Today, as we explore theme, we reach the end of our series on The Five Elements of Fiction. If you’re jumping into the series now, or would like to revisit the other elements, tap the links below:

The Five Elements of Fiction

The Five Elements of Fiction: Style

The Five Elements of Fiction: Character

The Five Elements of Fiction: Setting

The Five Elements of Fiction: Plot

When we started this series last year, I told you that all five of these elements are inextricably intertwined. You can’t talk about one without talking about the other, and that is never more true than when you’re talking about theme.

So what is it? What exactly is theme? It’s been defined a hundred different ways, but I like this very simple definition right here:

When you’re searching for the theme in any story, whether it’s your writing or someone else’s, keep these four questions in mind:

1. Humanity: What does the story suggest about human nature? If a story is honestly reflecting humanity, readers can’t help but see themselves somewhere in the pages of a book. Maybe not in the situations or circumstances of the story, but certainly in the cause and effect that takes place when well developed characters face conflict and tension. The plot and the characters, the setting and the style of the storyteller all come together to produce an observation of human nature. Sometimes many observations. True or not, the author is saying something about our shared humanity, and by considering what that might be, you’re tapping into theme.

2. Epiphany: What does the protagonist learn? Stories are built around a central conflict, or story problem. This conflict usually centers the protagonist. So, if you can identify what problem a story is working to address, you’re getting at the heart of the entire narrative. Within that larger problem, ask yourself, what does my main character(s) learn? How have they grown? Perhaps they’ve learned that forgiveness is better than revenge, or that trying to solve a problem alone is harder than when they let others help. Both of these lessons are, in fact, themes.

3. Revelation: What truths are uncovered for the reader? Sometimes our protagonists aren’t willing to learn, and we have to look to our own responses to understand what the author is trying to show us. I think of Anakin Skywalker choosing to act out of fear, and I know that one of the major themes of the Star Wars saga is that we manifest or become what we fear. Anakin feared death, and in his desire to defeat it, he became death for thousands upon thousands of people. It wasn’t a lesson he was willing to learn, but by watching his destruction, readers are shown this truth and a worthy theme is uncovered.

4. Big Idea: What is the story about? This question might be my favorite because it keeps things simple. When you ask what a story is about, you might end up with a one word answer, or a longer, more detailed answer, but it can help you drill down to the important takeaways from the story. When I answer this question about my Angel Eyes trilogy, it’s a bit messy, but it gives me several themes for each book, several big ideas present in the story. It looks like this:

• What is ANGEL EYES about? Faith. New beginnings. Healing. We’re never alone. Light vs Darkness. Grief. First love. A girl dealing with grief and doubt uses her ability to see the invisible world to help break up a human trafficking ring.
• What is BROKEN WINGS about? Worship is warfare. Brokenness. The damage caused by secrets. Knowing the past helps with the future. Parental struggles. Alcoholism. A girl and her friends deal with their own brokenness and struggles while fighting alongside angels to defeat the dark forces who have designs on their town.
• What is DARK HALO about? Seeing the beauty in the invisible world means seeing the darkness as well. Once you’ve seen, you can’t unsee. Testing of your faith. Regardless of what happens in this life, God’s children get forever. While fighting against an army of fallen angels, a girl learns that once she’s seen the beauty and the darkness of the invisible world, there’s no going back; she must fight.

Weaving Theme Into Your Story

It’s all fine and well to pinpoint theme in a completed novel, but what about weaving theme into the stories we write? How might we go about that? I have five methods you might find helpful.

1. Imagery: Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, is a fantastic example of how to use imagery to further an idea. Throughout the play, our playwright compares Denmark to a decaying garden to show how rotten things have gotten in a once thriving kingdom. Here’s a handful of image-heavy lines that all point to this theme.

• “‘Tis an unweeded garden that grows to seed. Things rank and gross in nature possess it merely.”
• “Do not spread the compost on the weeds to make them ranker.”
• “Lay her in the earth and from her fair and unpolluted flesh may violets spring!”
•  “A violet in the youth of primy nature.”
• “Thou mixture rank, of midnight weeds collected.”

