Before we dive into the Ocean of Writers’ Fancy Definitions, let’s get a couple of things out of the way.
What is Plot?
The PLOT is what happens in the story; the structure, the ins and outs of what ensues. It covers all the main events that make up the story. See Blogs 8, 9, 10.
What is Theme?
The THEME is the underlying message or deeper meaning of the story which some describe as . . .
. . . a unifying thread that holds the story together.
Switched off yet? No? Let’s move on, then.
The theme is what’s beneath the surface of the events in your story, what the book is really about. It’s the background in which the plot is embedded, for example:
· young romance
· racial tension
· wartime betrayal
· revenge killing
· religious differences
and can be summed up in a few words, eg:
· classes don’t mix
· crime doesn’t pay
· pride comes before a fall
· it’s never too late
Theme 1. The crime of betraying one’s country in wartime doesn’t pay in the long term.
Theme 2. Love between upper and lower classes can find a way.
Theme 3. It’s never too late for an Archbishop and an Ayatollah to make peace for their flocks.
I’ll try to explain how knowing your theme can be used to strengthen your story.
In my Rom/Com book A Diet of Love, two ambitious young people: Chrissie, a British woman, and Tony, a Mexican/American man, fall in love whilst she is working in New York. She has to return to England. Misconceptions and misunderstandings, for which they blame each other, keep them apart and single.
Wondering about finding Tony, the man she loves, Chrissie receives an offer of ‘the job of a lifetime’ in a different country. And she decides to . . . . I won’t spoil it for you!
If the theme of the book was ‘Follow your heart’ it would take the story in a certain direction with a particular set of actions and emotions. But if it were ‘Carpe Diem (Seize the day)’ it would take it elsewhere, with a change of settings, characters, emotions and so on.
As you can see, these diverse themes could create entirely different stories even though they might all be Rom/Coms.
How to identify the theme?
It could be before you start writing or, often as not, when you’ve finished! If you have the theme in mind before you write you will create a plot to support that.
However, what your story is really about may not be evident until you’ve worked through the plot you had in mind. No problem, you can adjust and strengthen your story as you review and edit.
A theme can keep you in line in case you’ve gone off at a tangent; give the story a unity it might not otherwise have. It can help you deepen your meaning and fill out your characters and their dialogue and emotions. A theme adds an extra dimension to your work.
There can be more than one theme in a book.
For instance, my thriller Blood on Charing X Road has two themes: ‘Greed doesn’t buy happiness’ and ‘Honesty is the best policy’.
Example: What is the theme of Cinderella? It must have one, so what is it?
My suggestion is: ‘Happiness is out there if you look hard enough for it’. And we all know where that took Cinders and Charming. Aaah!
But what if the original writer had added one word to his theme (and I know it wasn’t spoken about in his day but stay with me): ‘Gay happiness is out there if you look hard enough for it’. There you have another tale altogether, don’t you, with an alternative plot, structure, settings and characters, etc, etc. I’ve written a short story with exactly that theme for Cinders which most readers found amusing.
Still with me? Good. One last thing before we’re done with Theme vs Plot.
You’ll also read some writers talking about the Premise of a story.
What is Premise?
A premise is like an outline – something that can be summed up in a couple of sentences giving an idea of the main story, telling a reader what to expect. It’s more often used in a blurb or promotional literature.
I know all this sounds unnecessary and ‘show-offy’ which in the hands of some writers it is but don’t get hung up on it. Stick to the basic rule – Writers Write first and worry about the labels afterwards!
Commentaires