The build so far…
• Themes & Tone (Today's Topic!)
• Antagonist & Adversity
• Climax & Reflection
Welcome! Here we are in our third installment of the Building Stories series. If you are new here, each part in this series builds on the last. So I highly recommend checking out the first few installments, which you can catch up on with the links above.
This time we’re looking at themes and tones, these often carry the emotional core or backbone of a story. It's also a big factor in what gives a story the VIBES you are looking for.
Themes
What is a theme? Thanks for asking. Themes are the underlining meaning or message that the story conveys. Some generic examples include things like, love conquers all, or, absolute power corrupts absolutely. They can also be more broad, summed up in one word, revenge, regret, or obsession. But let's face it the one word answers are really too broad. But if one word is all you have that’s a good place to start.
Not every writer can pin point their theme before they start drafting. In fact in my experience, both writing and editing it seems that once the first draft is knocked out it’s much easier to see what themes emerged. Example: Started drafting with the theme of revenge in mind. After finishing and reviewing the draft it becomes clear the theme is, revenge will not bring peace. It's also important to keep in mind that good stories have multiple themes that are usually closely related and effected by one another. Example: Revenge, grief, and hope.
(Disclaimer: Theme, is a pretty deep topic that I could go on and on about. For the purposes of this series we are staying in the shallows. I consider themes more like ideas I want to explore, than lessons I want to convey. It’s important to remember that everyone of us has a different lived experience and could gather a totally different interpretation of what a stories themes are other than what its author intended, and that is fine.)
Now, what does all this theme talk mean when building out your story? My advice, it’s okay to have an idea of the main theme as you head into drafting but don't over think it. Let it come out how it comes out and then step back and see what emerged. Example: The theme started off as a journey for independence and ended up as someone emotionally closed off learning how to let people in again. If you are having trouble finding or pin pointing your themes it's a good idea to ask someone else. In fact even if you think you know exactly what the themes are it's a good idea to ask someone else. What if they read something totally different? Let's face it, as writers we are not always the most subjective with our own work. (Of course everyone will interpret things differently to some extent, so keep that in mind.)
Having a good grasp of what themes shone through in your draft should give you an idea of where to start adjusting, adding or cutting where necessary. Remember, writing is revising. (I know, I'm sorry, I hate it too.)
Tone
What is tone? Well, in 2024 it feels like tone is interchangeable with the word VIBES. That's right, your story needs a vibe check. Personally I feel tone is a bit easier to grasp than theme. It's usually heavily influenced by the genre of the book. Example: Crime thrillers. They tend to involve darker tones, usually centering around a murder of some kind. They have lots of tension and suspense. The tone is baked right into the genre, that's an easy one. But keep in mind there are always exceptions.
Picking a tone is closely related to how you want your reader to feel while reading. If you are writing thrillers you probably want a tone of suspense. Writing romance? You want a feeling of excitement, a sense of possibilities. While every scene will have different needs, keep in mind the overall tone of the book as a whole. Use that as a guiding principle. Make sure the events that take place line up with your goals or at the very least do not actively work against them. Example: If you want a feel good romantic vacation read, you might not want to put a grizzly murder in the middle of the story. (Or maybe you do, like I said it's all about keeping your goals in mind.) Some stories might even require a tonal shift during or after a major plot point. But getting this to work will likely require some reader feedback to make these transitions smooth and believable.
Conclusion
Theme and tone are not always something we can have a firm grasp of before we have a first draft to work from. But I still believe it's important to give these things a bit of thought before diving in completely to drafting. Having something to point you in the right direction can sometimes be a saving grace when we are mid-draft.
