What's a theme?

It's sometimes called the lesson, moral, or main idea behind the story. But theme is really more than that. In literary terms, the theme is the "take-away" value of the story. It's what the reader is left pondering after they've read the last word.

I've taken the following from the writing blog of Gayle Martin, because she explains theme quite succinctly. http://www.gailmartin.com/

Theme weaves through the plot, setting, and characters in a translucent thread that the reader extracts from his own experience or values. It communicates something deeper to readers than plot or story. Theme triggers an emotional response from readers, and without an emotion reaction, the story’s theme is usually weak or non-existent, or too vague to be comprehended.

Theme presents an infinite truth that makes a powerful impact on readers. It is often tangled in the goal of a the protagonist. It triggers emotion which is what clings to readers once the pages on the book have been closed and makes the story worth reading. Emotion has power to transport your story beyond entertainment as the them provides the impact of a universal meaning to your story.

This may sound vague, but theme is abstract, providing the heartbeat of your story. It cannot be forced. Author’s bring it to life by allowing the story’s truths to slip into the action, dialogue, introspection, and soul of the characters.

Some try to summarize this process by explaining it this way. Ask yourself, what did you learn from this novel? How did it touch you? Joy Cagil author of a blog on fiction writing suggests you ask this. What is the protagonist’s biggest decision to resolve the story’s conflict? These questions are about as close as you can get to defining theme. It is the underlying principle that motivates the protagonist to reach his goal, and it is a truth—belief or perspective—which most people hold in common.

Common themes might be that good defeats evil, money causes corruption, love makes the world go round, lies begat lies, gossip destroys, success is not measured by a bank account, jokes can backfire, friends stand by your side, people were not meant to be alone, freedom is better than servitude, love conquers all. I’m sure you can think of many, many others.

Think of novels you’ve read that have stuck with you and ask yourself why do you still remember this story? Besides plot, what message or value or truth did it leave you with? How did it impact your emotions? What did you take away with you when the book was finished? When you find the answer, you’ve most likely identified the theme of the novel.

Publishing Update

One of my short stories was accepted for publication by a syndiated site that sells to Christian publications. Click here to read The Unwelcome Friend .
.

Do I Have to Know My Genre?

If you're new to the world of professional writing, you may have stumbled a few times over the "genre" question, and thinking that was the least of your concerns, you passed over it.

Well, back up! It's more important than you think.

"I write lots of different things. I have a Young Adult novel, a Chick Lit novella, and a detective series in mind. I'm just too diversified to be stuck in one genre!"

If you've ever said or even thought that, go ahead and deny it right now. By the end of this article, you'll be glad you refused to admit it. It's the flashing light that signals an amateur.

Genre is where creativity meets business. And despite your passion for creative expression, business is what drives this industry. Like it or not, you have to face the business side of writing if you expect anyone else to ever have the privilege of reading your thoughts.

You should try all kinds of writing at first. Let your creativity flow. Write book after book, but put them away and start on another. Those are called "starter books" and they help you learn the craft of fiction writing. But they most likely will never see print. That's okay. Every successful writer has them.

Chances are that during all that writing, your own voice was beginning to emerge and an underlying theme began to creep into your work. Maybe no matter how the book began, someone always gets murdered and your hero has to figure it out. You may have started out writing a light-hearted romance, but lo-and-behold, your comical sidekick gets shot and the whole thing flips on you! If so, your genre may be suspense or crime writing. If your characters just can't stop falling for each other no matter the circumstance, then maybe you're a romance writer.

The importance of choosing a single genre at first can't be overstated. The purpose of your first few books is to build a reading audience. If you pick up a Dean Koontz book, you want high suspense. If it turned into Alice In Wonderland, you'd be offended and probably never pick up another Dean Koontz. Publishers and bookstore owners know this and they don't want to take a chance on spending thousands of dollars producing and stocking your book only to have you change on them for the next one.

So sticking with a genre at first isn't limiting you. It's helping you build a fan base. Once you're wildly popular, you can take a chance on another kind of book, but often it is not nearly as successful as your first genre. Readers don't like surprises like that. They read your books because they know what to expect and like it.

So have you thought about genre? Don't be afraid to experiment with all kinds of writing. Your strong points will emerge the more you write and you won't mind limiting yourself to what you're best at until you've proven yourself a master at it. Your readers won't mind either.

.