Writing Theme: The Simple Way to Weave a Thematic Message into Your Story

Does nan conception of “theme” confuse you? Do you person problem penning a beardown theme, aliases weaving a taxable into your story? How do you constitute a taxable successful literature? 

If taxable confuses you, you’re not alone. Lots of writers struggle to place a taxable successful their book—and galore don't moreover cognize what thematic connection nan are communicating done their communicative until a 2nd aliases later draft.

The bully news is, location are penning tips you tin usage erstwhile weaving a thematic connection (or two) into your story. I'd for illustration to stock 3 elemental ways to do this.

Why Writing Theme Was Difficult for Me (And How I Overcame This)

I retrieve nan days backmost successful precocious schoolhouse English people erstwhile I dreaded penning essays connected nan common themes of books and stories.

There was 1 peculiar book that ever lingers connected my mind, Cold Mountain. I did not understand this book successful nan least, and erstwhile asked astir theme, I picked a random condemnation that sounded bully and called it a thematic statement. It wasn't one. It was astir rocks—not nan quality condition.

I sewage a D.

As I grew and developed my skills arsenic a writer, nan conception of inserting a taxable into a communicative eluded me.

A theme, aft all, is an important communicative constituent erstwhile writing a novel.

It’s often absurd and vague, and yet it’s expected to fresh each portion of your communicative and necktie it each together.

How tin you fresh this big, confounding thought into your communicative and support it accordant throughout, particularly erstwhile penning a book?

Believe it aliases not, location is simply a way!

It wasn’t until nan past fewer years that I yet began to understand really precisely a taxable should fresh into a story, and that—as it turns out—writing taxable isn’t that analyzable astatine all.

When Writing Theme, First Ask Yourself: “What is simply a Theme?”

A cardinal taxable is nan main thought aliases underlying meaning that an writer explores successful a novel. There tin beryllium aggregate themes successful a story, but each of them says thing large astir nan story's lesson, and what readers tin return distant from nan book.

Does this look confusing, aliases ambiguous? Let’s make it simpler:

A taxable is an thought that recurs successful a story.

That makes a small much sense. But let’s break it down moreover further.

A taxable is a message you support reminding your scholar because it's what nan communicative is really about.

That intends a taxable is simply a connection that says, “Hey, by nan way, conscionable truthful you remember, this is what I’m trying to show you. I want you to publication this communicative and retrieve this.”

You sprinkle this connection passim your communicative for illustration seasoning connected a dish, done description, done dialogue, and done choices made by your characters.

But erstwhile penning theme, really do you take your story's theme(s)? And moreover aft you take them, really do you weave them into your story's scenes?

How to Choose Your Story's Theme

Your taxable doesn’t person to beryllium complicated. It tin beryllium 1 sentence, a elemental phrase, aliases conscionable 1 word. In fact, nan simpler and much straightforward nan theme, nan better.

Think of your taxable arsenic nan 1 thought you want your readers to support successful nan backmost of their minds during and aft reference nan story.

For an example, let’s dress we are going to constitute a communicative astir an aged female recounting nan agelong life she’s lived.

The taxable we want to convey is “passage of time.”

But what does this mean? What will this opportunity astir your characteristic experiencing your story, and really tin you make this clear to nan scholar without being overly obvious? What will my communicative opportunity astir nan transition of time?

Weaving Theme successful Your Story

When penning theme, and past weaving it into your story, statesman by identifying words applicable to your theme.

In nan illustration we’ve selected, galore words necktie to nan conception of time, specified as:

• Clocks/watches
• Seasons
• Day/night
• Fast/slow
• Ahead/behind
• Early/late
• Young/old
• Birth/death

Once you place these words, weave them into your story. This is thing that whitethorn consciousness difficult erstwhile you first draught your story, but tin beryllium done reasonably easy successful early drafts aliases during editing.

Let’s return a look astatine really we tin weave this taxable of passing clip into our story. Imagine this scene:

Doris sat connected nan creaky chair astatine nan autobus stop. The shops down by Main Street had changed from what she remembered. Old McLaren’s barbershop had go a trendy boutique, and nan precocious schoolhouse wherever her children attended had been knocked down and rebuilt doubly since they graduated. A motorcycle lane had been added to accommodate nan summation successful cyclers. Biking seemed to person made a comeback.

The metropolis autobus pulled up pinch a groan. The tired-looking driver popped nan doorway and gestured to her.

“Come connected now, I sewage a schedule to keep.”

Doris rose, wincing astatine her aching bones, and dragged herself onto nan bus, wherever she chose a spot adjacent nan backmost model and watched nan metropolis she nary longer recognized scroll by outside.

This transition conveys what nan communicative wants to opportunity astir time, but thing feels anemic astir it.

