What a great theme and plot! Both of them sound like they have a great arc.
Thanks for the comment!
I have a side-track on the topic of 'writing about what you're writing about'. That is, when someone asks us what we're writing about, it forces us to think about what we are writing about, from a new angle. "Tell us the cover copy/blurb", or "come up with a single-sentence premise line." These disciplines, apart from meeting someone's brief, can also reveal our story's purpose - if we didn't know it already.
You're exactly right, Jeremy. The "elevator speech," where you are required to tell your story in 50 or so words, is an amazing roadmap.
Thanks!