The odd thing about theme is that its such a simple concept, but most people don’t understand it – giving you a kickarse opportunity to put your story on a better footing than half the other stuff around.
Ever seen a movie where there’s lots of special effects but little else? How about the book where the story seems to go nowhere and takes forever to let you know? What of the entertaining story you enjoyed, but never seemed to get around to recommending because, well, you kind of forgot to?
They’re the sorts of stories that drop out of conscious thought as soon as their finished.
Why?
Because the story isn’t saying anything worthwhile.
And that’s what theme is – it’s a statement about something.
Don’t mistake that to mean a word like Love or Sacrifice or Hope or Despair. They’re feelings, not themes. Theme isn’t a concept either, or even a metaphor. Those things may be strong elements of your theme, but they don’t encompass all of it.
Think of your theme as one side of a debate – its what your story’s saying about a given topic.
Here’s how to figure out your theme.
Make a statement about the topic your story is exploring (or could be exploring). For example. “The brain is the sexiest part of the body.” Perhaps its a story about a genius who finds love.
Your theme argues for or against that statement. Its that simple. If the theme doesn’t fit, keep working on it – or change your story to fit. Either way, your theme is in there, you just have to find it.
A theme is a bit like a nuclear weapon – influential, but never to be used as a bludgeon.
If that’s not clear: theme has to be subtle – try to force it on your readers and they’ll throw your book across the room. That’s preaching, and preachers aren’t popular beyond the choir.
On the subject of preaching: “God is great!” There’s a strong statement. Use it if it fits, but your story must demonstrate exactly why the statement is true or false. Illustrate your point with such finess that your readers don’t even realise you’re telling them something important.
“All men are bastards.” Sure, if that’s what’s important to you, but prove it – or prove there’s at least one good man out there.
“Life is cheap.” Again, that’s fine. Just show me just how cheap it is – or show me the true cost of treating it cheaply.
Make it touching. Make it angry. Make it a story people will remember for all the right reasons.
Step 3: Threat vs Conflict (and how to tell the difference).