What Themes Are Common in Your Writing?

[Storyteller5]

Intentional or not, if you look at your writing as a whole, what are the common themes that appear again and again? Most writers seem to have two or three they like to use. :idea:

In the last year, I've really changed in my writing but something I've realized is that abandonment is a big one for me. Maybe I've just changed how I look at it and that's why I'm starting to see themes. :e2apple:

[Gary]

Real people that do unusual things.

[BardSkye]

Music, fire and ordinary people stuck in extraordinary circumstances.

[Lyra Jean]

Children who have to parent themselves.

[sunandshadow]

Prejudice and social pressure, adapting to a new culture or changes in one's body/abilities, gender and sexuality, feeling 'stuck in a rut' and breaking free of that, friendship, romance, and pregnancy.

[maestrowork]

Parent-child relationships.

[bsolah]

I'm a Marxist horror writer, so my themes are quite strong. I like to write about how normal people are driven to do terrible things due to their environment (I'm writing a novel in which a slave turns into a killer because of the abuse from his master) or the gap between the rich and poor, and general class consciousness.

[LeeFlower]

anger management and the importance of knowing yourself seem to be showing up a lot for me... I don't know if that makes me a good YA writer or a really, really bad one.

[AngryGeekGirl]

Adults dealing with a childhood ruled by a religiously fanatical parent who felt that it was their duty to "beat the evil" out of the child.

AGG

[Jamesaritchie]

Intentional or not, if you look at your writing as a whole, what are the common themes that appear again and again? Most writers seem to have two or three they like to use. :idea:

In the last year, I've really changed in my writing but something I've realized is that abandonment is a big one for me. Maybe I've just changed how I look at it and that's why I'm starting to see themes. :e2apple:



If violence doesn't solve the problem, it means you didn't use enough violence.

[Snitchcat]

Mine are usually escape or equilibrium. Both tend to happen in stories that involve imminent Armageddon, annihilation, hostile conquering of the world, or at least something world-shattering.

The other two themes I normally have are getting to know yourself, and lost and found.

[seun]

I didn't realise until recently that I often touch on people having to make right what once went wrong. (Wasn't that a line from Quantam Leap?)

[L.Jones]

Letting go

Annie -THE Contol Queen -Jones (up next Sisterhood of the Queen Mamas)

Luanne Jones (Heathen Girls out now, paperback in Jan)

[slobbit]

My stories, novels and shorts alike, all seem to be about some sort of coming-of-age. Either a little one, like a step in the process, or something big. Not necessarily a coming to adulthood, because the protags range in age from 8 to 50, but a coming into the next stage of life, coming into new responsibilities and roles, learning how to *be* in the new balance.

[Diana Hignutt]

transformation and possession...

[Zecragon]

Children having to take care of themselves, people finding out they're something more than they thought they were, and always some weird powers!

[Danger Jane]

Falling, and being forced to accept difficult people or situations. Learning to make do, I guess.

[Nyna]

Family seems to be cropping up a lot, and -- this one I keep trying to articulate and failing, so it's always *almost* there -- when being willing to do anything for love isn't the right course of action; the importance of letting go.

[MidnightMuse]

Friendship born of unusual circumstances. When I'm not writing humor, that is.

[DamaNegra]

Politics. Human nature. Good and evil. Love (any kind)

[Isanthe]

Duty/loyalty vs. personal desires

favoritism in families

losing your innocence and idealism (at any age)

[Cath]

Some really cool themes here - I think it's a great way to get to know one's fellow writers by understanding what they care so much about that it's the core of their work.

My main themes are chaos, unfairness and acceptance of not being in control. What that says about me I dread to think!

[CaroGirl]

Mother-daughter relationships.
Secrets, lies and discovery.

[SpookyWriter]

I don't do themes because that implies a reason for hauntings or serial pop-tart killers, as such. There are no moral attributes in my work either because the protagonist can become a [insert bad word here] without any morals and still come out smelling like a hero. I believe themes and morals in a story are lofty ideals for academic writing.

-- of course that's not to say romance novels shouldn't have a theme, yes?

[Cath]

I don't do themes because that implies a reason for hauntings or serial pop-tart killers, as such. There are no moral attributes in my work either because the protagonist can become a [insert bad word here] without any morals and still come out smelling like a hero. I believe themes and morals in a story are lofty ideals for academic writing.

