How To Write the Theme of Your Book — Pt. 1: PROVERBS
The theme is what your story is truly about beneath it’s plot and external events (the things that are happening to your characters). It’s something that the author is trying to express to the audience whether it be a lesson, an idea, a belief, etc.
There are a ton of major themes that can be broken down into smaller ones that are woven into your story. A few major themes include: Family, Revenge, War, Death, Good vs. Evil, Coming of Age, Survival, Truth, Redemption, Courage.
Love for example is a major theme that can crumble down into trust, comfort, obsession, self-love, envy, jealousy— you name it. Weaving these smaller themes into your side characters can help create a very well-rounded story. For example, maybe your protagonist is forced to marry an evil king and finds out he is not so evil after all. However, maybe he has a concubine who becomes jealous of your protagonist who is just trying to love herself admits this huge change. The king becomes envious when a knight is over friendly with his new bride-to-be, who begins seeking solace in the knight. A frail elderly servant brings comfort to your protagonist by offering advice, warm baths and a mother-figure.
It can help to create a Proverb for your story's main theme(s). This is a quote or simple phrase that embodies the theme.
“Not all that glitters is gold” or “A diamond in the rough”
could refer to a story that is about rags to riches. An underprivileged character with an ability to save the world. A young woman who is gorgeous inside and out, but lives in the grime of an undercity— only for the king the recognize her true beauty one day.
From my current WIP with a core themes are about Love/Truth/Deception. I recommend creating a web to show your core theme and the smaller ones that branch from it. Here are mine.
My Proverbs: “The Truth Hurts” and “Lying is only a band-aid”
My protagonist has a misbelief that lying protects the people she cares about (and herself). This misbelief comes from a childhood of brutal truths and heartbreaking reality. By the end of her story and character arc, she learns that her lies only create negative effects and that she must trust the people she loves.
Ask yourself: “what is the point that you want to make by telling this story?”
I want to show/express through my character’s story and arc that lying does not protect the people you love, but rather destroys not only yourself, but the people around you. CREDIT: All this knowledge comes from the book: Story Genius by Lisa Cron.
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