- Grab a photo of anything.
- Study it for a few minutes.
- Brainstorm a list of words that come to mind as you are looking at it.
- Take your list of words, and use them to create a poem of your choice.
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Theme: That Sticky Thing Some Have Issues With
How do you insert a theme into your story? Well, there are different ways of doing this. Just so you know, how this is done differs from writer to writer. After all, we are all different minded individuals. I tend to do things a little backwards. At least in my mind I do. To start with, theme is a lesson or idea the story teaches and is carried throughout the story. A story can have more than one, so don’t think you can’t go beyond that.
Examples
1. Good vs. evil
2. Power of corruption
3. Love
4. Free will
5. Tragedy
Of course, there are many many more. But, how do you incorporated it into your story? I have come to the knowledge over the years that it has much to do with how you write. I am a panster. In other words, I don’t plan. I make the story up as I go along. I know in advance the type of theme I am wanting to work with, so I set out writing my story. As I am writing, the theme is working in the background, a.k.a simmering in my subconscious. It will come to the surface as the story unfolds.
In my latest book The Cross’s Key, when I finished it, I started at the beginning of the book and looked for anything that pertained to the story’s theme and made notations of it. When that was finished, I went back to each notation and decided whether or not the theme was developed enough. If it wasn’t, what did I need to insert in order to develop it more. Was there anything that didn’t make any sense that needed clarification? Did the theme flow with the rest of the story, or was there something out of place that might derail the reader? Trust me, it’s your story, so you will know the answers to these questions at the moment you’re going through it.
If you are a planner and plan your story out before you set to writing that first chapter, then you are going to outline your chosen theme during the planning process. If this is the way you work, what I would do is come up with a theme first. Next, I would write down in a couple of sentences what my book is about (or a general idea anyway). Then go back to your theme and brainstorm various ways that theme could be incorporated into your story.
Whatever way you choose, please note, theme is an integral part of your story. Yes, I know there are many elements to a story that are important, but theme will pull at the reader’s mind and work toward making connections in ways only they will know.
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High Winds
High winds blew all of the leaves off my backyard trees in one swoop night. They were blown bare, which leads me to my next observation. As they stand there, a statement is being made by them in their own way. “Winter is coming, and we’re ready to go the distance.” In the spring, of course, they come back to life and grow to their fullest once more.
As writers, sometimes life blows in and knocks us down in one swoop. Whether it’s family issues, living issues, medical issues, writer’s block, a review your not happy with, or your motivation just isn’t there. Know this: set backs are temporary. There will be a Spring of sorts coming your way, and you will flourish again. Don’t allow the winds of life to knock you down and keep you down. Spring back to life.
Welcome All
Weather’s War by L. M. Montes
The rising sun kissed the horizon,
peeking shyly above the edge of Earth,
as it climbs in steady gait
beaming arms of light ready themselves
to slice through the day.
Clouds compete,
and waft across the sun,
arresting light till the day is done.
Then in gusts wind blows its breath,
and rescues sun’s beams glory light.
On and on this fight is fought,
until the elements blame and gust,
not caring who below it harms,
as long as all gets what they want.
Developing Story Ideas
Steps to developing your story ideas don’t have to be difficult. Here are some ways to do this.
Create a Character
Describe his/her physical attributes, personality, their likes and dislikes. You can include their race and ethnicity. What is their job? What other details about them are there?
Identify Your Character’s Desire
What is it specifically that drives your character into action?
Choose a Resistance
What or who will stand in your character’s way?
The Change
Decide on how your character will grow throughout the story.
Captivating Settings
What is going on in and around your character’s world?
Putting it all together
When you first start your story idea, the above will work as a guideline. Jot down some ideas in a journal or notebook for each of the above areas to get yourself started. Then go back and develop each area in more detail. Continue this process until you have enough details written in each of the above areas to bein your story. However, when you begin writing, your story will be up to you. Everybody is different. You may not need many details to start, but others will.
Whispers by L. M. Montes
A whisper gently tickles,
as one’s words politely trickle,
whether kind or filled with angst,
the mind will sing or sink with pangs
of what it does not want to know.
But do we sit and let it fester
or set it loose on water’s flow?
The Cross’s Key
The Kindle/eBook version and all formats of my new novel are now live on Amazon.
WRITE TIME AND AGAIN 