Bill Conrad's Blog - Posts Tagged "themes"
Common Writing Themes
Our lives contain many patterns. For example, I like ‘80s music. This admission should not come as a surprise, and it also should not be a surprise that my writing has common themes. I thought it would interest my four blog readers to discuss the ones I am aware of.
Immortality and age reduction are prominent. My characters find themselves younger, healthier, and living abnormally long lives. The concept I developed to explain long life is to eliminate parasites (bacteria) within our bodies. This concept allows our bodies to repair themselves quickly and remain young. I like this plot device because I certainly wish to be younger and live longer than average. Why? There is less pressure to succeed, I would have more energy, my body would not be in pain, and my future would be bright. Oh. The big reason. I would not die, and I am envious of my characters.
I often end a chapter by having my characters go to sleep and begin the next chapter with them waking up. This plot separation device makes perfect sense because falling asleep is like hitting the reset button. Every morning, I wake up with a fresh perspective. Last night's problems “feel” less important. This intuitive change is a natural stopping point for readers because they can safely put down the book knowing nothing will happen during the night.
I like secret government operations. What goes on at Area 51? Any secret government story could be true, and it is nearly impossible to perform a fact check because those subjects are classified. As a writer, this is an exciting space to explore. Any somewhat realistic secret government plot “could be true.” It is fun to write on the edge of reality. It is also a little frightening. What would happen if I wrote a true fictional story?
I like having solid female characters. It angers me to encounter stories/movies with mistreated, objectified, or weak female characters. Such stories do not read/view realistic because every woman I meet in real life does not behave like the flawed female characters I or watch. With this in mind, I keep my female characters realistic and a large part of the plot.
Alcohol is one of my favorite character weaknesses. In my own life, I have experienced being drunk and the resulting hangover. I have met many severe alcoholics, people who get raging drunk, people who are in complete denial of their drinking problem, and observed the destructive aftermath.
Why are there so few massage scenes in movies or books? I enjoy both giving and receiving this intimate activity. I dislike reading/viewing stories where the character jumps from hello into a lusty scene. In real life, people have apprehension and awaked moments in their relationships. A nice massage bridges the trust gap. This transition is accomplished in a friendly yet personal way. Also, spicy massage scenes are fun to create.
My stories are always linear. I dislike multiple storylines, hard-to-follow interaction, out-of-order action, unexplained events, side tangents, crazy surprises, or unexplained activities. Books should be enjoyable and not a challenge. “A horse ran past James.” What the heck? Where did the horse come from? We were talking about linear stories! Outlines, plot development, and editing are complex enough without jumping around. And a confused reader will always leave a critical review.
When I write, I concentrate the most on writing (grammar) errors rather than plot or character development. This is because I have known my English skills are not the best, and I work hard to uncover flaws. However, this focus on the technical aspects of writing leads to problems. For example, if a sentence is not easily correctable from a technical standpoint, I delete it. As a result, many details are missing from my descriptions, and my writing is action-focused.
I dislike leaving my characters in a happy state. Without conflict, drama, or challenge, there is no plot. As a result, something bad always happens after the character’s life returns to normal. This pattern is probably too clear, and I need to stop using it.
What can we conclude from all my common themes? I have obvious patterns, which are probably the result of my logical nature. This conclusion is not all bad. My analytical nature also provides the ability to write about them.
PS, my computer is back up and happy. More on this mind-bending experience in a later blog.
Immortality and age reduction are prominent. My characters find themselves younger, healthier, and living abnormally long lives. The concept I developed to explain long life is to eliminate parasites (bacteria) within our bodies. This concept allows our bodies to repair themselves quickly and remain young. I like this plot device because I certainly wish to be younger and live longer than average. Why? There is less pressure to succeed, I would have more energy, my body would not be in pain, and my future would be bright. Oh. The big reason. I would not die, and I am envious of my characters.
