How to Identify Your Story’s Theme
Identifying your book’s themes can have a big impact on how you market your story, who your target audience is, and what kind of story you’re telling.
But firstly, what is a theme?
Your story’s theme is the underlying message or concept that you’re trying to convey to your reader. This could be a moral, a lesson, or even an exploration of a universal experience.
So how can you find your theme?
#1 Inspect your characters
One factor that may be heavily influencing your theme is your characters. Things like their fears, strengthens, misbeliefs, and goals could be the crux of your entire story.
To find your most significant themes, look at your characters and the journey they undergo throughout the story.
For example:
Elizabeth and Darcy overcoming their pride and prejudice is the theme of Pride & Prejudice.
Edmond Dantès’s goal is to exact revenge, which becomes a main theme in The Count of Monte Cristo.
#2 Examine your conflicts
Another element that may highlight your central theme is the conflict. This will often be what the protagonist is fighting against and what or who opposes them.
Consider what is truly at stake in the conflict and what concepts you might be exploring.
For example:
In the Harry Potter series, “good versus evil” is a strong theme seen in the overarching conflict between Harry and Voldemort.
In The Lord of the Flies, a central theme is corruption, which is seen in how quickly things between the stranded boys turn malicious.
#3 Explore your world
Your story world may be a huge influence in finding your story’s theme. This is particularly the case for survival stories or second-world SFF, in which the setting can become something of a force or obstacle within itself.
Take a look at how your world impacts the story and may inform some of the themes or messages.
For example:
1984 explores the concept of “man versus society”.
Similarly, The Martian explores “man versus nature” by following the story of a castaway on Mars.
Why does theme matter?
Choosing the right themes for your book can ensure that the right readers are finding it.
Themes can impact:
Target audience — mature themes will age books out of YA and into Adult.
Genre expectations — certain genres cover certain themes and these may be expected by the readers.
Trigger warnings — some themes or concepts may require trigger warnings for audiences.
Marketing — some themes are more marketable or “trendy” than others, so they can impact marketability for your book.
Without a strong theme behind your book, there is less for your reader to take away from reading and that may lessen the impact of your book.
Questions to ask yourself:
To help you identify your story’s themes, here as some questions to ask yourself:
What do the characters learn by the end of the book?
How do you want readers to feel after reading?
What do you feel like you’re trying to say?
What are some topics you explore in the book?
What are some standard themes for other books in your genre?
Remember: your theme doesn’t need to be original. Themes are universal.