I wonder if people who read your writing would say the same. I suspect we all have themes that we use unconsciously.

For example, I've said chaos is my main theme - it's not something I deliberately try to write about. But I find when I go back and read a finished work it's there.

I believe that our views of the world, our personal beliefs and desires inevitably influence our writing - whether it's intentional or not.

[CaroGirl]

I wonder if people who read your writing would say the same. I suspect we all have themes that we use unconsciously.

For example, I've said chaos is my main theme - it's not something I deliberately try to write about. But I find when I go back and read a finished work it's there.

I believe that our views of the world, our personal beliefs and desires inevitably influence our writing - whether it's intentional or not.
I agree. I don't write to A Grand Theme (although other writers might). I just endeavour to tell a story and a theme creeps in.

[jayxwolf]

I think as themes mine are mostly something to do with acceptance of circumstances out of one's control, adapting to new things, discovery of points in the past that affect the future, and a lot of exploration of the meaning of the different kinds of friendships that one forms and why.

edit to add:
I don't write to A Grand Theme (although other writers might). I just endeavour to tell a story and a theme creeps in.

I'd say that might how to tell that you have a story worth writing. ;-)

~j

[Isanthe]

I agree. I don't write to A Grand Theme (although other writers might). I just endeavour to tell a story and a theme creeps in.

That's how I am. I usually don't see the theme until I'm doing a later draft or revising. It's kinda eerie to see what your subconscious bleeds into your words.

The only novel I tried to write to a theme ended up being a big soppy mess. Maybe others can do it successfully, but I don't think I can.

[bsolah]

I don't do themes because that implies a reason for hauntings or serial pop-tart killers, as such. There are no moral attributes in my work either because the protagonist can become a [insert bad word here] without any morals and still come out smelling like a hero. I believe themes and morals in a story are lofty ideals for academic writing.

I think horror's been given this luxury of not having to define your antagonists strictly because it's horror. I've written about monsters and been told in a crit group, "This [antag] doesn't have a motivation, but I guess that's why you chose horror." I always feel like I'm cheating when I say that.

[SpookyWriter]

I wonder if people who read your writing would say the same. I suspect we all have themes that we use unconsciously.

For example, I've said chaos is my main theme - it's not something I deliberately try to write about. But I find when I go back and read a finished work it's there.

I believe that our views of the world, our personal beliefs and desires inevitably influence our writing - whether it's intentional or not. CUNY (http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/lit_term.html) - cited

Theme: (1) the abstract concept explored in a literary work; (2) frequently recurring ideas, such as enjoy-life while-you-can; (3) repetition of a meaningful element in a work, such as references to sight, vision, and blindness in Oedipus Rex. Sometimes the theme is also called the motif. Themes in Hamlet include the nature of filial duty and the dilemma of the idealist in a non-ideal situation. A theme in Keats's "Ode to a Nightingale" is the difficulty of correlating the ideal and the real.


The motif within my work is not clearly defined and does not re-occur in such a way that I try to deliver a message. I think themes tend to express more of the writers beliefs than what is important in telling a good story. I try not to inject my views of society upon others. I remember studying theme in college and it was a technique best suited for my professors.

[SpookyWriter]

I think horror's been given this luxury of not having to define your antagonists strictly because it's horror. I've written about monsters and been told in a crit group, "This [antag] doesn't have a motivation, but I guess that's why you chose horror." I always feel like I'm cheating when I say that.Motivation in horror is to shock and surprise the reader. What further motivation is needed if you realize this goal?

The antagonists should come across as a character who's motivation is to cause conflict in the protagonists life. What motivation does a protagonist have to enter a haunted house? Challenge? Dare is a compulsive behavior among many males and is a very good motivator if he is chided into entering the house.

And so...

[Cath]

The motif within my work is not clearly defined and does not re-occur in such a way that I try to deliver a message. I think themes tend to express more of the writers beliefs than what is important in telling a good story. I try not to inject my views of society upon others. I remember studying theme in college and it was a technique best suited for my professors.