I often end a chapter by having my characters go to sleep and begin the next chapter with them waking up. This plot separation device makes perfect sense because falling asleep is like hitting the reset button. Every morning, I wake up with a fresh perspective. Last night's problems “feel” less important. This intuitive change is a natural stopping point for readers because they can safely put down the book knowing nothing will happen during the night.
I like secret government operations. What goes on at Area 51? Any secret government story could be true, and it is nearly impossible to perform a fact check because those subjects are classified. As a writer, this is an exciting space to explore. Any somewhat realistic secret government plot “could be true.” It is fun to write on the edge of reality. It is also a little frightening. What would happen if I wrote a true fictional story?
I like having solid female characters. It angers me to encounter stories/movies with mistreated, objectified, or weak female characters. Such stories do not read/view realistic because every woman I meet in real life does not behave like the flawed female characters I or watch. With this in mind, I keep my female characters realistic and a large part of the plot.
Alcohol is one of my favorite character weaknesses. In my own life, I have experienced being drunk and the resulting hangover. I have met many severe alcoholics, people who get raging drunk, people who are in complete denial of their drinking problem, and observed the destructive aftermath.
Why are there so few massage scenes in movies or books? I enjoy both giving and receiving this intimate activity. I dislike reading/viewing stories where the character jumps from hello into a lusty scene. In real life, people have apprehension and awaked moments in their relationships. A nice massage bridges the trust gap. This transition is accomplished in a friendly yet personal way. Also, spicy massage scenes are fun to create.
My stories are always linear. I dislike multiple storylines, hard-to-follow interaction, out-of-order action, unexplained events, side tangents, crazy surprises, or unexplained activities. Books should be enjoyable and not a challenge. “A horse ran past James.” What the heck? Where did the horse come from? We were talking about linear stories! Outlines, plot development, and editing are complex enough without jumping around. And a confused reader will always leave a critical review.
When I write, I concentrate the most on writing (grammar) errors rather than plot or character development. This is because I have known my English skills are not the best, and I work hard to uncover flaws. However, this focus on the technical aspects of writing leads to problems. For example, if a sentence is not easily correctable from a technical standpoint, I delete it. As a result, many details are missing from my descriptions, and my writing is action-focused.
I dislike leaving my characters in a happy state. Without conflict, drama, or challenge, there is no plot. As a result, something bad always happens after the character’s life returns to normal. This pattern is probably too clear, and I need to stop using it.
What can we conclude from all my common themes? I have obvious patterns, which are probably the result of my logical nature. This conclusion is not all bad. My analytical nature also provides the ability to write about them.
PS, my computer is back up and happy. More on this mind-bending experience in a later blog.
My Themes (Oops!)
Last week, I started a new blog titled “My Themes,” which described my typical writing themes. All was going well until yesterday evening, and at that point, I had committed at least two hours of writing. While searching for an unrelated topic, I came across:
https://interviewingimmortality.com/b...
A blog about my writing themes. Two hours wasted. Mental note: Check previous blog topics before starting a new one.
This mistake got me thinking. How many times have I covered prior material? At 218 blogs, I recall a few instances. But not this bad. Plus, I like to re-discuss topics.
What were the differences between the two blogs? The original focused on character/plot types and writing formats. My recent attempt focused on broader topics, including morals, plot structures, and how I treat the character. This collimated in an overall focus on bad things happening to ordinary people.
Taking a high-level view, I have grown as an author and now think more about the bigger picture. I suppose this is evidence of growth. For example, a new car buyer might focus on flashy appearances, and an experienced car enthusiast would concentrate on technical specifications.
Making mistakes is part of life, which is how we learn and grow. As a writer, the key is fixing issues at the editing stage. The problem is that books contain thousands of words, and it only takes one to do lots of damage. Fortunately, I found this little boo-boo before my four blog readers. Stay tuned for future mistakes.
https://interviewingimmortality.com/b...
A blog about my writing themes. Two hours wasted. Mental note: Check previous blog topics before starting a new one.
This mistake got me thinking. How many times have I covered prior material? At 218 blogs, I recall a few instances. But not this bad. Plus, I like to re-discuss topics.
