Writing Exercise: Exhibiting Theme

The central idea in your story is your theme… The characters, tone, dialogue, scenes and misspellings are all there to support that theme.

One of the greatest things about the theme is that it is simple! At least, it should be simple. Many insist on complicated themes,

but I’d bet their story will only be enjoyed by the writer and immediate family and friends. The best themes are very simple. Not fortune cookie talk, that’s too cryptic. (Although I think a career writing fortune cookie sayings might be promising... if I can figure out how to slip the little paper into my printer.) Even Yoda-talk themes should be avoided… just too complicated.

I lean toward the “True love conquers all”, “Good conquers evil” or “Money can’t buy love” type of statements. They are simple, even trite. But the story properly built with a simple theme will be anything but trite. It will be clear! Easy for us numbskulls to understand and enjoy!

It’s all very simple!

Yet, I struggle… I struggle with keeping the simple theme clearly stated in my story? Don’t you? (If you don’t struggle with it, let me say on behalf of everyone “you are a bore!”)

We are challenged to have a simple theme explored through our protagonist’s journey.

So, let’s take a look at a story we are considering with a CLEAR central idea. Or improvise one.

Title ________________________

2 sentence summary (watch you complex compound phrases) __________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________
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Theme ________________________________________________________________

Now, write down a ‘decision’ your protagonist can make late in the story that displays the theme! (i.e., shows that the protagonist has learned ‘money can’t buy love”) ____ ______________________________________________________________________
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Now, write an decision your protagonist can make EARLY in the story that displays the protagonist has yet to learn something (setting up the ‘theme’) _______________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________