Do you struggle with using themes in your story?
Theme always sounded like such a mysterious, stuffy concept to me. It was always, “pick a good theme and a bad theme, and write about the clash of ideals in a big picture way that shows the internal motivations of the hero and villain.”
What? How am I supposed to do that?
So in today’s post, I’m going to explain my process for writing themes and ideals in a story, using a one-word theme.
I just wanted to add, I am not an expert, this is just what works for me. Feel free to try it out and see if it works for you, too.
When I’m working on a theme for my stories, I use two steps: simplify and amplify.
Let’s start off by simplifying your story’s theme into a one-word topic.
Simplify to a One-Word Theme
If you could sum up your story’s theme in one word, what would it be?
A lot of people prefer to start with two themes, like good vs. evil, or kindness vs hate. But I prefer to start with one theme, and then explore that one theme as deep as possible.
For example, in one of my novels, I chose selfishness as the theme. By focusing on one ideal (selfishness) instead of two (selfish and selfless), I had an easier time focusing on that theme and making it shine through in my writing.
Yes, selflessness still showed up in the story. However, I had an easier time thinking of my story as selfishness and a lack of selfishness.
I wanted both the good guys and the bad guys to struggle with various levels of selfishness, so this one-theme method helped keep the hero from becoming a Mary Sue, little-miss-perfect character.
Can’t decide on a theme? Check out my giant list of story themes HERE.
Good and Evil in Just One Word?
Once you have one overarching theme for your story, how can it affect both the good guys and the bad guys?
For example, in my story about selfishness, the main character and the villain were both incredibly selfish. They ended up butting heads, until it forced the hero to change her ways or let the selfishness literally destroy her.
Another example is the use of justice in the series “Death Note.”
Light believes that by killing criminals, he is distributing justice. L believes that murder is wrong, no matter what the motive is, and he wants to catch Light in order to uphold justice. See how both sides value justice, but they disagree on how it should be carried out.
How can your story’s theme work for both the good guys and the bad guys?
An easy way to make your one-word theme both good and bad is to take it to the extreme, or give a little bit to everyone.
When you’re starting with a theme that’s traditionally good, take it to the extreme.
This is the bad side of your ideal.
Extreme selflessness becomes self neglect, or resentment towards others. Extreme love becomes obsession. And extreme courage becomes stupidity.
If you’re starting out with a theme that’s traditionally bad, give a little bit of it to everyone.
The hero should not be the Mary Sue. In fact, they should struggle with the same ideal that corrupted the villain.
If your theme is revenge, let the hero hold a grudge. Maybe they used to be violent, but they’re trying to become more peaceful.
If you’ve picked a one-word ideal that’s negative, turn it into a ghost that haunts your hero. How can this be a dark reference to their past, or something they want to change about themselves?
We’ve taken a quick look at how I simplify the themes in my stories, using a one-word theme. Now let’s talk about the next step: amplify.
Amplify the Theme’s Impact
It’s time to talk about your character’s feelings.
How do your main characters feel about the one word theme you’ve chosen? What do they agree on? What do they disagree on?
Don’t be afraid to give your hero and villain similar beliefs. When heroes and villains have a couple of shared beliefs, it adds to the tension. Now, there’s a chance that with time, the hero could become just like the villain. Deep down, they aren’t all that different.
Now what about the side characters? How do they feel about the theme?
Remember, side characters have their own lives. They shouldn’t just copy the beliefs of their team leader. How do the side characters really feel about this theme?
And don’t forget the minor characters. If you have a chance to show the theme through your minor characters, use it!
Affects on Character Actions
How does your story’s theme affect the choices your characters make?
Our beliefs affect our choices and actions more than we will ever know. They dictate how we talk to strangers, how we act online, and how we treat people who are weaker than us.
Your characters lives are driven by their beliefs, in big ways, and in smaller ways.
- Selfishness could be letting a friend die to save themselves, or it could be that they never open a door for someone.
- Forgiveness could mean they let everything just roll off their back. Nothing seems to hurt them. But it also could mean that they keep talking to their toxic ex, and they let other people walk all over them.
- If your story’s about power, maybe the characters who want power are always making eye contact, always trying to look taller, and always acting a bit manipulative. A character who is power hungry won’t talk to anyone weaker than themselves, unless they absolutely have to.
By sprinkling in a lot of smaller actions that point back to your theme, you’ll really establish your theme in your reader’s mind.
Remember, your theme is driving the choices that your characters make. Your characters make a lot of choices. Many of these can be governed by the story’s theme.
A Quick Note About Endings
Your one-word theme should be present in your story, from the beginning all the way up until the grand finale. And if you do it well, your character’s ideals will continue to influence them in the final showdown.
Personally, I never liked trying to figure out how my story’s theme showed up in the final climax of the story.
Sometimes when authors focus on, “I HAVE to put my theme as a clash of good vs evil in the final showdown and show the reader that good always defeats evil!” That’s too much pressure. Their writing feels forced and flat.
I believe that if you set up your characters with one ideal, they all make choices based on how they relate to that ideal. Those choices will take them through the story, including how they act during the showdown.
During the showdown/climax, your focus should be on creating the biggest and most important conflict in the whole story. The theme simply controls how the characters act and react during that scene.
Then in the next draft, you can go back and rewrite so your theme has as much impact on the story as you want.
Don’t force it to be this huge clash of ideals, where the characters are just puppets for the theme. Let the theme influence how the character acts, and that will have a much greater impact on your story.
It might not apply to your story, but hey, it works for me!
What do you guys think about one-word themes? Would you try these techniques? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you guys next time with a new post!
