Today on the Go Teen Writers Book Club, we’re discussing “Meaning,” chapter twenty of Story Trumps Structure by Steven James.

Chapter Recap:

If you write a story with the purpose of teaching a lesson or moral, recognize that your story will always come second on your agenda. Readers will notice you’re all about the message and the story is secondary. You might think otherwise, but the story and the obvious message will speak for itself. And once you break that wall and your message matters more than the story, readers aren’t just pulled out of your tale. They are yanked out like a weed. If you do this, you greatly risk creating a piece of propaganda over art. And the only people who like to read propaganda are the people who already believe in it.

Mr. James shares a profound quote from author Jack M. Bickham, “Fiction does not exist primarily to convince anybody of anything; it exists to tell a story, and by doing so to illuminate the human condition.” This is a truth I learned from author Donita K. Paul, and you can read more about what she taught me in the post titled, What Makes a Book a Classic? The point is to write about the human condition and to be honest about it. Not to take one side or the other, but to write about what humanity has in common, the good and the bad, rather than to write about one particular difference. As Mr. James says so well, “Good fiction holds a mirror for readers to better see themselves.”

All author have their own set of beliefs, and those will unintentionally come through in their writing. Yet you can still tell a story with truth in it without writing propaganda. You can still write all sides fairly and leave the judgement to the reader.

Mr. James gives three ideas for building a story around theme rather than handpicking a theme to fit into your book.

1. Rather than choosing a word for your theme, like freedom or sacrifice, ask a question like, “Is any price too high a price for freedom?” Or, “Is there any reason why someone should make a sacrifice for someone unworthy?”

2. Rather than giving your reader advice: “Drugs are bad,” let your story explore a question, “What could possibly make someone who hates drugs turn to such a lifestyle?”

3. Turn clichés on their heads. Rather than writing a story to prove that one should not, “Put all her eggs in one basket,” let your story ask the question, “At what point should a person put all her eggs in one basket?”

This type of questioning is where author Francine Rivers begins with her book ideas. She always starts with a question—and it’s always a question she is struggling to find the answer for in her own life. For example, in the book An Echo in the Darkness, Francine sought to explore, “How many times are we called upon to forgive people who hurt us deliberately — and (in many countries) would like to see us dead?” And in the book The Last Sin Eater, she wanted to answer, “What is the difference between guilt and conviction?”

What Stood Out:

From Mr. James: “Our stories should (1) tell the truth about the world—exposing the anguish and terror as well as championing the hope and joy; (2) honestly portray the threads of evil, both in our world and in our own hearts; (3) celebrate love, virtue, and beauty; and (4) uphold the dignity and worth of human life.”

Tip of the Week:

“When you can state the theme of a story, when you can separate it from the story itself, then you can be sure the story is not a very good one. The meaning of a story has to be embodied in it, has to be made concrete in it. A story is a way to say something that can’t be said any other way, and it takes every word in the story to say what the meaning is.”
~Flannery O’Connor

Go Teen Writers Archived Articles to Help You Go Deeper:
What Makes a Book a Classic?
3 Tips for Developing a Theme in Your Book
Weaving Theme Into Your Story
How To Strengthen The Theme Of Your Book During Edits

Questions/challenges:
• Do you try to work themes into your book? Or do you let them come organically?
• If you were to write a book starting with a question like Francine Rivers, what question would you seek to explore?
• Any questions?