I suspect that's a rare skill. If you truly have it (and I haven't read your work, so I don't dare judge), then I believe you should value it. :)

[IThinkICan29]

Most of my stories of late have been about people finding grace and forgiveness in the midst of their selfishness. It's amazing how many ways you can swing it and have a different outcome each time. I'm really having fun with it!

[janetbellinger]

jealousy

[Storyteller5]

That's how I am. I usually don't see the theme until I'm doing a later draft or revising. It's kinda eerie to see what your subconscious bleeds into your words.

That's how it is for me. I don't see a theme until I'm in revisions or until I've got some distance from the piece. Then it's time to polish it! ;)

I'm enjoying listening to the rest of you on this. Theme obviously isn't just something to torture students about finding. :lol:

[bsolah]

I'm enjoying listening to the rest of you on this. Theme obviously isn't just something to torture students about finding. :lol:

Oh, I just dream of my novel being prescribed text and seeing those students scream!! :D

[SpookyWriter]

I suspect that's a rare skill. If you truly have it (and I haven't read your work, so I don't dare judge), then I believe you should value it. :)I doubt I have this gift, so I must say the unconscious writing takes me toward my goals. I do have work (http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32973) in SYW which was critiqued. As I critique others to help them, if possible.

[ChaosTitan]

My stories tend to focus on two main themes.

One is the preservation of family. Whether it is by reconnecting with blood relatives you have lost, or by creating a family unrelated by blood ties, through friendship/adversity/survival/etc...

The other is self-discovery. Finding something inside you didn't know existed (whether it's a hidden strength, a super power, or common sense knowledge), and using it to change for the better.

[SC Harrison]

Events breaking characters out of their routines, and causing them to take time to reflect on life and the things they take for granted.

[moblues]

Motivation in horror is to shock and surprise the reader. What further motivation is needed if you realize this goal?

The antagonists should come across as a character who's motivation is to cause conflict in the protagonists life. What motivation does a protagonist have to enter a haunted house? Challenge? Dare is a compulsive behavior among many males and is a very good motivator if he is chided into entering the house.

And so...

You got it, Spooky. In most horror, things just happen to the protag. Yes, the main character may provoke something that happens later, but it is usually an innocuous and innocent act that prompts the outcome. If that even makes any sense.


As far as my themes: anthropology, archaeology, religion, and mythos. There is a rich history sown deep within the soil of this great country. I've got some work cut out for me yet. I have to contact a Native American nation and their leaders for approval before I even start the submission process for The Mound Builders.

There was never any disrepect intended from my perspective, by this is not my heritage. I simply refuse to sidestep what I believe to be an obligation. If I'm told that I can't use their people, (not likely, but who knows) I have even more work ahead of me.




Mike

[PeeDee]

What a cool question. I think I have a pretty hard time picking out my themes, er, because they're my themes and I have no idea.

I like to take extraordinary characters or stories, and to make them readable on an extremely realistic level. Not necessarily detail-oriented, just very sensible. Elves who smoke cigarettes, super-heroes with no powers, people who die when they get shot. You see what I mean?

Mythology, I suppose. Realism. The ability of the few to make a difference. The importance of the human race, despite evidence to the contrary. Good versus evil. All those good ones.

(I have no idea. I suspect I'm way off the mark. I look at my own list and go "yeah, but..." so never ye mind.)

[SpookyWriter]

Mythology, I suppose. Realism. The ability of the few to make a difference. The importance of the human race, despite evidence to the contrary. Good versus evil. All those good ones.
Good vs Evil is a theme and a overly used one at that. The theme of a story remains a laurel for academic writers. The ability to show the cause and effect of society that had gone terribly wrong reminds me of another theme "The meek shall inherit the world".

As Mike pointed out, horror and suspense don't endorse theme because what is the message in one story is not a re-occuring event that has any redeeming social value.

[bsolah]

Good vs Evil is a theme and a overly used one at that. The theme of a story remains a laurel for academic writers. The ability to show the cause and effect of society that had gone terribly wrong reminds me of another theme "The meek shall inherit the world".

The theme of 'good vs evil' is overly used, true, but only in the traditional sense. Everyone has a different perspective of what good and evil is. Personally, I don't believe in this mysterious force called evil. I have my own ideas about what makes a person good or 'evil.'

As Mike pointed out, horror and suspense don't endorse theme because what is the message in one story is not a re-occuring event that has any redeeming social value.

