The word “theme” can still cause shivers because it calls up my memories of high school English when I had to identify elements like theme or symbolism in five paragraph essays. (The only thing worse was analyzing poetry.) Those essays always left me feeling stupid. Like I might know how to read, but I didn’t really know how to read. Did the author even intend for this to be so packed with meaning? I would often think. I doubt it.
But after having been an author myself for a number of years, I no longer doubt that the authors I studied in English class were purposeful about their themes. And when Shannon showed me the definition of theme, I felt myself relax a bit:
Study.com defines it this way: The theme in a story is its underlying message, or ‘big idea.’
If I think about theme as my story’s big idea or takeaway message, that doesn’t feel quite as scary.
I do think about my theme when I start writing my story, but almost entirely as it relates to the lie my main character believes and the truth they need to combat the lie. What my character learns on their journey is almost always what I would love for my reader to walk away with too.
But most of my work developing the theme of my story happens in edits, though you might find that’s not true for you. When I read through my manuscript, as discussed several weeks ago, I’m on the lookout for ways to better weave in my theme(s).
The feel reminds me of when you’re watching a movie or a musical and a certain melody will “belong” to a character. Think Darth Vader’s song, only not quite that blatant. You’ll be watching and then realize that melody has snuck its way into the musical score, only tinged to reflect the tone of this specific scene.
When I draft my book, I often know my melody (or my theme song, if you will). When I’m editing, I’m looking for ways to sneak that melody back into the undercurrent of what’s going on.
Here are some ways I try to do that:
Dialogue
When I’m editing, I often notice a piece of dialogue or a conversation that carries a certain weight to it. If I do, I make a note of it. The message of the dialogue might already be close enough to my theme that I want to get it all the way there. Or it might be a different shade of the theme that I want to bring out.
I’ve also had times where as I wrote the first draft, the conversation swirled around an idea or theme, but I never quite landed the plane. So I’ll make notes of ways to be more clear and work on this in edits.
Character decisions
This is my favorite way to develop and explore my theme.
In Within These Lines, Evalina learns that caring about something requires bravery. In the first half of the book, she writes many anonymous letters to newspaper editors, but in the second half of the book, she makes several choices to not be anonymous. Evalina deciding to sign her name to her opinion piece in the school newspaper is a big moment for her.
In my draft of that book, I only got about halfway there on developing this theme. In edits, I nailed down several specific situations where Evalina chose to be anonymous or chose to not be anonymous.
These kinds of actions can be a great way to SHOW the theme instead of just TELLING us about it.
The antagonist
(or differing views from other characters)
How can I explore my theme through my antagonist? This is a question I’m working on asking before I write a draft as well as in my edits.
One of the things that leads to a theme feeling heavy-handed or “preachy” is the one-sided approach to it. If your theme is that war is bad, and all you show is the very bad things that come out of war, you’re not really doing the issue justice.
Your antagonist can be a great way to show the other side or a different approach to the theme.
Differing views from other smart, likable characters is an even braver choice. If you can show that other characters who we like feel differently than the main character about this issue, that’s a very good way to avoid being preachy.
Symbols or metaphors
Maybe your setting is a symbol for your theme. (e.g. Your character believes in self-sufficiency, and they live on an island.)
Or I once read a book where the main character studied some kind of sea creature (I don’t remember what kind) that had to feel safe and comfortable before it could shed its outer layer. The main character waiting for this to happen represented her own need to let down her guard.
Finding opportunities to express your character’s inner journey with exterior objects and circumstances is a great way to explore your theme!
Do you think about theme before you write your stories? Do you know what the theme of your book is?
Thanks for this post, Stephanie! I’m launching into editing my novel next week and I will definitely go back and read through these posts.
I’ve had some themes grow organically, in one of my works hope and light became very prevalent themes. With this novel, I want to grow the themes of friendship and freedom. Sometimes I do know what my theme is before I start the book, or I’ll jot down an intended theme only to realize that there’s other themes that have bloomed as I wrote that I like better.
Have a great day!
I hope editing goes well for you, Adi!
Thanks! I hope so too!
All these editing posts makes me excited to reach that point! It’s been the aspect I dreaded for quite some time, and I’m amazed you changed my mind!
Before I actually write the story, theme is a blurred picture swirling around at the back of my mind. It changes from the original “this fits” theme, to a “this feel right” theme as I draft and learn more about my plot and characters.
I don’t have a theme for my WIP yet, but I do have so very broad picture ideas of what it could come out of, if that makes sense.
I’m similar, Camille. For most books, I struggle to identify my theme before writing the first draft.
Theme is something I rarely think about, actually. I’ve never thought of my current novel as having a definite theme–it’s about working with others, I guess, but that’s not *all* it’s about, and I like letting all the different facets of the main character’s arc just weave together like the threads of our real lives. I’ll think about it more after this post, especially since I’m currently rewriting and want to make the main plot/character arc as prominent as possible. Thanks!
I understand that mentality, Colin. There was a time when I would have said it was better to NOT pay attention and just let theme rise organically in the story. Now I think having some intentionality can go a long way on deepening a story.
There are some story ideas that I have that actually sprung from themes, however, with my WIP, the theme grew from my characters and their struggles as I wrote. I recently finished my first ever first draft (FINALLY!) and I’m in my “rest stage” with the project. However, I already know that I’m going to have to do lots of brush up with the theme. Right now it’s somehow both ill defined and way too “hit-the-reader-over-the-head-with-it,” you know? I want to make it powerful/resonant but still woven in with subtlety. All these tips are super helpful, and I can’t wait to try them out. (Love how you compared a book’s theme to a musical theme.)
Also, I actually just finished reading Within These Lines last week. I really liked it- moving story, lovable characters, great descriptions. Nice work! I hope to summon my inner Evalina some day soon!
Thank you, Em! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
And, yes, I know what you mean. Hit-the-reader-over-the-head is a weird side effect of a theme being ill-defined, I think. To stick with our musical theme, I think it’s because the author has only focused on one note of a theme rather than a whole chord.
Congrats on finishing your first draft!! It’s so exciting. And I hope the editing goes well.
Thank you so much! It was a lot of work, but so so worth it!
Best of luck to you and your endeavors as well! 🙂
Recently I’ve started to really love discovering my themes. I think they usually grow from my characters, and one of my favorite writing days was when I just pantsed a wonderfully thematic dialogue. Of course I had to edit it, but just discovering it was so exciting.
With my current WIP I have two MCs plus a main antagonist and I think they all show different aspects of the theme. I guess it’s mainly a belief they all have, and they live it out in different ways. I love the idea of having characters with similar beliefs but opposite character arcs.
My English class calls the theme “the central one idea” and distinguishes between the particular (the way it plays out in the story) and the abstract (the more vague, pithy expression of the idea, like “Power corrupts”). Maybe that could be a helpful way to look at theme.
That’s all very interesting, Bethany! I love reading about how intentional you’ve been!
I do a lot of thinking about theme before I draft a book, but often, the theme doesn’t really reveal itself until two or three drafts into the manuscript. I’m more of a discovery writer, so it takes me that long to figure out the characters and plot and really nail down the theme. The current theme in my story is the healing power of forgiveness and the destruction of bitterness.
This is sooo helpful! I usually start out with a general idea of my theme, and then dive deeper into what I really want to say as I write the story. I especially like that third point about showing the antagonist’s point of view of the theme. I will be thinking how I can do that with my WIP.
This series has helped me a lot with my current project. Thank you so much for doing these, Stephanie!