What Is Theme?

A lot of novel writing books (and I've read a few) barely touch upon the question of What Is Theme? Why is that...

• Is it because theme is unimportant in fiction? Nope. If you want your novel to be published, it needs a deeper layer of meaning that a theme provides.

• Is it because it is something you can ignore and hope will go away? Not if you want your novel to be the best it can be.

• Is it because theme is a tricky concept to pin down? Kind of, yes. But just because something isn't immediately straightforward is no excuse for ignoring it.

The reason theme is tricky to pin down is that it is abstract, not concrete. It should be present in your novel, but not particularly visible. It is something you shouldn't notice, but will miss if it isn't there.

With virtually every other aspect of novel writing, there are specific steps you can take to achieve your objective.

Constructing a character or building a plot, for example, are like making things out of wood and nails: you can have fun with a hammer and then step back and admire what you have made when you have finished.

But theme isn't like that. It can't be built at all, actually, but rather is something that emerges from your novel as you write it, or reveals itself as the work progresses.

"Forget about theme and simply let it happen," some writing instructors will tell you - which, to be fair, is an improvement on the ones who don't tell you anything at all.

And there is a large element of truth in what they say.

But a beginning novelist can hardly be expected to have faith in theme "just happening" when they aren't even sure what it is.

What Is Theme? - The Articles

The best place to start is with A Definition of the Literary Term Theme. Even if you think you already know what it is, starting with this article is a must.

Having worked out the answer to What Is Theme?, the next question is Why is theme important for your novel? What purpose does it serve? What is the point of it? You can find out by reading Why the Theme of a Story Matters.

Next, Theme and The Writing Process, will show you precisely how to handle theme during every stage of the novel writing process, from finding an idea right through to revision.

Last but not least, Theme: A Final Caveat (members only). Having said that the theme of a story is important, it is still possible to follow all of the advice in this section and go horribly wrong. The final article will help you to avoid this trap.