Lesson 5: Theme
Theme is the universal truth behind your story. It's the hidden message that you and your readers subtly feel rather than consciously acknowledge. It's what you wanted to say all along, whether you knew it or not. It may be a moral lesson or your personal philosophy of life. Whatever it is, it's important enough to you to become embedded in the stories you tell. In this lesson, I'll discuss finding your theme and polishing it.
Finding the Theme in Your Story
As I've mentioned, you advance your story through the development of character, plot, and theme. Most often you don't write with theme in mind, at least not consciously. If you did, you'd run the risk of sounding preachy. Your readers don't want to be lectured. If you don't already know why you're writing your current story, don't worry. As you continue writing, you'll likely eventually realize what your characters really want or what lesson they're learning. In some cases, your theme may be so deeply embedded, a reader discovers it for you.
Theme may be present in your story as a conflict of ideals, values, or morals. It may be present as a strong opinion that you hold that comes out in the mouths of your characters. It may show itself as a recurring symbol. A symbol could be an object, phrase, gesture, etc., that evokes a feeling in you, your characters, and your readers.