2. World Building: As you create your world, include elements that will reinforce the message of the story. The feature length film, Beauty and the Beast, does this well by using the appearance of the Beast’s castle. While it suffers under the curse, the castle is dark and gloomy, Gothic even. It is perpetually winter, a cold and numbing place to be. But when the curse is broken, suddenly it’s spring again. Sunlight and color explodes everywhere! The stained-glass windows are bright and joyful. The gray brick turns white, and even the gargoyles positioned about the castle transform into angelic creatures. The unique way in which the castle showcases the curse placed upon it helps us see the message of the story.

3. Character/Creature traits: As you create your characters, consider their traits and how their own make-up and journey contribute to the ideas you want conveyed. After I completed my first draft of Broken Wings, I created an entirely new rank of angel: Sabres. They function differently than other angels, and their very make-up highlights the idea of worship as warfare. You catch a glimpse of that in this description:

“ . . . it’s his wings that so separate him from any other angel I’ve seen . . . Where I expect to see rows and rows of snowy white feathers, one blade lies on top of another–thousands of them–sharp and glistening silver . . . they rub one against the other, trembling, sending music far and wide.”

This can be done with human characters as well. If one of your themes is that change is the only constant, perhaps creating a rigid, unbending character will help you craft a journey that shows this truth in all its glory. As your character grapples to slow or stop the changes around him, a universal truth is illustrated. We humans do like watching other people learn hard lessons. It’s much preferred to learning them ourselves.

4. Opposing or Limited Viewpoints: Consider the characters who fill up your story. Does every one of them agree on important matters? Do they see the world the same way? If they do, you’re missing an opportunity to show off your theme.

One of my favorite historical fiction writers is Kate Morton. In many of her books, certainly in The Distant Hours, she introduces several generations of women. In each mother-daughter relationship, there is a reluctance for the daughter to view her mother as having a life before she was born. 

It’s a relationship, an idea, a real-life stumbling block many people can relate to, and Morton doesn’t sermonize about it; she simply shows you the commonality of this belief, and then she paints a picture to show readers how universally wrong it is.

This is a beautiful way to share a big idea with your readers. Give your characters conflicting or opposing viewpoints on important matters, and allow their feelings to impact their actions. Theme can’t help but emerge.

5. Repeating Sentiments: In the historical novel, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, the story is told in letters to and from a variety of characters. It’s a delightful read, and the authors have done well to pen each voice with its own unique sound, giving the reader varying viewpoints on important moments.

As different as each character is, a theme begins to emerge as you read. In a letter to Juliet, Dawsey says, “But sometimes I think of {the author} Charles Lamb and marvel that a man born in 1775 enabled me to make two such friends as you and Christian.”

Dawsey is a farmer on the isle of Guernsey. Juliet is an author in London. And Christian? A Nazi soldier stationed at Guernsey as part of an occupying force. With every letter we read, we understand what Dawsey says so plainly. Love of the written word connects people from all different walks of life. 

You can’t read this novel without appreciating how books tie us to one another, and the theme is woven so beautifully into the story that you walk away feeling as if it’s a revelation you came to all on your own. 

That’s the goal with theme, I think. To present it in a way that allows the reader to chew on important issues and, perhaps, come to appreciate the author’s big idea.

Tell me, do you struggle to weave big ideas into you story? Which of these methods might help you in that endeavor?

Shannon Dittemore is an author and speaker. Her books include the Angel Eyes trilogy, a supernatural foray into the realm of angels and demons, as well as the fantastical adventure novel Winter, White and Wicked. Its sequel, Rebel, Brave and Brutal is due out January 10, 2023.

Shannon’s stories feature strong female leads grappling with fear and faith as they venture into the wilds of the unknown. She’s often wondered if she’s writing her own quest for bravery again and again.

It’s a choice she values highly. Bravery. And she’s never more inspired than when young people ball up their fist and punch fear in the face.

To that end, Shannon takes great joy in working with young writers, both in person and online at Go Teen Writers, an instructional blog recognized by Writer’s Digest four years running as a “101 Best Websites for Writers” selection.

For more about Shannon and her books, please visit her website, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.