How to Develop Your Story's Themes
Themes are an integral part of any good story. Yet many genre fiction writers fail to consider their story’s themes, believing they have no place beyond literary novels — or worse yet, that authors who actively explore themes in their stories do so to preach to readers.
These harmful misconceptions hinder writers’ efforts to produce effective and engaging stories.
Themes are present in all forms of fiction. More importantly, when handled with care, themes lend purpose and meaning to the stories we tell. To fail to develop our stories’ themes with intention is to risk undermining their ability to engage and compel readers.
What are themes, exactly?
A theme is a central topic that a story explores. Note that I said topic rather than message. What many consider to be a story’s “message” is more accurately known as a thematic statement, an opinion or moral concerning one of the story’s themes that readers can derive from subtext.
For example, if a character overcomes great hardship to reunite with their lost love, then the story’s thematic statement could be described as “love conquers all,” with love and hardship serving as two of the story’s main themes. Other common themes include hatred, hope, greed, good versus evil, the coming-of-age experience, and the circle of life.
Examples
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Themes: Good vs. Evil, Courage
Thematic Statement: With courage, even the smallest among us can play a powerful role in defeating darkness.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Themes: Love, Class
Thematic Statement: Class divisions breed prejudices that can blind us to happy possibilities.
On occasion, I’ve seen themes called “topics” and thematic statements called “themes”. What you choose to call these two related story elements isn’t important. What matters is that you develop these elements with care and intention because they may just make or break your story’s success.
Do themes really play a role in genre fiction?
Consider Raiders of the Lost Ark, the first movie in the Indiana Jones franchise.
If you’re only familiar with themes as concerns their relationship with literary novels, then you might not think to find any in this action-adventure classic. But if we define themes as the central topics a story explores, then Raiders of the Lost Ark discusses themes such as good vs. evil and the ethics of archaeological work.
Sounds pretty heavy for an action-adventure movie, right?
But the film follows Indiana Jones as he strives to recover the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis, who believe the Ark will make their armies invincible. One of the film’s thematic statements could therefore be, “Ancient relics should be respected rather than used for political gain.”
Perhaps this message seems a bit silly in light of the film’s entertaining nature, but consider Raiders of the Lost Ark without this thematic statement. Would viewers have been near so enthralled by the story of a man who searches for a relic for purely selfish purposes? Unlikely.
Viewers root for Indie’s success because they recognize that his efforts could make a vital difference in the war against fascism. This motivation is what lends Raiders of the Lost Ark its meaning — and thus, its edge-of-your-seat entertainment.
To put it simply: Without themes and thematic statements, our stories are meaningless. Thankfully, developing these essential story elements doesn’t have to be a difficult process…
How to Define Your Story’s Themes
Your story’s genre and age market will likely define at least one of its major themes (e.g. romance novelists write about love, Young Adult novelists write about the coming-of-age experience). But other themes are more story-specific…
If your romance features an interracial couple, then your story might explore the topic of racism. Or, if the protagonist of your YA novel is a Harvard hopeful, then your story might discuss the pressures of academia. In this way, your story’s themes can develop naturally.
However, you can also choose to write a novel with a specific set of themes in mind. For example, I knew I wanted to explore the intersection between ambition, power, and the corrupting nature of greed when I began to develop my current work-in-progress, Lady Legacy.
Your story may discuss a large number of topics. However, I recommend identifying the two to five most important themes your story will explore. Defining these topics will help you hone one of the most important facets of your story: its thematic statements.
How to Develop Your Story’s Thematic Statements
Some thematic statements concern plot or world-building. For example, in The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins explores the concept of spectacle (theme) and how authoritarian governments often use spectacle to distract from the suffering and oppression they inflict (thematic statement).
However, a story’s most important thematic statement is often that which lives at the heart of its characters’ experiences. Readers didn’t tear through The Hunger Games for its discussion of spectacle. Rather, they were enthralled by Katniss Everdeen’s fight to not only survive the Games but to maintain her dignity in the face of an authoritarian government that pressured her to become a cold-blooded killer for its own entertainment.
Survival stories are interesting. But the fight to maintain one’s humanity in the face of state-sponsored trauma and oppression? Now that’s an engaging story.
When developing your story’s most important thematic statements, consider character arcs. Who are your characters when their stories begin? What internal conflicts will they experience? Who will they be when their stories come to a close? Most importantly, what messages can readers derive from your characters’ experiences?
Once you’ve identified these thematic statements, use them to hone your story as you write and revise. If a scene doesn’t support the thematic statements you’ve defined, then it may not serve a purpose within the larger context of your story.
Try to avoid beating readers over the head with your intended point. If you’ve refined your story’s plot and character arcs to support the thematic statements you’d like to make, then readers will get the message. Shouting it will only make your point feel forced and your story contrived.
If you’re unsure whether you’ve developed an effective thematic statement, then consider what a good thematic statement is not:
1) A good thematic statement is not a theme. It’s an opinion or moral that concerns a theme.
Not a Thematic Statement: Love
Thematic Statement: Love conquers all.
2) A good thematic statement is not a definition. It does more than simply explain the meaning of a theme.
Not a Thematic Statement: Love is the affection we feel for others.
Thematic Statement: Love can blind us to the flaws in our relationships.
3) A good thematic statement is not story-specific. Rather, it conveys a more universal message.
Not a Thematic Statement: Romeo and Juliet’s love is destructive.
Thematic Statement: Star-crossed love can both heal and destroy.
If you can clearly define what you’d like your story to say, then you hold the key to developing a meaningful story that will keep readers on the edges of their seats. So tell me, writer: What themes will your story explore?
