Shhh I'm Hunting Themes!

I’ve been thinking about themes a lot lately. Does a good book need an underlying theme that pulls it all together? I don’t think so, but a great book requires some unifying theme to provide additional meaning to events and characters. Since we want to write great books, lets discuss themes.

So, how as writers do we include themes into our stories? There are two primary ways---I call them organic and inorganic. Organic themes appear on their own, usually after the first draft of the manuscript has been completed. Once we identify the organic theme, it is our job to make sure we integrate that theme throughout the story. 

The second method is to consciously start with a theme and write it into the story at every opportunity.  If the muse for our novel is the damaging effects of income inequality in our society, then we must create situations that highlight that problem.

I’ve written manuscripts using both methods. Both can work, but I prefer the organic approach. I’ve never finished a manuscript and not found underlying themes I was happy to elaborate on. I think that comes naturally during the writing process and the creation of characters. While themes are good to have, it is important to remember that characters and story are the main reasons readers buy books.  Don’t mess them up by forcing in themes that are not necessary. 

By Jeff Altabef, author of the political thriller, Fourteenth Colony (Average rating 4.9 out of 5 Stars) http://www.amazon.com/Fourteenth-Colony-Jeff-Altabef-ebook/dp/B00C2D97OS/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encod...=

Also, please follow me on twitter at @JeffAltabef