In writing, a theme is needed because it is the basic idea behind an article or story and plays an important role in uniting words into a coherent whole. Themes are considered the “muscle” or “vehicle” of the story. There are two ways to express a theme and you can choose one of them. Themes can be stated explicitly, usually in business correspondence, technical writing, and editorials. Themes can also be stated implicitly, usually in short stories, novels, and film scripts. In this case, the theme often appears as the moral of the story. A strong, well-defined theme allows the reader to see the deeper meaning of the story and the intentions behind the motivation that drove you to write that story. Although the structure and purpose of writing fiction and nonfiction are different, there are some common techniques for both types of writing, as described below.
Step
Part 1 of 4: Preparing to Develop a Theme
Step 1. Understand the difference between “subject” and “theme”
“Subject” is more general than “theme”. In nonfiction, the subject is the general topic that interests you, while in fiction, the subject is some aspect of the human condition that is explored in the story. Theme is an explicit or implicit statement about the subject.
- As a nonfiction example, a white paper may have the subject of improving the security of the cargo transportation supply chain. The theme could be the form of business data and the means to access it so as to provide these improvements.
- As an example of fiction, the story “The Ugly Duckling” (Ugly Duckling) by Hans Christian Anderson, has the subject of alienation with the main character being described as a different person from his friends. However, the theme carried is the theme of failure to adapt to the environment, as well as self-discovery when the "duckling" grows up and discovers that he is actually a swan.
Step 2. Identify what you are writing for
The purpose behind the writing will affect how you develop the theme in the story. There are various reasons why someone writes. The following goals (or a combination of them) may be behind why you are writing):
- Documenting or recording an event or information
- Reflection of an idea
- Knowledge demonstration
- Information summary
- Explanation of an idea
- Problem analysis
- persuasion
- Theorizing that considers or seeks to explain the problem
- Entertainment
Step 3. Get to know your readers
Understanding who will be reading your writing allows you to determine what theme is appropriate for them. In addition, you can also find out how best to present these themes to readers. You can determine what themes are appropriate for your readers by making a realistic assessment of how much information and experience they have.
- For example, when writing a business marketing letter, the reader is the prospect. Your goal is to inform or persuade them to buy, and the theme you choose may show how your product can meet their needs. You may need to make statements about needs that they will associate with their needs, and make sure each statement is also followed by a short paragraph about how your product can meet those needs.
- Dr. Seuss writes books for children so he is required to use a limited vocabulary. His book entitled "The Star-Bellied Sneetches" has a theme about learning to accept differences. In the story, Sneetches learns to accept differences after inserting and removing the star in his stomach so many times that the creatures can no longer remember what he originally looked like. In telling the story, Seuss uses short words, his own words, and writes with his own rhymes to form his words. This step helps the reader recognize and remember the lesson that lies behind the words.
Step 4. Consider the length of the text
Longer works, such as novels or memoirs, allow you to include other themes under the main theme. In contrast, shorter articles, such as short stories or editorials, can usually accommodate only one theme, although short articles can provide brief references for supporting ideas.
Part 2 of 4: Determining the Theme
Step 1. Outline the story
Most stories start with a core idea. This core will give clues about the theme of the story, or the theme may be as the story develops. If you have an idea for a story, it can be helpful to outline a story. Once the outline is ready, you can decide which direction you want to go from there. This step will take you to a potential theme that will be the focus. Outline the story, writing down all the characters and developing the sequence of events that will occur in the story.
Step 2. Bring out all the ideas that can describe the theme
Once you find a theme for your story, you can start thinking about ways to describe that theme. Start with the practice of letting out whatever comes to your mind freely, without thinking about logic or order. In this exercise, focus on a theme, which can be a single word or phrase (such as “family” or “neighborhood” or “corporate greed”). Let the mind wander and observe the thoughts, people, images, etc. that enter the mind. Write down these thoughts and images.
Try the “mind mapping” technique. In this technique, you start with a neutral idea and then begin to map out the possibilities of how the story might develop. With this technique, you can also begin to recognize how themes are woven through the story
Step 3. Learn what motivates your character
The characters in the story have goals and aspirations. Motivation will encourage the character to act in a certain way. These actions often promote the development of the theme.
- For example, if the character is someone who is passionate about being vegan, you might start by examining the themes of whether humans have the right to take control of the natural world.
- In nonfiction works, such as letters to the editor, you are the “character” and your motivation will determine the theme. For example, if you are writing a letter to a member of the House of Representatives about rising food prices, your theme could be something like the need for pro-people economic policies and market control.