I totally disagree.

Horror writers can have theme. I'm a horror writer, and a Marxist at that and so do have some sort of meaning to what I write. It's not some academic thing either. A theme is something that is expressed in a novel, other than just the plain story - it enhances it and gives it meaning. Stephen King admits to having themes in his own work.

[SpookyWriter]

Stephen King admits to having themes in his own work.
That might be somewhat true, as I suspect post-production insights brought this up. But if you've read the Dark Tower series, I'd think you would realize that he used symbolism much more than theme in his work. The train symbolized what went wrong with civilization, etc.

Roland was a symbol of a bye-gone era. Much of Misery is symbolic of how he felt about fanatic fans.

So theme in horror can become influential provided it is properly characterized as a figurative means of communicating the writers prejudice.

[PeeDee]

*cough* I should have pointed out that I write to tell a story, and thematic elements are things which I don't tend to think about until the second draft, or the second-or-third readthrough when I suddenly notice that blood is a key note at all major points in my book and maybe there's a theme there.

Mostly, I don't care.

As for good and evil....I find more and more that, while I'm personally interested in the theme, my writing tends to focus more on the gray murky waters between the two. The bastards who are good guys, the good people who are scum.

(edited to add "and another thing...") I tend to think that if a book is entirely theme-based, or theme-planned, it will come out being a bit of a weaker novel. It's like writing a book with allegory. I think it'll be less strong than a book you've written from a story point of view.

Roger Zelazny's "Lord of Light" is a good example. This is a book loaded with character and story, story, story. On my third read-through, just now, it occured to me that I think the theme of this Buddhist-influenced book is the cycle of Brahma-creates-Vishnu-preserves-Shiva-destroys. I think the book itself is quietly following this theme, and now I want to read it again to see if that's true. I like that, if this hadn't occured to me, I would never have noticed the theme at all.

[Alan Yee]

I'm unsure if my story/novel is technically dark fantasy or horror. The intention of my story isn't to scare the reader, but more to demonstrate the world today with sort of a twist. It's about demons who live among the human race in the real world, their sexual orientations, their lust for human beings, and what happens when the demon father goes after his half-demon son's friends. The most obvious theme is about homosexual and bisexual relationships, but some of the other themes that cropped up were father-son rivalry and friendships.

I prefer to think of it as dark fantasy because the story lacks an intention to scare. After I finish the short story version and start submitting it, I'll try to expand it into a novel. I'm confident with this one because of the intensity and emotion that's spread throughout it, and I've actually come to love the characters, except for the protagonist's Big Bad Demon Daddy (well, I love his badness, at least). He's the official Bad Guy of the story. But the story isn't about Good vs. Evil per se.

[moblues]

Evil comes from within. It's up to us to control it. It's not an it. it's a what did I just do? Did I really mean to do that?

It's an internal fight. Most of us are winning. :)
Mike

[bsolah]

Evil comes from within. It's up to us to control it. It's not an it. it's a what did I just do? Did I really mean to do that?

It's an internal fight. Most of us are winning. :)
Mike
Sorry, to be the one disagreeing with everyone but I don't evil comes from within, but from around us. It's our material conditions that dictate the way we act, our upbringing etc.

[moblues]

Sorry, to be the one disagreeing with everyone but I don't evil comes from within, but from around us. It's our material conditions that dictate the way we act, our upbringing etc.
We make our own choices. Please don't suggest that someone or something else made any and all choices for you or anyone else.




Mike

[SpookyWriter]

Sorry, to be the one disagreeing with everyone but I don't evil comes from within, but from around us. It's our material conditions that dictate the way we act, our upbringing etc.But that doesn't explain the "Billionaire Boys Club".

[gp101]

Good vs Evil is a theme and a overly used one at that. The theme of a story remains a laurel for academic writers. The ability to show the cause and effect of society that had gone terribly wrong reminds me of another theme "The meek shall inherit the world".

Good vs Evil isn't as much a theme as it is the backdrop of a story, IMO, because it's so broad and most fiction uses it to one degree or another. Star Wars is Good vs Evil (maybe the best contemporary example), but it has other themes that come to the forefront more subtlety so that G v E becomes the big picture, the showdown, the plot.

