Ok this os great. First question that comes to mind: how much of theme was deliberate BEFORE you started writing, and how much was emergent WHILE you were writing?
For example--the raccoons and ricky both sharing benefits but reacting differently vis a vis Ginny, that was cool and i didnt pick up on it immediately. Was that part of your intentions while you were writing, or was it a happy accident you stumbled upon?
I suppose the underlying question here is: of the three elements you mentioned in this article, how complete were they before you started writing?
Ive been thinking a lot about your discussion of theme, even before this article, and I have an intuitive sense that my...well intuition about theme is different, but i have less control of it as a consequence.
After years of writing fiction and just...you know...being a human...there are certain "perma-themes" that show up constantly for me and that I am always aware of in my own work. So before I even started writing, I knew that--since Ricky's story wasn't going to end well for him--I needed to give him a chance to make a choice.
It's kind of hard to call the other theme (don't bite the hand that feeds you) a happy accident. It was more like...Schrodinger's Theme. (lol...not really...) It was going to be there whether I noticed it or not, but I didn't set out to write a story centered around that. Once I noticed it, I was able to read back through the story and make sure it was consistent with the rest of what I had written.
Before I start writing, regardless of what story it is, three things are in place:
1) A "hook" or idea that interests me enough to expand on it (and a setting, too)
2) A protagonist with a strong motivation
3) A bullet-point outline of the story that leads to an ending and hints at an emerging theme
I love how succinctly you describe theme!! I have always had a hard time explaining theme to people, but you articulated what I’ve understood about it perfectly! This was a fabulous reminder, thank you for sharing. I have been in a burnout for a while and feeling disconnected from the prolific writer I used to be. This simple and succinct statement about theme instantly reconnected me with my pre-burnout writing self because it’s how I always understood and intuitively approached theme. Unfortunately I’m still not quite out of burnout entirely, but you helped me to reconnect with my past identity. Perhaps I’m closer to writing the sequel to my spy adventure novel than I thought. Thank you!
"This simple motivation works well for a piece of flash fiction, but wouldn’t be as effective in a longer novel unless other goals and motives were introduced." I loved this part. I hadn't considered the motivation as "simple" or "complex" until I read that. I've always struggled w scale when writing short or long. Perhaps I had a mismatch of complexity at times. I can see myself trying to write this story as a longer work and not layering my protagonist enough to introduce complexity once the car's been lifted. I would them feel like I had two separate stories, and not a cohesive piece about a complex character.
Thank you so much for sharing this. Saved so I can come back to it again. I really like how you've described these aspects of storytelling so succinctly, and I've learned so much from this piece alone, especially about themes.
I'm currently working on a piece of short fiction that I am a little stuck on. And I realize now that the issue so that I'm not clear on the theme. Thanks!
I used to teach Language Arts and Theater (two different classes.) I used a similar approach to protagonist/antagonist and students were generally surprised that the terms are not necessarily the same as good/bad guys. I had a whole unit on story flow that changed the way most students looked at movies, books, plays, et al. I loved teaching that stuff.
This was oh so interesting S.E. Not a writer as you know, but I really appreciate the peak under the covers so to speak. It explains a lot of what I enjoy about your writing! And it will add insight to my appreciation, or lack there of, of other authors I'm sure. If you decide to expand your tutorials, I would certainly read with interest.
This is good; definitely something I need to work on. I don't really structure my writing as much, I more or less let it flow, which is why I like serial writing so much, but then again I find I need to think more about themes and such lately. This will prove quite useful! :) *scribbles notes furiously*
And honestly, I admit that I could stand to be more "flowy", especially in my longer work. Sometimes I gotta set the outline aside and just let the story do whatever it's gonna do, especially when I'm feeling stuck. But it's hard to let go of my bullet points. They are my safety blanket. 😆
Thank you so much for taking the time to share this. I’ve been looking at story arcs, protagonists / antagonists (and also acts 1, 2 and 3 for my novella) and it’s very helpful to read this excellent take on it. Confess I don’t ‘do’ happy endings either. 🤣
This has been a very good article, and I loved getting a glimpse into your process. I echo others when I say I found your concept of theme particularly compelling. Marion Roach Smith, on her blog, writes that memoir needs to have three elements, one of which is a thesis, or argument, that you then set out to prove with examples from your own life. It’s striking how similar this concept is to your understanding of theme, although applied to fiction instead of nonfiction.
