Theme, plot,
voice, character, and setting are the fundamental components of
fiction. In the recent past these eFiles focused on the three
aspects of voice, and back further on
characters and plot. This time, let's take a look at theme.
A story idea may drop on you full blown
or slowly evolve like a small light far off ever expanding into a
bright and glorious prism of light. This story may begin with one or
more characters, with additions along the way, but as your mental
gymnastics gel into a story it is important to begin writing those
thoughts down. What happens to whom? How do they react? What is the
consequence of their action? How do they adjust to the change? What
is the final result? The scientific law is that for every action,
there is a reaction. (In fiction it may not be opposite and/or equal,
but there will be a reaction.) Continually ask:
Who,
What,
When,
Where,
How,
Why?
These answers become the skeleton of
one of the most important pieces of writing you can accomplish for
your burgeoning story—the synopsis—something that will grow and guide your story to the very end, and then carry it to agents,
publishers, and readers. It becomes your rough outline.
Early on with a story I have under
construction, this was noted:
“Mariah sees the Angel of Death come
to take her husband. She fights to keep him with her, but loses, and
then sees their oldest son join hands with his father and leave. She
is awakened by an explosion—thunder from a rain storm—and
realizes this was only a nightmare, but far too real to put out of
her mind. Later that day her husband's pirate-mentor from years past
appears seeking his help to rescue the pirate's wife and child from
an unscrupulous English Lord. He leaves to join the venture and then
their oldest son runs off to join his father, leaving her to managing
their large plantation. Father and son are at odds during the voyage
because . . .”
This was the beginning synopsis,
expanded to more than a full page. Length is not an issue. Plugging
in action, cause, and effect are. It is also about this time the
writer would begin to consider the three aspects of voice which will
have a direct bearing on how the story is shaped.
As your synopsis is fleshed out, look
for a theme, a central topic, something or somethings that show
relationships and how people and events are affected by those
relationships. Do it in one or two words.
- chaos
- love
- emotion
- monsters
- supernatural
- social conflict
- xrime
- conflict
- war
- global warming
- coming of age (okay, three words)
- (or according to the King of Siam, "Etc., etc., etc.)
In this story the theme or central
point to the story is “coming of age”; a father sees his son grow
into a man as they work together to rescue an old friend's family.
There are sub-themes appended to the main theme. In this case “love”
between father and son, and “conflict” between the two. All these
will be brought to light by the actions, utterances, and thoughts of
the main and secondary characters as the story moves toward
resolution.
In chapter one of the Book of Genesis, it was written, "From chaos to order . . ." This is the genesis of any story.
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