The thought of "theme" used to make me worry, and wonder if I knew WTF I was doing writing if I got so nervous over theme. Lajos Egri in his book on dramatic writing (geared toward dramatists) broke down theme to a premise that you need to prove in your writing for the story to ring true. Maybe very talented writers do this subconsciously--I'm not one of them. So I was glad to see it explained, and how it was shown to be effective if purposely used.

Lajos suggested that once you have the idea of your story straight, you decide what premise you want to prove, but by premise, I think he inferred theme; his book was published decades ago. He said to make it an active premise/theme so that instead of something as broad as Good vs Evil, it might be "appeasing the enemy brings disaster." He always seemed to put these in a three-part "If A does B then C will happen". He said the writer should then start his/her story with this in mind and the writing sounds more real because everything, even subplots, goes to support the active premise/theme. Once I tried it, it opened all new doors and I found I had fewer plot snafus or holes, and characters' motivations seemed stronger. It's not for everyone, but I encourage people to read his books on writing, if only for his bit on proving the premise in your writing.

*My apologies for anyone more attached to his writings than I am, in the event that I made a leap from his "proving the premise" objective, to making it about theme. As I recall it, it seemed a very natural leap.

[Inkdaub]

I don't write to a theme but there are themes present in my psyche that affect my writing. Isolation and paranoia are common.

[Jenan Mac]

Transformation, definition, and distillation, though not necessarily in that order.

[jules]

My themes? Trust, and how hard it is to know when to trust somebody. Evil is a matter of perspective (i.e., my protagonists often discover that the supposedly evil character in opposition to them in fact has very good reasons for doing what he is doing).

[zarch]

My current WIP's protagonist struggles with a balance between forgiveness and the desire for revenge. Also, the balance between sin and grace. He is trying, actually, to reconcile all four (sin, grace, forgiveness, and vengeance), trying to figure out if it's possible to achieve/commit all four and remain satisfied with the outcome. Cosmic balance.

[glutton]

The difficulty of knowing whether what you do is right or wrong, and main characters who are forced to make such difficult choices. Also, I tend to write extremely tough female characters (both from an emotional, and more unusual physical standpoint)

[Robert Toy]

Futile attempts to unravel government corruption and misdeeds, there is no heroic ending. The bad guys always get away with it. Too much like the truth huh?

[bsolah]

Robert, sounds similar to mine, except with nutso bosses, but my worker's get their own :D

[Jamesaritchie]

I don't do themes because that implies a reason for hauntings or serial pop-tart killers, as such. There are no moral attributes in my work either because the protagonist can become a [insert bad word here] without any morals and still come out smelling like a hero. I believe themes and morals in a story are lofty ideals for academic writing.

-- of course that's not to say romance novels shouldn't have a theme, yes?

I don't do themes, either. But I think every novel has a theme by necessity, whether or not the writer puts it in intentionally. No moral attributes is a solid theme in and of itself.

It just isn't possibly to tell a story without also incorporating a theme. If there's a plot, there's a theme. If there's a story, there's a theme. If characters do things, there's a theme.

And I'll also say this. In the second draft, it pays to look fo rthe theme, figure out what it is, and tighten the novel around it. There is a theme in your novel, and finding it, and tightening around it, can make for a better read.

[pconsidine]

I write both screenplays and novels and what kinds of themes arise depend on which I'm working on. However, here are a few common ones (I should also note that I'm one of those people who only see themes in retrospect):

Respect for the arts (usually embodied by one such artist)
Competition with a father figure
Escapism as a way of dealing with problems

Just about everything I've written, be it comedy or drama, has included at least one of those elements. And though the events of the stories are rarely, if ever, autobiographical, I must confess those themes really are. Hmmm...

[Shadow_Ferret]

I've always associated theme with "theme paper" a short essay on a given subject. I don't write theme papers. I write fiction.

[TrainofThought]

Here are a few themes in my story: abandonment, death, evolving and redemption.

[argenianpoet]

This is like de ja vu for me, but I tend to write stories about the human condition and the every day conflicts we face in society. At least that is the root origin of my ideas and the rest is strictly imagination, whether the story actually take place here on Earth or a billion light years away. Another theme of mine is good versus evil, in which good always prevails. I write stories about survivors who escape death, even when all the odds are against them. My first novel is about one man and his journey across a hostile land in which he must overcome all obstacles in order to live. So yes, themes are very much evident in any writer's career, especially mine.

