writing the heart of your story (14 page)

Wow, that’s a pretty strong statement, but coming from a top literary agent, we have to assume he knows of what he speaks. He brings up something that’s interesting to me: “Why do opinionated people bother with novels, which have challenging things to say? Novels are moral. . . . For the most part they validate our values. And no matter what your values, there are novels to affirm them. . . . Readers tend to seek out the novels that accord with their beliefs. They want their values validated, true, but usually not in a simplistic, moralizing way. They may not want to be converted, but they do want to be stretched.”

We Are All Opinionated

I agree with Maass that although we may have opinions about things, as writers we need to be passionate about things. I mean, think about it. Why in the world would you spend a big chunk of your life writing a novel if you don’t have anything significant or of value to say in it? Sure, it may just be a hilarious comic farce meant to entertain, but with a theme, it could become so much more. And a novel in any genre can benefit from theme.

Part of being a courageous, impassioned author is to be willing to share your passion through your writing. This doesn’t mean you aim to write a book that sermonizes and hits readers over the head with your beliefs. It does mean, though, that you infuse some of this into your story by way of your characters. If you haven’t spent any time thinking about a theme for your story, you may want to sit back and think.

Yes, You Do Need a Theme

Do you really have to have a theme for your book? Not necessarily in a formal sense, but think about theme as some essential take-away thought you want to leave your reader with when they finish the book. Theme speaks to your plot, but more so to the heart of your story. One way to get to your theme is to ask yourself why you are writing this book, anyway. Do you have a message or something you want to say to your readers, some commentary on life, society, government, faith, or some other issue? Even if you are not trying to push a “message” per se, your book should be about something.

If you think hard and can’t come up with anything even barely important, meaningful, or significant about the story you want to tell, maybe you shouldn’t be spending all these months writing this novel. Maybe that sounds harsh, but if you’re not moved in some way by something in your story, then why are you bothering to write it?

If you’re just writing a page-turning thriller or a straight genre mystery or suspense, you might not need an overarching theme. You might still write an exciting book that entertains. But this book isn’t aimed at writers seeking to pump out genre mass-market books without heart. It’s not for writers just writing to make a living and that’s it. This book is for writers who really have something to say, and that’s exactly what we’re dealing with right now—honing and paring down what you want to say in a phrase or two.

Say It in One Sentence

If you were asked to tell someone in one sentence why you wrote your novel, what would you say? Can you think of something to say that will make the listener nod and say, “Wow, that’s interesting (or needed or pertinent or important or . . .)” If you can’t think of a significant take-away statement, then you might need to stop writing and start thinking. Because a book without a theme is like a day without sunshine. (How does that saying go? I think it’s from a commercial about orange juice . . .)

Your theme or point—what the reader is getting into and why she should care—needs to be hinted at in the first page or two. A tall order? You bet. But if you can determine clearly why you’re writing this story and what is the one thought, message, idea, conclusion, or feeling you want your readers to “take home” with them when they finish reading your book, you should be able to give some indication of this through your protagonist—by action, thought, or dialog—in those first paragraphs. Whatever that is must be set up in the first few pages, even if only a hint of a promise of what to expect. If your book is about forgiveness, then something about forgiveness or the lack thereof must be an important element of your opening scene.

I’m of the belief that your first scene should have at least something that hints at your theme. I feel the great books “out there” that have stood the test of time do this in some way. Bringing a hint of your theme out right away also clues the reader into what the book is really about, and reveals a bit of the heart of your story, which is what I’m all about.

Thinking about theme, I recall one exercise Donald Maass had us do in his week-long Breakout Novel Workshop. We were asked to write a brief summary of each of our book’s scenes on index cards. Then we were to write the point of that scene on the back. He then told us to pull out the three cards that we felt contained the most important scenes in the book. I was surprised at which scenes I chose. And what was even more surprising (at least until I saw where he was going with this) was that all three scenes were similar and had the same component, i.e., theme. It pounded home the awareness of what my book was really about, and up until then I had some other ideas. What this showed me were the elements I felt passionate about. I didn’t choose the best written scenes or the most tense or exciting. I chose the ones that moved me the most. And they were all scenes with moments of forgiveness.

Pass the Popcorn

In the next few pages, I want to explore theme with you, and one easy way is to look at some of my all-time favorite movies. They might not be yours, and now that I think of it, most of them are considered light and funny. But their themes are so rich and deep that I’m thinking maybe they were such huge hits because of their underlying themes (that viewers didn’t realize were there). In fact, I’m sure that’s the reason. Because some of the acting in these movies is pretty awful—like hilariously awful (although I think it’s true only with
Strictly Ballroom
, and that dialog is meant to be ridiculous). However, the scripts are brilliant. Okay, I’ll throw
The Three Amigos
in there too, since I’m going to touch on that flick a little.

My recommendation to writers is this: search deep in your heart, if you want to tell a powerful story, and find the themes that resonate. Don’t tell a story that means nothing to you—the reader will sense it and it will mean nothing to her. In a movie I saw years ago (I seem to recall it was
Rich and Famous
) the lead character says, “If your writing doesn’t keep you up nights, it won’t keep anyone else up, either.” That line has stuck with me for decades in my writing journey. The more heart you put into your story, the more you will touch hearts. The more wrenched yours is as you write, the more likely you will wrench some of your readers’ hearts.

