Winging It: A Falcon's Thoughts On Discovery Writing

3: Pinning down your book's theme

What is your story about?

No, I don't mean like what I asked last chapter, as in "what happens in your story", but what is it about on a deeper level? Is it about true love overcoming all other obstacles? Is it about forgiveness? Perhaps it's more of an exploration of a topic than it is about proving one thesis (say, an examination of various viewpoints on a big topic like war). At any rate, I believe every story has a theme waiting to be unleashed on the world; it only needs to be discovered and allowed to shine.

I'll admit theme is a difficult beast for me to tackle too, but what insight I do have, I'll try to share here. Especially when you're like me and don't do a whole lot of planning before you start writing your book, it's easy to realize you're quite a ways into the story and still have no clue what you're trying to say with it thematically.

Well, thankfully, themes can be gleaned out of all sorts of places, even when it seems you've written yourself into a bind. Sometimes you'll have to go back in editing and revise the opening to make it clearer, but it can be done, I assure you. So, where are some places you can look for your theme if you're already partway in and aren't sure yet?

A) Your MC(s)' flaws: In the case where you have a protagonist who clearly has a problem that needs fixing, this is an easy place to look for a theme. A selfish MC could support a theme on the virtues of altruism, a cowardly character could carry one on bravery/standing up for one's family, and an overworked protagonist could help display a theme of slowing down and appreciating the simple things in life.

B) Perhaps your MC isn't flawed, or no one of their problems is so massive that it justifies a whole novel exploring that theme. Well, no worries, because another option could be a flaw in the WORLD of your story. Maybe the people of your MC's hometown only look out for themselves. That could spark a message on building communities. Or you could use a bigoted society to make a statement about racial equality/treating everybody equally well. (This works especially well if you're going for the route where your MC isn't learning a lesson themselves, but rather is teaching it to others.)

C) If neither of those will do, maybe the option for you is more an exploration of a big subject where a single character's arc would fail to do it justice. Exploring moral conundrums through a story where several characters take different stances on the issue could be the way to go. On topics full of moral ambiguity, this could be especially effective, since taking one side as an author and stressing it above all the others takes care not to come across as brash and not thought through. (Think of how Captain America: Civil War explores its theme.)

D) Your antagonist...? This may be a difficult one to pull it off, but what if your antagonist understands the problem better than anybody else does, only he/she will go about solving it in a way that's morally questionable? Your characters can learn from him/her while also struggling to figure out how to solve it themselves (the right way) before the antagonist beats them to it and does damage in other areas. I've never tried this method myself, but it struck me as one that could be rather effective if done correctly.

I hope one of those helped spark something in your brain. Like I said, I myself struggle with theme all the time; it's one of those aspects of writing that's quite elusive, and it has to be kept subtle. You can't go preaching to the reader like it's church, but if it's too minimal, the story could end up feeling like an empty thrill that wasn't about anything. And I'm definitely still learning.

What about you? Maybe you have some pointers on crafting themes? If so, I'd love to hear them. Any comments, questions, and/or new topic suggestions are greatly appreciated. I look forward to discussing this with you all.