[Ben King]

Characters hearing rediculously quiet sounds. Superhuman ears, almost. :D

[Shelli_Rox]

My characters engage in too much self-destructive behavior. Some are begging for help, but others don't want to be saved. Feels like watching your children slowly kill themselves, and not being able to intervene.

Sometimes I want to give up writing because I can't seem to produce anything else. I'm afraid the reader might assume my paper "babies" are all thinly-veiled versions of me, dissatisfaction with my life. Nothing could be further from the truth.

It's frustrating sometimes.

Shell

[Bamponang]

Betrayal between husband/wife, parent/child, siblings or friends

When I first realised I had this underlying theme, it disturbed me. Wondered if I was telling the same story over and over; different characters, settings and circumstances, but essentially the same story. Still trying to work that out in my mind.

[moblues]

My characters engage in too much self-destructive behavior. Some are begging for help, but others don't want to be saved. Feels like watching your children slowly kill themselves, and not being able to intervene.

Sometimes I want to give up writing because I can't seem to produce anything else. I'm afraid the reader might assume my paper "babies" are all thinly-veiled versions of me, dissatisfaction with my life. Nothing could be further from the truth.

It's frustrating sometimes.

Shell

Let your characters live. Let them die. If it's going to move the story, fine. What fiction writers do is create. It's what we do. It's called fiction for a reason.

BTW: Only PeeDee is right behind you. ;)




Mike

[Raiyah]

Oppression. Prejudice. Love. Family. Cultures. Humanity.

[Cathy C]

That evil is a person-by-person thing. It's not relegated to classes, religions, genders, skin color or location. In our books, if there's a good snake, there's a bad one. If there's a villian from the middle east, then those that battle him are as well. Good and bad, yin and yang. I like blending humanity and dealing with tolerance. Since I and my co-author write paranormals, we get to deal with otherworldly tolerances--even within the group that is "shapeshifter" it's the wolves against the cats and the birds against the snakes. The struggle to keep a status quo and keep the peace is just that much more difficult when those around you can toss a car at you. ;)

[Saanen]

I keep returning to themes of trust and betrayal. In my current WIP it's revolving around family and belonging; in my most recently completed novel it was friendship--how far a person will go to protect a friend.

I never used to notice my themes until after the story was done. Now I can recognize them while I'm still plotting/outlining. I'm not trying to be arty with a capital A by any means, or self-consciously literary. But theme is closely related to story. Why not use every tool we have as writers?

[blackbird]

Whether I am writing a novel involving Native American protagonists (which I do often because I am Echota Cherokee and that's what I know best) or musicians (again, because I've known so many) or a combination thereof, I've found there are, in fact, certain themes I keep coming back to again and again. Almost all of my characters are trying to make their way home, whether it is a literal home, a metaphoric one or a spiritual one. Perhaps this isn't too surprising considering that uprootedness has been at the core of the Southeastern Indian experience since the time of the Removal, but even my white characters tend to be plagued with issues of idenity, alienation and the need to get back to the place they call home--whatever that might mean for the individual character.

[chicagogal]

CHOCOLATE! I WANT CHOCOLATE!!!

[HeyBooBoo]

I like to deal with the gray area between good and evil. The idea that what's popular isn't always right, but it sure is to the people who made it popular to begin with. How social norms effect the definition of good and bad, and how absolute patriotism can blind and twist otherwise decent human beings. I like to dive into how ideas and beliefs shape who people are, and whether or not they should be villified for following the beliefs that they think should have, simply because they lack the courage to stand up for themselves. I also enjoy trying to figure out what makes people tick, how two people with everything in common can handle life so differently.

[newwriter19]

people and relationships i use mainly

[TeddyG]

pondering the silence of the heavens

[NightWynde]

A couple of themes have a tendency to pop up in my work: not everything is as it seems and death isn't always the worst thing that could happen.

Being that my topics have a tendency to be based on some sort of torture or posession, that's not really all that surprising.

[Doctor Shifty]

People dealing with, or refusing to recognise, major issues deep within themselves. I don't necessarily start out with that in mind, but the stories very often go in that direction.

Kim