The Author Toolbox Blog Hop is “a monthly blog hop on the theme of resources/learning for authors: posts related to the craft of writing, editing, querying, marketing, publishing, blogging tips for authors, reviews of author-related products, anything that an author would find helpful.” Want to jump into the writing tool box? Search #AuthorToolboxBlogHop or to join via blog, click here.

When writing, speaking, or listening to a podcast of something you love, isn’t there usually a bottom line? Isn’t there a point you want to make or hear? This is theme. Theme is the backbone of storytelling. I never realized the importance of interlacing key theme in thoughts and dialogue until I met my editor, and boy, did she really show me how to make it shine.

So how do you make theme shine as you write? The first thought I’d like to point out comes from the website “well-storied” by Kristen Kieffer. She states: “However, a story’s most important thematic statement is often that which lives at the heart of its characters’ experiences.”

So how do you get to the heart? Kieffer mentions the difference in theme and a thematic statement. Examples of literacy themes might be: coming of age, prejudice, discrimination, courage and heroism. From what I understand, thematic statements are more about the character your showing to the world.

Questions Kieffer asks when writing a specific statement are:

1. “Who are your characters when the story begins?”
2. “What conflicts will they experience?”
3. “Who do they become when the story ends?”

An example of a theme in lord of the rings might be war and power, immortality at any price, even forgiveness. Taking it deeper, I can’t help but think of how many times Gollum could have been killed and yet he wasn’t. How the Elven princess gave her own immortality away so freely for love. How grander power means more hunger for more power and causes the loss of heart, of soul. So maybe a thematic statement might explore the price of immortality on the loss of the soul and the only way to remain rooted in soul is to give the power back. In any case, check out the article for all sorts of great examples. Happy Hop Day 🙂