Theme is an often overlooked tool in a writer’s toolbox. Here’s another look at finding the greater meaning in your story.
Several years ago I attended a workshop on theme at RWA. It was a fascinating session, because the presenters were romance author Suzanne Brockmannand English professor and literary critic, Sarah Frantz, who studies romance in general, and Brockmann in particular. To see what the reader took away from the book versus what the author intended was quite interesting. They were similar, but not always exact. And that’s okay, because everyone takes away something different from a book.
Some of the things they said made me look at theme in a new light, and made me think about ways to discuss theme that can be directly applied to a writer’s work. Looking back on this, I can see how theme has become a much bigger part of my writing process, because a great book is about something, and we all want our books to be more than plots and characters.And using a theme is a great way to accomplish that.
Here are three ways a theme can help writers tell a richer story:
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