Lesson 4 Adding Theme
Posted by Lyn on 24 May 2007 | Tagged as: Craft
Now we’re moving away from Essential elements to form.
3-Send in a professional proposal, including an often overlooked primary element
and including a premise as an aid to the editor who will be reading the story
COLD:
v Include: Theme—which is connected to the Black Moment, Danger and Epiphany—THEME EMPOWERS STORY AND CHARACTERS
This is another element, similar to voice. The theme is a concept, not a physical person, not actions in a plot. It is the elusive element which is given life by the characters and their actions. I write for the inspirational market which is heavily tipped toward theme. But even if you’re writing erotica for the secular market, you will still write a story that possesses a unifying theme. All novels have themes which are made flesh by character growth through a plot of conflicts.
In planning a novel, I always use Kathy Jacobsen’s A Novel Approach, which teaches the use of a Conflict Grid. This grid pits the hero and heroine’s goals and conflicts in opposition to each other. After going through the internal, external, and romantic conflicts, the grid asks what the Danger is?
Danger means what is the erroneous life-truth that your hero and heroine are going to have to let go of or change before they can reach the Epiphany. In Dorritt, my heroine must give up her long-held belief that for an intelligent and well-educated woman in 1821 marriage is bondage. The hero must give up his belief that living on the frontier, he will die young like his parents and that he will die alone–as he has lived. These are deeply held beliefs that they have learned from the painful losses and lessons of their lives. Believing that they could love and have a relationship means that they must first go through the painful process of change. This is Danger. It is always connected to the opposing internal conflicts and it always leads to the Black Moment.
Either before, during or after the climax, the hero and heroine experience Epiphany. Suddenly through some plot catalyst, they see what they have been doing wrong. They see the truth that they have been clinging to is a roadblock to what they really want, which is to be with the other person and experience love fully. This realization leads to and tell you your theme. Voilà!
But if the editor is only going to read the first page, how will she know that you have a thrilling, deeply emotional Danger, Black Moment, and Epiphany?
Because at the beginning of your first page or the first page of your proposal, you’re going to state your theme. Now you may not yet know what your theme is. I never start with theme when I plan a story. I create characters and put them in a dramatic plot filled with conflict and I let them tell me what their theme is.
Now I’m going to switch for an example of this to my first Love Inspired Suspense in 2007, Dangerous Season. Its theme is two Bible Verses: “Be angry and sin not…” Ephesians 4:26 “Speak the truth in love…” Ephesians 4:15
My heroine has an unresolved conflict with her mother over something deeply painful in the past and this is what is holding her back from moving on with her life, so hers is speak the truth in love. My hero is a redeemed bad boy who is living down his misspent youth and he often still reacts with anger, so his is be angry and sin not. You can see both are about communicating, one explodes and one withdraws. You see there’s even conflict in their themes, a really good thing if you can do it. If you’re not writing inspirational, your theme won’t be Bibles verses, but stated in more general terms, i.e., You can’t get love till you give it. You love someone not just with words but actions, etc.
Exercise for theme: What is the emotional danger that is keeping your hero and your heroine from letting go and loving? Start with their internal conflicts and see how far you can take them into emotional danger. Then move to Epiphany, stating in words what they have to learn in order to gain love. Then put it into a theme or themes. Again, post your musings about danger, internal conflict, epiphany and theme and see if you can get some help from each other. Again I’ll skim and choose one. This is it for Thursday. Tomorrow were on to the Final Tip: premise!
Hi everyone,
May 24th, 2007 at 7:53 amSometime today Kathy Jacobson may drop by. She’s offered to give one of her 220 page PDF formatted e-books to one of our participants. Kathy is the author of A NOVEL APPROACH which Lesson 4 is dervied from. Thank you, Kathy!
Lyn
Fantastic! Thank you, Kathy and Lyn. I fell behind yesterday and am trying to catch up. All this information is wonderful, Lyn. Tight, concise and useful. I’ve had an epiphany about my writing in general, not just about the current WIP.
Now, back to the assignments!