A question I have is how do you go about getting to know your characters? I find making “characters” in memoir interesting easier because they’re people I already intimately know, so I just have to tap into what drew me to them in the first place, something that exists already. That’s harder to do when the character is entirely made-up.
Would love to know your thoughts on this. Thanks for writing!
I really enjoy when writers talk about the inspiration and process behind the stories they write. It's fascinating to see how other people go from initial idea to finished story.
I actually did find Ricky somewhat sympathetic, though. He might not be using the stolen car money to pay for his daughter's life saving surgery, but he chooses this specific car in part because Ginny only drives it once a year or so. He probably wouldn't take it if it were her only means of transportation, right? (Although I might be misremembering that part)
The story was excellent, intriguing and engaging from the outset - 'what's with the racoon?' I wondered. Little did I expect the answer to be so grisly! Characterisation was succinctly conveyed and the plot progressed at a good pace. I loved the piece and benefited too from the subsequent analysis. Thanks so much!
Ok this os great. First question that comes to mind: how much of theme was deliberate BEFORE you started writing, and how much was emergent WHILE you were writing?
For example--the raccoons and ricky both sharing benefits but reacting differently vis a vis Ginny, that was cool and i didnt pick up on it immediately. Was that part of your intentions while you were writing, or was it a happy accident you stumbled upon?
I suppose the underlying question here is: of the three elements you mentioned in this article, how complete were they before you started writing?
Ive been thinking a lot about your discussion of theme, even before this article, and I have an intuitive sense that my...well intuition about theme is different, but i have less control of it as a consequence.
Thank you for writing this!
Ah, good questions! Okay, let's see...
After years of writing fiction and just...you know...being a human...there are certain "perma-themes" that show up constantly for me and that I am always aware of in my own work. So before I even started writing, I knew that--since Ricky's story wasn't going to end well for him--I needed to give him a chance to make a choice.
It's kind of hard to call the other theme (don't bite the hand that feeds you) a happy accident. It was more like...Schrodinger's Theme. (lol...not really...) It was going to be there whether I noticed it or not, but I didn't set out to write a story centered around that. Once I noticed it, I was able to read back through the story and make sure it was consistent with the rest of what I had written.
Before I start writing, regardless of what story it is, three things are in place:
1) A "hook" or idea that interests me enough to expand on it (and a setting, too)
2) A protagonist with a strong motivation
3) A bullet-point outline of the story that leads to an ending and hints at an emerging theme
Hope that helps!
Very helpful! Thank you!
I love how succinctly you describe theme!! I have always had a hard time explaining theme to people, but you articulated what I’ve understood about it perfectly! This was a fabulous reminder, thank you for sharing. I have been in a burnout for a while and feeling disconnected from the prolific writer I used to be. This simple and succinct statement about theme instantly reconnected me with my pre-burnout writing self because it’s how I always understood and intuitively approached theme. Unfortunately I’m still not quite out of burnout entirely, but you helped me to reconnect with my past identity. Perhaps I’m closer to writing the sequel to my spy adventure novel than I thought. Thank you!
I’m finishing up an 8 week short story course, and I think this taught me more about story flow ❤️
I'm REALLY glad it was helpful, Kim! Sometimes breaking these things down can be really useful; I find that for myself, too. :)
You have a knack for breaking things down in very simple, clear, and concise ways.
