In separate post I talked about how I am planning for my next novel, A Child of Great Promise. Here I talk about planning theme.
This derives pretty directly from the character, at least for this novel. I know there are books that deal with more general themes, such as salvation or War and Peace, or whatever. None of that feels right here.
My character, Falaise, is going to grow up. I don't want this to be a coming of age story, though I won't object if that's the label someone wants to use. What I really want is for Falaise to turn herself inside out. On the outside she is independent, even hostile. On the inside she is insecure and fearful. I want her to learn to lean on others, to trust them, and to learn where to place that trust. You only learn that through hard lessons, so that works in story terms.
This means she is going to start out alone, or at least believing she is alone, but will end up with friends. I like that. I'm not always for a happy ending, but I'm always for a satisfying one.
So, I guess my theme is about dependence and independence. About freedom and the different forms that can take. But it can also be about confidence, about friendship, and about sacrifice. And that's too dang many words for a theme. I'm still working on this one.
I'm really unsure about the degree to which this needs to be planned. Right now I'm satisfied that I've thought about it, and that I have a document called "Theme" in my Scrivener project, and that I have lots of scribbled, and contradictory, notes on it. I'm willing to regard my as a hypothesis subject to revision based on new evidence.
How about you planners? Do you address theme prior to writing? If so, how?
This derives pretty directly from the character, at least for this novel. I know there are books that deal with more general themes, such as salvation or War and Peace, or whatever. None of that feels right here.
My character, Falaise, is going to grow up. I don't want this to be a coming of age story, though I won't object if that's the label someone wants to use. What I really want is for Falaise to turn herself inside out. On the outside she is independent, even hostile. On the inside she is insecure and fearful. I want her to learn to lean on others, to trust them, and to learn where to place that trust. You only learn that through hard lessons, so that works in story terms.
This means she is going to start out alone, or at least believing she is alone, but will end up with friends. I like that. I'm not always for a happy ending, but I'm always for a satisfying one.
So, I guess my theme is about dependence and independence. About freedom and the different forms that can take. But it can also be about confidence, about friendship, and about sacrifice. And that's too dang many words for a theme. I'm still working on this one.
I'm really unsure about the degree to which this needs to be planned. Right now I'm satisfied that I've thought about it, and that I have a document called "Theme" in my Scrivener project, and that I have lots of scribbled, and contradictory, notes on it. I'm willing to regard my as a hypothesis subject to revision based on new evidence.
How about you planners? Do you address theme prior to writing? If so, how?