“A moment’s insight is sometimes worth a life’s experience.”
~Oliver Wendall Holmes
“What’s the theme of your book?”
I choked the first time someone asked this of me. I did what I do best; I read. Blog posts, craft books, and within my genre. I write Young Adult. I found themes in this genre just as passionate as any other genre. Family, hope, love.
As I read the rough draft of The Lonely Girl, I discovered not only its theme, but a few things about myself. Things I like.
I rediscovered values I give little thought to in everyday life. But they are prevalent, the kind of morals I encourage in my children. Without intensive thought and deep in the throes of intensive NaNoWriMo sessions, the best and worst parts of my personal experience,history, and quirks were ever-present. I thank my muse for this.
The heroine of my story, Evie, makes the worst decision a human being can make. She gives up. I dangled her over the abyss, a place I am familiar with. But my belief in hope and redemption is strong. With this in mind, I can reconnoiter theme, clarify my voice, and layer muscle and flesh over characters.
My characters are, after all, compilations of my inner life and observations of real people I love, have met, or even those who’ve piqued my curiosity in grocery stores and coffee shops.
I feel that my passions, opinions, and value systems should drive my stories, poetry, and articles. If I choose a moderate position, or withhold my own life experiences and insights, I fear mundanity. I don’t like the mundane. When I read a book, I want to know its author left a little blood on the page.
How does a writer convey all of this energy without overwhelming the reader with hyperbole and someone else’s rigid belief system?
It’s all about the characters.
“The author of a breakout novel must make the choice to make her characters choose; must fire them, and then sustain them, with deeply held convictions.” -Donald Maass, Writing the Breakout Novel.
As a new writer, I struggle with not writing within the acknowledged status quo. The temptation is strong and I cringe when I see others trip over the need to fill market trends. Readers are savvy and unique. They don’t want oatmeal every day of the week.
I know my strengths, and believe a dark story can illuminate a reader’s life, long after the final page has been turned.
But I’m only speaking from personal experience.
Writers, when did you discover your story’s theme? What impact do you think theme has on a book and its readership? Do you find echoes of your personal life in the tales you create?
Courtney Koschel has been writing since she could hold a crayon. She has worked as a journalist, editor, technical writer, and technical editor. Young adult fiction is near and dear to her heart, which is why she writes YA and all of its glorious sub-genres.
Tonia Marie Houston is a mother, writer, poet, bookworm, and blogger. When sheís not chasing her three spider monkeys, she spends her time revising a young adult novel about life after death and second chances. Though she began to pursue her career later in life, she hopes to inspire and motivate other writers to put their best book forward.
This native Texan now lives with her Scottish hubby in North Ayrshire, Scotland, where she wanders the moors in search of William Wallace. She has been a guest blogger on Writer Unboxed and is currently working on the sequel to her YA supernatural novel, Touched by Darkness.
Jamie Raintree writes what she likes to call everyday fairytale love stories, featuring the little moments in life that are truly magical. She lives in Arizona with her husband and daughter and is currently editing her second novel.
Jani Grey is a South African ambivert, writer, reader, optimist, and bacon enthusiast. When her boss isnít looking she writes, revises, or edits YA Urban Fantasies in between work. Sheís sneaky like that. Sheís a NaNoWriMo addict and is currently working on two NaNo novels.
Rebecca Fields is a modern gypsy, roaming from place to place in search of ñ well, sheíll let you know when she finds it. Writing has become a way for her to share her adventures, both real and imagined. Along with her on her journey are her son and an assortment of rescued animals.
Heather Reid
February 17, 2012 at 12:11 pm
Tonia, what a great post! I discover more and more about myself and my themes with every new read-through of my book. I can honestly say a lot of my experience is on the page. While the story isn’t about me, there isn’t a way to separate myself from it. I lived the story with my characters, I’ve felt what they’ve felt, walked through the fire with them. I’m bonded to them. I agree that writers shouldn’t write for market trend. We should write from the heart, what’s true to us. Like you, all my stories tend toward the dark, but strength and perseverance always win out. Readers are smart, I think they can smell formula from a mile away. Give us blood on the page! I love it.
Vaughn Roycroft
February 17, 2012 at 12:53 pm
Wow, I think you left a little blood on this post, Tonia!
This really resonates for me. I was, at first, taken aback when readers told me they considered my work ‘dark.’ I certainly didn’t set out to tell a dark tale. I really didn’t set out with any expectation at all, so pandering to the market couldn’t have been further from my mind. But I agree, dark tales can illuminate long after the last page is turned. Really terrific post!
Tonia Marie Houston
February 17, 2012 at 3:34 pm
Heather, thank you! Would you believe I wrote this surrounded by four noisy children? I think it worked, I didn’t censur what was on my mind. I don’t think there should be a separation, especially at a conscious level. I live with my characters. I have a main character from my first book I’m still trying to understand. I think I need to “walk through fire” with her a little longer before I understand her complexities. Funny how real they can be. Who knew a make believe character could make her own creator do some soul searching?
Vaughn, what a compliment! I can’t wait to read your book, darkness and all. I think it takes a lot of faith to set no expectations, just have a desire to tell a story. Writers can be a brave lot, and I, too, think it takes heart out of the creative process to fill an assigned book slot. Thank you for stopping by and sharing some of your personal experience.
Courtney Koschel
February 17, 2012 at 5:11 pm
Fabulous post. My story is also “dark,” but that’s okay. It’s a story about hope, love, persevering, and believing in yourself. I learned so much about myself writing my novel. I actually cried when writing a few of the scenes. I think we all take our personal experiences and incorporate them into our books. Thank you for sharing a piece of your journey!
Rebecca
February 17, 2012 at 8:13 pm
Great post, Tonia! I love reading about the journey that takes one from an aspiring author to an accomplished author. Thank you for sharing
Celia
February 17, 2012 at 10:36 pm
This is so true Tonia. I think that the more writers are in tune with their deepest emotions, the better they write. It also takes a huge amount of courage to be willing to let that bleed out onto the page!
Jamie Raintree
February 18, 2012 at 8:54 pm
The themes in my novels are definitely close to my heart and they’re often one of the first things that comes to me. I might have an idea but the theme behind that idea is what makes the story take shape in my mind and I feel like it’s what keeps me on track when I get a little too caught up in the details. Great post!
Jani
February 19, 2012 at 2:52 am
Earlier this week I read somewhere that whatever your character is feeling, and if it’s a predominant theme in you work, the reader will feel that as well. I both like and dislike this. Like, because we want the reader to connect and know what our characters are feeling, and dislike, because this can also have a negative effect on the reader and make them put the book down without finishing it. It’s up to us to find the right balance between what’s enough and what’s too much. And I’m talking from experience. I’m busy with revision and have a very dominant theme of guilt that I have to get rid of. My MC doesn’t like it and I don’t like it, which means the reader won’t like it.
Great post!