Step 4. Think about story conflicts
The characters in the story are faced with conflicts that drive the plot. Conflict can take the form of events or antagonists. Once you know the central conflict of the story, you can begin to uncover the theme.
For example, your character's parents committed a crime. Your character, a cop, is faced with a moral dilemma whether to arrest his parents or not. The theme of the story can emerge from this conflict
Step 5. Do some research to support the theme
Research is very important, whether it's non-fiction or fiction. In nonfiction, you are basically looking for facts to support your theme and supporting points. In works of fiction, research also helps develop characters and the environments in which they interact as realistically as possible.
Step 6. Know that you can have more than one theme
There's no rule that says you can only have one theme. So, it doesn't matter if you want to have a dominant theme with sub-themes that strengthen and deepen the thematic dimensions you build. For example, perhaps your dominant theme is the impact of humans on the environment, and the sub-themes are corporate greed and community divisions in modern society.
Part 3 of 4: Weaving Themes Into Writing
Step 1. Choose a way to present the theme to the reader
A solidly presented theme will emerge through different aspects of the story. Start thinking about how the theme can be clearly seen by the reader. Some ways to consider include:
- Through the actions, thoughts and speech of the characters
- Through the use of symbols for the environment
- Through repeated ideas
- Through symbols or important events that are in the spotlight
- Through contrasting values
Step 2. Use narrative to present facts and details
Narrative is a means of presenting facts and details in an orderly, and usually chronological, way to tell what happened and who happened to it. Narrative is mostly used in newspaper articles and usually in stories that are told from a first-person point of view.
Step 3. Use descriptions to build an image in the reader's mind
Description is the use of words that stimulate the senses so that it can build an image in the reader's mind about the things described. Descriptions in lieu of narrative can have a powerful impact, especially in works of fiction. Instead of writing that the character is angry, you can describe that the character is bulging eyes, his nose is puffy, and his face is bright red, and to describe the character's voice, instead of using "saying", why not replace it with "jarring", "shouting".”, or “squeal”?
Step 4. Use comparison and contrast
Comparisons show similarities between two or more things. Contrast shows the difference between two or more things. Comparison and contrast can be used in both fiction and nonfiction. For example, comparison and contrast are used to describe the lifestyle of the protagonist in Mark Twain's "The Prince and the Pauper". This method can also be used to make side-by-side comparisons of features on a laptop.
Step 5. Try an analogy
Analogy is a form of comparison and contrast, and is used to compare something familiar with something unfamiliar to explain something unfamiliar. An example of an analogy is comparing the size of the Earth in the universe as a grain of sand.
Step 6. Include symbolism in the story
Symbolism uses something to describe something else, for example, the storm that gathered around Roderick Usher's house in Poe's poem “The Fall of the House of Usher”. The storm depicts the restlessness within Usher after his sister's funeral. Symbolism is used more often in fiction than in nonfiction and requires the reader to be familiar with the symbols you are using and the meanings you are trying to convey.
Try recurring themes to start the symbolism in the story. You could have a recurring theme or detail in the person who sings “Ave Maria” in the story
Part 4 of 4: Finishing the Theme
Step 1. Get feedback
Get lots of people to read your writing. It can be helpful to ask other people to read your writing so that you can see if your ideas are conveyed clearly. Ask readers to tell what impressions they had. See if they can identify the theme in the text without being provoked.
- Show an open attitude to other people's responses to your writing. They may be able to point out common mistakes you make, and this can help clarify and improve the quality of your writing. They may ask some thought-provoking questions and ultimately help you consider new points of view that had never crossed your mind before.
- Please note that this input was made without the intention of offending. They only respond to posts, not to your personality.
Step 2. Precipitate the writing for a few days
Get away from writing by keeping it for a while. Sometimes, during the writing process we pay so much attention to the story and the sequence of words that it forms that we forget about the big picture. Step away from writing by shifting focus to another project for a few days. After that go back to your writing and reread it once more.
Step 3. Make changes to the theme
Based on the results of your own evaluation, plus input from others, make changes to the theme. You may notice that, even if you consider theme to be one aspect of your writing, readers may have very different interpretations of the theme.
- For example, you might focus on the theme of a firefighter who managed to get the approval of his parents after previous opposition. But then you realize that your story is actually about the firefighter's struggles in a male-dominated profession.
- A theme change may require you to add or remove paragraphs that don't reinforce the theme.
