Theme Me Up: How to Develop Your Novel's Theme

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Theme is an often overlooked tool in a writer's toolbox. Here's another look at finding the greater meaning in your story.  

Several years ago I attended a workshop on theme at RWA. It was a fascinating session, because the presenters were romance author Suzanne Brockmann and English professor and literary critic, Sarah Frantz, who studies romance in general, and Brockmann in particular. To see what the reader took away from the book versus what the author intended was quite interesting. They were similar, but not always exact. And that's okay, because everyone takes away something different from a book.

Some of the things they said made me look at theme in a new light, and made me think about ways to discuss theme that can be directly applied to a writer's work. Looking back on this, I can see how theme has become a much bigger part of my writing process, because a great book is about something, and we all want our books to be more than plots and characters.And using a theme is a great way to accomplish that.

Here are three ways a theme can help writers tell a richer story:

1. Theme is the Unifying Element of a Novel

We often think of theme as this big literary thing lurking in the back of our work--the stuff of English class and literary novels, not something that applies to commercial fiction. But it's really just the underlying "story" you're writing that connects all the pieces together. Like romance is about love, horror is about fear, mysteries are about puzzles on the grand concept scale.

If you're unsure what your theme is, think about what your novel is about on that grand scale. Not the details of the plot, not the character with the problem, but the general core concept of an idea you're exploring with that plot and character and problem. If it's still too vague to be any help, take a step closer and determine what about that concept (love, fear, etc) are you exploring. Keep stepping closer until you find something that feels right. That's probably your theme.

(Here's more on worldbuilding on a theme)

2. You Can Have More Than One Theme

This really surprised me, because at that time, I believed one book = one theme. But Brockmann uses different themes for the book, then individual characters, and even sets of characters. All those themes connect to form a larger idea that still fits within her core concept and works together to tell a deeper tale.

Look at your characters. Is there repetition of ideas there in the types of problems they need to solve? Again, not the details, but the concepts. For example, are they all trying to find love, or overcome personal fears? Look at your setting. Does it provide a metaphoric backdrop--intentional or not? If you keep seeing the same ideas turn up over and over, there's a good chance you have themes working there.

(Here's more on expanding your theme)

3. Theme Can Be Found in One Word

This one blew me away. It was something so simple and really made me realize that theme wasn't a big complicated bang you over the head with it kinda thing. It didn't need to be illustrated with heartfelt monologues or purple prose metaphors. It's something that can be infused into your text on a micro level and show your concepts without screaming "Look! I'm a theme!"

Brockmann did it like this: (paraphrasing because I didn't write the exact sentence down)

"A firefighter was injured, but she's okay."

She's okay. One word, one simple pronoun, and suddenly Brockmann's theme of gender equality is blindingly clear. A typically male dominated profession has a woman in it. It's subtle, it's elegant, it goes out there and does its job and you barely even notice. But it backs up everything else Brockmann does in that book and builds upon that theme.

(Here's more on building a career theme as an author)

What can you do to add or develop theme?

Let it guide you. It's another way of adding structure to your work so when you have to decide between your protagonist doing A or B, you can see which one illustrates your theme better. That will connect to previsions scenes, and lay the groundwork for future scenes. When you're describing a scene, look for details that support the ideas of your novel. Let those ideas be reflected in the thoughts of your characters. The reader might not even consciously pick up on it, but by the end of the story, they'll feel like the book was about something more than just the plot.

And for you pantsers out there, theme might be the guiding light you'll love--structure without outlines. A guide that lets you be as spontaneous as you want.

Not every scene needs to be all about theme, but using it can add layers to your story and even help you figure out what scenes can be fleshed out and what can be cut. If it doesn't support your theme at all, that might be a clue that it's taking you on a tangent or just needs more work.

Like plot is the backbone of a story, theme is the muscle. Using both gives you a story that's not only solid, but strong.

What's your current novel's theme? 

For more help on plotting or writing a novel check out my Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure.

Go step-by-step through plotting and writing a novel. Learn how to find and develop ideas, brainstorm stories from that first spark of inspiration, develop the right characters, setting, plots and subplots, as well as teach you how to identify where your novel fits in the market, and if your idea has what it takes to be a series.

With clear and easy-to-understand examples, Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure offers ten self-guided workshops with more than 100 different exercises to help you craft a solid novel. Learn how to:

• Create compelling characters readers will love
• Choose the right point of view for your story
• Determine the conflicts that will drive your plot (and hook readers!)
• Find the best writing process for your writing style
• Create a solid plot from the spark of your idea

Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure also helps you develop the critical elements for submitting and selling your novel once it’s finished. You’ll find exercises on how to:

• Craft your one-sentence pitch
• Create your summary hook blurb
• Develop a solid working synopsis And so much more!

Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure is an easy-to-follow guide to writing your novel or fixing a novel that isn’t quite working. 

Available in paperback and ebook formats.

Janice Hardy is the award-winning author of the teen fantasy trilogy The Healing Wars, including The Shifter, Blue Fire, and Darkfall from Balzer+Bray/Harper Collins. The Shifter, was chosen for the 2014 list of "Ten Books All Young Georgians Should Read" from the Georgia Center for the Book.

She also writes the Grace Harper urban fantasy series for adults under the name, J.T. Hardy.

When she's not writing novels, she's teaching other writers how to improve their craft. She's the founder of Fiction University and has written multiple books on writing.

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