May 24th, 2007 at 8:18 amThank you, Lyn, for citing my work–A Novel Approach.
I am a writer and teacher, and I published the A Novel Approach newsletter for more than 3 years. I’ve been following Lyn’s class, and I want to second everything she’s said so far!
I have now compiled all issues of A Novel Approach into a single PDF, including all the worksheets referenced in the newsletters, which I sell for $25. Topics include Conflict, Characters, Plotting, Scene Development, Beginnings and Endings, and that important Emotion aspect.
I am offering an ANA package–everything I ever wrote about how to write a novel–as a door prize to those who attend and contribute to Lyn’s class. At the end of the class, Lyn will draw from the names of those who contribute, and I will send the lucky winner the A Novel Approach PDF.
My goal has always been to help people achieve their dreams. About 80% of my writing students who completed their novel have become published authors. I have now broadened my focus and I coach people to make miracles in all aspects of their lives.
Visit my website at kathyjacobson.com, or email me: kathy@kathyjacobson.com
For a great shot at winning an ANA package, submit a comment on Lyn’s class.
May 24th, 2007 at 9:39 amThis is really great stuff, Lyn. I am plotting out my second novel (sequel to #1) and I always have a hard time nailing down theme. So I am going to think long and hard but my stories usually involve confronting the past in order to embrace the future. Does that qualify as theme?
terri p.
May 24th, 2007 at 10:33 amMy theme involves resolving the past too, Terri. My h/h both have muliple conflicts with family and careers, but the internal conflict keeping them apart involves an incident which occurred during their past relationship. Katelynn was accused of stealing a diamond necklace belonging to Nick’s mother and was blackmailed into leaving town by Nick’s father. Only Kate and HER father know the truth about what happened.
Nick believes Kate didn’t love him, only used him to obtain access to his mother’s necklace in order to steal it. Hence, his dangerous life-truth is: “Women can’t be trusted. They only want me for my money/family name/social status.”
Kate believes if she tells Nick the truth, she’ll endanger her father, and Nick won’t believe her anyway. Hence, her dangerous life-truth is: “No matter what I do or how successful I am, I’m a failure because of my past. I have to continually try to prove I’m a good person.”
Epiphanies: Nick figures out Kate did not steal the necklace but took the blame in order to protect her father. Since this action mirrors his own personal code of honor with his family, he realizes she values love and family as much as he does. Kate realizes Nick believes she’s a good person when her father dies on her live cooking show and she’s accused of poisoning him. When everyone else deserts her, Nick steps in to prove her innocence.
Theme: search for truth leads to love
May 24th, 2007 at 1:40 pmI’m so glad that this discussion is bearing fruit for you! I think theme is so essential for a strong proposal and knowing and using it to make your story more powerful can only put you on top of the pile headed into the process that leads to acceptance. Or at least, a personal rejection!
And thanks, Kathy, for your gracious offer of a free A NOVEL APPROACH for one participant. You helped me so much!
Well, tomorrow is the final lesson!
May 24th, 2007 at 2:31 pmLyn
Misty,
Thanks for sharing. Your process is helpful to me because I see how I can apply that to my own work. I think part of the problem lies in that it isn’t written yet. LOL!
But I think I am getting the idea.
terri
May 24th, 2007 at 2:44 pmIn my medieval romance, the hero is scarred from a wolf attack many years ago, and even more scarred emotionally from a bad marriage. He falls in love with the heroine, but he doesn’t believe she could love him back.
May 24th, 2007 at 2:57 pmThe heroine has fear issues. She avoids men and doesn’t even realize she’s fallen in love with the hero until his life is endangered.
There are other themes in the story, but I suppose my romance themes are, beauty is internal not external, and love drives out fear.
Terri and Melanie,
May 31st, 2007 at 8:55 amTheme is difficult. But it’s all in your character’s mind and emotions. Keep prodding their internal conflicts till the theme pops up.
Melanie, Yes, those are themes. In an inspirational, it would be stated, “Perfect love casts out fear.”
And “God looks on the heart while man looks on the outside.”
Hope this is helping you!
Lyn