"Until you know your story’s central theme(s), you don’t know your story.
It’s not the plot. Your story is never about the plot, but once you know the pattern that’s key to your story, then you can do something amazing. You can answer the question: what’s your story about?
"Until you know your story’s central theme(s), you don’t know your story.
It’s not the plot. Your story is never about the plot, but once you know the pattern that’s key to your story, then you can do something amazing. You can answer the question: what’s your story about?
It’s about abandonment and learning to trust again when the opportunity for love arises.
See that? See how neat and tidy and inviting that description is? That’s not what writers usually do. Their minds are stuck in the plot..."
EXCELLENT recap of theme. (posted on EKU Facebook page) However, would people read a book with the tag line:
The story is about a man who learns it is impossible to act nobly, or shamefully, without power.
Such simple words that obscure their complexity. (What kind of man, power, and definitions of nobility and shame are we talking about?) Yes, the writer should be able to answer the question, but the average reader describing the book to a customer who doesn't want to pay for a headache? Maybe not. The reason people hold on to emphasizing plot over theme, I suspect,is the inability of people to be objective; they'd rather hold onto stereotypes, and emotionalism because its safer and more comfortable. And that's probably best because, to destroy the moral universe of the average person is to destroy the pretenses they maintain in order to function is an irrational world.
Oh sure. I’m really just thinking about how we answer that question that always has us stymied. If they like the theme, they’ll ask for more, and I think that’s when the main character and their central problem fit in.
Best lines of the essay:
"Until you know your story’s central theme(s), you don’t know your story.
It’s not the plot. Your story is never about the plot, but once you know the pattern that’s key to your story, then you can do something amazing. You can answer the question: what’s your story about?
It’s about abandonment and learning to trust again when the opportunity for love arises.
See that? See how neat and tidy and inviting that description is? That’s not what writers usually do. Their minds are stuck in the plot..."
EXCELLENT recap of theme. (posted on EKU Facebook page) However, would people read a book with the tag line:
The story is about a man who learns it is impossible to act nobly, or shamefully, without power.
Such simple words that obscure their complexity. (What kind of man, power, and definitions of nobility and shame are we talking about?) Yes, the writer should be able to answer the question, but the average reader describing the book to a customer who doesn't want to pay for a headache? Maybe not. The reason people hold on to emphasizing plot over theme, I suspect,is the inability of people to be objective; they'd rather hold onto stereotypes, and emotionalism because its safer and more comfortable. And that's probably best because, to destroy the moral universe of the average person is to destroy the pretenses they maintain in order to function is an irrational world.
Oh sure. I’m really just thinking about how we answer that question that always has us stymied. If they like the theme, they’ll ask for more, and I think that’s when the main character and their central problem fit in.