Finding Themes in a Brainstorm

Some writing teachers believe theme is either intrinsic in your story or it’s not, but I disagree. Theme is a deliberate element, and it can be the core of your story. And as I’ve said before (and will give you my soapbox spiel at the end of the book), you really need to plan these things out in advance. Don’t just jump into writing a novel when you get a cool plot idea or premise. Think for a while about the themes you may want to bring out that work in that story. After all, there has to be some reason you are writing it, and hopefully that reason comes from something in your heart. So bring it out.

Brainstorm for Inspiration

You can always come back into a novel you’ve already fashioned and develop the theme, adding little bits of thought and dialog along the way. But if you’re in the planning stage, all the better, for you can lay out your scenes with your theme in mind. I thought my novel,
Conundrum
, would be about betrayal, for I planned it to be gruelingly filled with lies and treachery. But the moment I sat down to brainstorm the theme, I filled a whole page with this rambling instead:

“Truth and lies. Searching for truth: it might not be found—is that okay? Truths differ from person to person. The need for truth differs from person to person. Sometimes it’s better NOT to search for truth—who gets hurt in the process? What if you can’t tell the truth from lies—does it matter? To whom? Do you have to get to the truth to find peace—or is there something more important? Does confessing truth bring more liberation than finding it? Is a search for truth worth the effort and fallout? If you are truthful to yourself, does it matter if everyone you love lies? Or that your life is founded on a lie?”

What happened, then, was the themes that emerged that really spoke to my heart ended up being the true heart of my story.

Tapping into Your Passion

Where’d all that stuff about truth and lies come from? I really thought the theme of my book was something else. But when I let my passion infuse my planning, I came up with the bigger themes for the book. There are actually a few themes at work in
Conundrum
, as is the case with most of my novels; I like to complicate and enrich my stories as much as possible. I find exploring theme, when laying out a book, opens magical doors. Your subconscious comes to the forefront and may surprise you, as it did me. Theme seeps into character and plot, and twists motives. Sure, there will be subthemes that play along, but when you know your theme and you feel its truth validated in your heart as you begin your story, you have your foundation.

I was reminded of Vida Winter as I plotted
Conundrum
, the old author character in
The Thirteenth Tale
. She had told lies her whole life, but needed to tell the truth before she died. It was her greatest feat of accomplishment—getting deep and honest with herself, a place that terrified her. Another book with a theme about truth and lies. A beautiful book.

Think about
. . . watching a great movie and considering the theme. It may not be obvious, but once you figure it out, it will glare at you like a blinking neon sign. Make a list of five of your favorite novels, then take some time to consider their themes. See if you can identify more than one for each novel. Usually great stories have multiple themes, and although these lesser themes may not be so obvious or as essential to the story as the main theme, they add richness to the story overall.

Think about the opening scene of a few of your favorite novels. Pick novels that you recall having a great opening scene. But this time as you read through the pages, pay particular attention to the hint of theme, the take-away message being set up early on. Great books showcase their theme from the start, however subtle. And it can be subtle, for sometimes you almost miss the implication of what’s to come—a hint of the heart of the story coming through that will become full-blown by the end of the book. Some books that come to mind right away to me are
The Prince of Tides
(Pat Conroy),
My Sister’s Keeper
(Jodi Picoult), and
Peace like a River
(Leif Enger). Can you think of some novels you’ve read that convey the theme in the opening scene?

Chapter 21: Going to the Movies to Mine Themes

“I hold any writer sufficiently justified who is himself in love with his theme.”

~Henry James

Okay, got your popcorn? I chose to look at movies for themes instead of novels. Why? Shouldn’t we be looking at how novels convey theme? Yes, and it behooves writers to read a lot of well-written novels and explore how theme is developed in each one. However, more people have seen more of the same movies than they have read the same novels. And if you want to take a close look at how these themes have been brought out in the stories we’re going to look it, it takes far less time to rent and watch a movie than it does to read a complete novel. Movies are no better or worse overall at showcasing theme, but one benefit to using movies as examples is that we all see the same exact thing on the screen, which makes it easy to discuss and visualize.

We’re first going to look at the movie
K-Pax
—one of my favorites. Why do I love this movie so much? Because aside from the fact it tells a great story with heart and has a terrific and creative plot, it has very rich themes that anchor this movie and make it so very special. Although the story seems to be about some guy who claims to come from a faraway planet, it is not a sci-fi flick (as is the case with
Signs
, which also is really not about aliens at all).

No, It’s Not about Aliens

If you haven’t seen
K-Pax
at least five times, you are really missing something. It is the consummate story of freedom from fear in all its aspects. Prot, from K-Pax, is truly messianic in the way he leads others to healing—not by a miraculous touch, though, but by showing each one their fear and the reality that they don’t need to be afraid. Howie, Ernie, Bess—all the characters on the nut ward—are terrified of something: of dying, of dirt, of smells, of being touched. And Prot gets them to understand why they are afraid and why they don’t need to be. The healing and wholeness follows.

In one scene, Prot is explaining to the psychiatrist, Dr. Mark Powell, about his home world and how they don’t need jails and punishment, or laws to regulate behavior. Powell asks, “Well then, how does one know what is right and wrong on K-Pax?” Prot makes a face of disbelief, then gives an astute answer: “Every being in the universe knows what’s right and wrong, Dr. Powell.” Powell replies: “What? No crime, brutality, no violence on K-Pax?” Prot answers, shaking his head sadly, “You humans. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine how you’ve made it this far.”