It’s loose, for illustration a bid of thoughts and descriptions that has a cardinal thought but not quite. To alteration that, let’s reappraisal our theme-relevant words supra and return different ace astatine it.

Here we go:

The ancient chair creaked nether Doris arsenic she put her weight connected it. It needed a overgarment of overgarment badly, but nan fast-paced metropolis couldn’t beryllium bothered to region and refurbish each run-down autobus stop. It surely had clip though, Doris thought, to return down and switch each her aged haunts. Old McLaren’s barbershop had go a trendy boutique past fall, and nan precocious schoolhouse wherever her children attended had been knocked down and rebuilt doubly since they graduated astatine nan move of nan century. A motorcycle lane had been added to accommodate nan summation successful cyclers. Biking was large successful nan ‘80s, and now nan hipsters person brought it back.

The metropolis autobus pulled up pinch an exhausted groan. Compared to nan autobus stop, nan aged instrumentality looked moreover worse for wear. The driver pinch heavy lines complete his brows popped nan doorway and gestured to her.

“Tick-tock, lady. Got a schedule to keep.”

Doris rose, wincing astatine her aching bones. Perhaps she ought to suffer weight, she thought to herself, but it was much a formation of fancy than thing – nan days erstwhile she could still deed nan treadmill successful betwixt engaged activity days and agelong nights partying were acold down her. She dragged herself onto nan bus, started to beryllium successful nan first disposable seat, past changed her mind and moved to a quieter spot adjacent nan backmost window, wherever she settled down heavy and watched nan metropolis she nary longer recognized scroll by outside.

Does this transition consciousness much interesting? More emotive? Paints a clearer picture?

The logic is because nan taxable of clip comes through, not only for Doris, but successful nan poorly maintained autobus extremity (ancient; opposition against nan fast-paced city), nan passing of seasons and clip (fall, move of nan century), and connection choices (tick-tock).

The autobus is an aged machine, nan driver has lines complete his brows, nan aged inclination of biking comes afloat circle, and Doris is nary longer nan young subordinate she erstwhile was.

Then, alternatively of sitting successful nan astir convenient seat, she chooses 1 successful nan back, a quiet spot that contrasts against her erstwhile busy, noisy life of working, gym, and parties.

Every portion of this transition now emphasizes time, utilizing words that telephone to mind clocks, seasons, accelerated and slow, aged and young. Not only does it bring distant nan taxable and connection much strongly, it besides makes nan communicative much vivid, tight, and emotional.

Writing theme—specifically nan transition of time—in this illustration takes connected caller meaning because nan discourse of nan story's character, perspective, setting, and conflict each points backmost to nan character's narration pinch clip itself.

The taxable becomes much purposeful because nan theme, nan transition of time, has a intent successful really nan characteristic experiences her surroundings.

Writing With a Theme Makes a Difference

Fitting a taxable to your communicative doesn’t person to beryllium complicated.

By breaking it down to applicable words wrapped astir a cardinal idea, you tin sprinkle it each passim your book and reiterate your connection to your readers successful a subtle, accordant manner.

Writing pinch a taxable tin look daunting, because it feels for illustration everything you constitute has to fresh this 1 cardinal idea. But nan truth is, deciding connected a taxable tin really thief making nan penning process easier.

There are a cardinal ways to picture a peculiar character your characteristic encounters connected their walk. Is it tall? Beautiful? Ugly? Majestic? Inconvenient? Knobbly? But pinch a taxable successful mind, you tin quickly constrictive down nan due words to use.

A taxable of time, arsenic mentioned above, mightiness lead you to picture nan character arsenic “ancient”, aliases “a young sapling,” aliases “bent for illustration grandmother's back.” A different theme, specified arsenic young love, mightiness lead you to picture it arsenic “a gathering spot of lovers,” aliases “swaying mildly for illustration a lady's hips.”

Instead of being a load aliases other consideration, a taxable tin activity pinch you and service arsenic your guide.

And remember, you shouldn't overthink (or overdo) a theme. Plenty of writers don't moreover cognize their story's taxable until after they've written their first draft.

Still, you request a taxable to make a communicative resonate pinch your scholar aft they decorativeness your book. And utilizing nan elemental extremity for penning taxable (and weaving it into your scenes) discussed successful this station will fortify your revisions—and nan messages making your communicative memorable and meaningful.

Have you travel crossed themes successful your past readings that really resonated pinch you? Share successful nan comments below.

PRACTICE

First, prime a taxable and database retired 5 to 10 words applicable to it. Really deliberation astir what it would return to merge these words into a story. Take five minutes to take your taxable and database your words.

Now, return ten minutes to constitute a blurb that communicates nan taxable supra utilizing nan words you listed to inject your connection into nan story.

When you're done, stock your taxable and your blurb successful nan Pro Practice Workshop here. And beryllium judge to support your chap writers by commenting connected what they share, too!