"This simple motivation works well for a piece of flash fiction, but wouldn’t be as effective in a longer novel unless other goals and motives were introduced." I loved this part. I hadn't considered the motivation as "simple" or "complex" until I read that. I've always struggled w scale when writing short or long. Perhaps I had a mismatch of complexity at times. I can see myself trying to write this story as a longer work and not layering my protagonist enough to introduce complexity once the car's been lifted. I would them feel like I had two separate stories, and not a cohesive piece about a complex character.
Thanks for taking the time to do this.
Thank you so much for sharing this. Saved so I can come back to it again. I really like how you've described these aspects of storytelling so succinctly, and I've learned so much from this piece alone, especially about themes.
I'd love more articles like this - you make it really accessible 🙏🏻
I'm currently working on a piece of short fiction that I am a little stuck on. And I realize now that the issue so that I'm not clear on the theme. Thanks!
I used to teach Language Arts and Theater (two different classes.) I used a similar approach to protagonist/antagonist and students were generally surprised that the terms are not necessarily the same as good/bad guys. I had a whole unit on story flow that changed the way most students looked at movies, books, plays, et al. I loved teaching that stuff.
Remarkable insight, S.E. Really enjoyed this “deep dive” into the story development process! You should be teaching this!!!
This was oh so interesting S.E. Not a writer as you know, but I really appreciate the peak under the covers so to speak. It explains a lot of what I enjoy about your writing! And it will add insight to my appreciation, or lack there of, of other authors I'm sure. If you decide to expand your tutorials, I would certainly read with interest.
This is good; definitely something I need to work on. I don't really structure my writing as much, I more or less let it flow, which is why I like serial writing so much, but then again I find I need to think more about themes and such lately. This will prove quite useful! :) *scribbles notes furiously*
Haha, I'm glad it was helpful, Michael!
And honestly, I admit that I could stand to be more "flowy", especially in my longer work. Sometimes I gotta set the outline aside and just let the story do whatever it's gonna do, especially when I'm feeling stuck. But it's hard to let go of my bullet points. They are my safety blanket. 😆
Always learning, never a dull moment! ✨
Indeed! I'm kinda regretting not outlining things now of late. A safety blanket would've been nice. :)
Thank you so much for taking the time to share this. I’ve been looking at story arcs, protagonists / antagonists (and also acts 1, 2 and 3 for my novella) and it’s very helpful to read this excellent take on it. Confess I don’t ‘do’ happy endings either. 🤣
Yes! Love the story better now!
This has been a very good article, and I loved getting a glimpse into your process. I echo others when I say I found your concept of theme particularly compelling. Marion Roach Smith, on her blog, writes that memoir needs to have three elements, one of which is a thesis, or argument, that you then set out to prove with examples from your own life. It’s striking how similar this concept is to your understanding of theme, although applied to fiction instead of nonfiction.
A question I have is how do you go about getting to know your characters? I find making “characters” in memoir interesting easier because they’re people I already intimately know, so I just have to tap into what drew me to them in the first place, something that exists already. That’s harder to do when the character is entirely made-up.
Would love to know your thoughts on this. Thanks for writing!
You have a gift for explaining things succinctly and in an easily accessible way. Thanks for taking the time to write this.
…and I agree wholeheartedly - Stephen King’s ‘On writing’ is excellent on a number of levels. I’m not a writer but I got a lot out of that book.
“Rocks explode.” 😊 You can tell that he used to be an English teacher. Imagine having been taught by him? Wow…
I really enjoy when writers talk about the inspiration and process behind the stories they write. It's fascinating to see how other people go from initial idea to finished story.
I actually did find Ricky somewhat sympathetic, though. He might not be using the stolen car money to pay for his daughter's life saving surgery, but he chooses this specific car in part because Ginny only drives it once a year or so. He probably wouldn't take it if it were her only means of transportation, right? (Although I might be misremembering that part)
The story was excellent, intriguing and engaging from the outset - 'what's with the racoon?' I wondered. Little did I expect the answer to be so grisly! Characterisation was succinctly conveyed and the plot progressed at a good pace. I loved the piece and benefited too from the subsequent analysis. Thanks so much!