Theme: Finding Your Focus

Lana Straub
Questo libro mi ha davvero colpito. Exclaimed the stranger at the library the other day. I looked
over at her and grinned to myself. That's what I want my book to do. If nothing else, as a writer, I
want anything I write to have a lasting effect on my reader. In order to do this, the work must have a
central idea or focus: something the reader can bite into and chew on for a little while. This focus
comes in the form of the Theme of my novel.
Prenderemo in considerazione We will take a look at Theme and how development of the Theme
helps our book to have focus and leave a lasting impression on the minds and hearts of our readers.
What is Theme? Most of us have struggled with this term since we began as earlier writers in
freshman high school English class. The most helpful definition I've found for this word comes
from Ethel Herr in her book, An Introduction to Christian Writing. She suggests that you ask
yourself, "What one thing are you trying to tell your readers?" She goes on to advise writers, "State
[your Theme] in a single, simple sentence."
Joanne Reid in her Internet series, How to Write a Novel in Ten Weeks
(http://www.reporters.net/jbreid/course10weeks.htm), goes on to remind us that Theme is also
related to genre. She writes, "If you are writing a romance novel, your approach to the [Theme of]
love should be positive. Otherwise, you will be writing fiction that you don't believe in." And, if
you don't believe in your fiction, neither will your reader.
Another important piece of advice comes from Robin Hemley in her book, Turning Life into
Fiction, "What we are ultimately after is focus -- a handle -- something the reader can grab onto, a
reference point, something that makes us feel we're in good hands with someone who knows where
he's headed." Think of Theme as your reader's lifeline, and you are reeling them into the heart of
your story. The Theme keeps them hanging onto your story until your books conclusion.
Spend some time and think about the focal idea of your work, the center of your novel, and narrow
that idea to a single, simple concise sentence. Once you've nailed down your Theme and established
your focus, you can go into the stage of developing it. According to Philip Gerard in his book,
Writing a Book that makes a Difference, you should be constantly developing and redeveloping
your Theme as you write your novel. And, once you have fully developed the focus of your novel,
you should "develop [your Themes] the way a photographer develops film -- clarifying, sharpening,
creating nuances of highlight and shadow, composing the elements so that the eye is persistently
drawn back to the center." That center is the focus of your work. That center is the ideas or ideals
that you want the reader to take away from your novel and keep in their heart long after the book
has been closed and returned to the shelf. How can this focus and them be developed? Philip Gerard
offers several suggestions for developing Theme and maintaining focus of your literary work.
Repetition
According to Gerard, repetition is the simplest tool the writer can use to develop Theme. Repetition
"creates emphasis" and "provokes memory." In essence, it lets the reader know what is important to
us in our story and it makes sure that the importance is burned in their brain for future recollection.
Resonance and Cumulative Meaning
Once we've established the memory through repetition, resonance and cumulative meaning can be
used to keep these memories pounding quietly in the reader's chest. Each memory builds on another
as the action rises and falls and the cumulative Theme is established. Text and Subtext, Story
Elements and Melodrama, Gerard reminds us "there has to be a good story happening on the page
before that story can mean something deeply significant between the lines." As writers, we

sometimes have this wonderful thematic idea that we know would touch others so deeply, but we
cannot seem to find the concrete story in which to relay our Theme. Once again, we must find our
focus. Center your story on the subject that ignited your passion to write your novel. Use plain
concise language, especially when your scene is complex, it enables your reader to "see" your
Theme more clearly. Use subtext to give your action artistic meaning, so that your reader can see
your Theme floating just below the surface of the main action.
Time and Story
When writing your novel, you must have a sense of time and use time to develop your story.
According to Gerard, time comes in two forms, a sense of duration and a sense of clock. Sense of
clock depends on sense of duration and the longer the story the more each element matters. You
must have a beginning, middle, and an end or your novel will be incomplete. You should know the
chronology of your story and where you are going before you begin writing, or how will you know
when you have reached the end.
Memory and Emotion
Memory and emotion are key elements to thematic development. According to Gerard, "the words
are meant to trigger associations from the readers own life -- to act as emotional cues [and] recall a
personal experience." We know we have written a good story when something we wrote conjures up
memories of our reader and emotions that they try to suppress. We know that the Theme of our
work has left an impression on their hearts and minds.
Rhythm
"Repetition plus variation" is how E.M. Forster defines the rhythm of the novel. As we have said,
repetition is the writer's greatest tool. Repetition plus variation creates rhythm and gives the reader
cues to what is to come in the story. According to Gerard, these cues are the "exact parts the reader
needs to have in the forefront of his mind to comprehend the scene in front of him." This creates a
rhythmic resonance that gives the reader a personal interest in the story and keeps him hanging on
until the end.
Each of these elements helps your story to have focus and continuity. If you can keep your focus,
your reader will get interested, stay interested and keep reading. Find the focus of your story, write
it down concisely, and then use some of Philip Gerard's ideas to develop it. You may just find
yourself on the library shelves one day very soon.