Theme—Day 35; the summary

I suppose I should wrap up this discussion. I’d like, for my own benefit, to pull together what I believe and what I’ve learned about theme.

theme is the recurring or pervasive idea in a novel

like other elements in a novel, theme should be crafted

the beginning place in crafting theme is for the author to delve into what he is passionate about, not settling for the obvious

a well-crafted theme is delicately woven into the story and may only appear on the underside, though its influence holds the characters and plot together

this delicate weaving requires a restrained hand: the recurring ideas cannot be in excess or they will make the prose seem heavy-handed

the ideas espoused should not come from the mouth of the author

when characters dialogue about theme, they should use subtle references rather than overt

“actions speak louder than words”

theme is most powerfully shown when the protagonist is faced with a moral dilemma during the climax of the story

symbols are tools for crafting theme

the most powerful themes are timeless

and universal—they speak to the condition of mankind across the barriers of race, culture, gender, socio-economic differences

It could be I will think of other things and add to this list, but this is what stands out today.

Above all else, I do not want to leave theme up to chance in my writing. I do not want to tack it on or patch it in as I revise. Not that I won’t need to revise or rework it as I do any other element.

But I want to produce thought-provoking fiction that engages the mind as well as the emotions, and I believe that requires intention. First I must think deeply about the ideas I want to communicate, then think deeply about how to craft my story to express those ideas.

That, at least, is my aim.