What were the differences between the two blogs? The original focused on character/plot types and writing formats. My recent attempt focused on broader topics, including morals, plot structures, and how I treat the character. This collimated in an overall focus on bad things happening to ordinary people.
Taking a high-level view, I have grown as an author and now think more about the bigger picture. I suppose this is evidence of growth. For example, a new car buyer might focus on flashy appearances, and an experienced car enthusiast would concentrate on technical specifications.
Making mistakes is part of life, which is how we learn and grow. As a writer, the key is fixing issues at the editing stage. The problem is that books contain thousands of words, and it only takes one to do lots of damage. Fortunately, I found this little boo-boo before my four blog readers. Stay tuned for future mistakes.
Dual Themes
Nearly all stories used to be single-themed. They might have been action or romance, but there was no such thing as an action-romance. Times have changed, and writers have stepped up to create multiple story themes. A classic example is the buddy police officer theme. This is where two friends (partners) solve a crime (with lots of action) and have fun along the way. This super popular theme bridges the gap between raw drama (police work) and humor, making the raw drama (crime and suffering) easier to handle. Are buddy police officer themes realistic? Who cares because people like them.
There are a few rules to follow when creating a multi-theme story. The first is to limit the number of themes to two. Readers and viewers only tolerate so much combination.
The second is to balance between the two competing sides. In the buddy police officer theme, for example, the action and friendship would not run too deep. On the other hand, the humor would suffer if the story focused on violent, gritty police drama. The audience or readers might ask, “Why are you laughing at a time like this?"
Writers must also take a high-level view to evaluate the two themes for compatibility. For example, in the buddy police officer theme, it would not be appropriate to have comedy surrounding dead children.
The themes must be complementary and appropriate. But, of course, this means not taking risks. Mystery-western? Mmm, it does not sound good. Comedy-tragedy? Keep going… Science fiction-western? Tried and failed. Dystopian romance? Wow, that is off-target.
Another rule to follow is to keep the themes balanced and consistent. So, they must be present from start to finish. For example, in the buddy police story, it would not work to have a funny first half and an action-paced second half without humor.
There is a crucial distinction between a dual theme and a story that takes turns. For example, a character can go from a dramatic scene to romance, to action, and so on. This would not be a multi-themed combined story but would instead be an unfolding story.
What is an excellent example of a failed dual theme? The dreadful 1984 film Exit to Eden, starring Rosie O'Donnell and Dan Aykroyd, pops up on my list. It was supposed to be a buddy police film where two strait-laced police officers investigate a murder on a sexy fantasy island with hilarious consequences. The primary problem was that they slapped together the themes. The main characters did not bond, the sex/romance was super awkward, and the crime-solving was unrealistic/implausible. If they separated the movie into two (a buddy police film and a sexy fantasy island), then it is likely the two movies would have been good. Yet, I still remember a great quote from the movie, “What is my biggest sexual fantasy? Paint my house.” Did you laugh? I guess you had to sit through a terrible film to appreciate this quote.
I have never tried a dual theme, yet my plots have many elements. My first book contains big thrills, confrontation, and drama. Its sequel is a drama, romance, and travel. My second book is even worse. It contains drama, romance, sci-fi, and survival.
I’m probably deluding myself into thinking that these are not competing themes. My (imagined) distinction is that I did not start off with a single theme. Instead, I had a story that evolved and took an organic approach. Yeah, I am deluded and have taken a deep dive into multiple themes. Fortunately, my blogs stick to one theme.
There are a few rules to follow when creating a multi-theme story. The first is to limit the number of themes to two. Readers and viewers only tolerate so much combination.
The second is to balance between the two competing sides. In the buddy police officer theme, for example, the action and friendship would not run too deep. On the other hand, the humor would suffer if the story focused on violent, gritty police drama. The audience or readers might ask, “Why are you laughing at a time like this?"
Writers must also take a high-level view to evaluate the two themes for compatibility. For example, in the buddy police officer theme, it would not be appropriate to have comedy surrounding dead children.
The themes must be complementary and appropriate. But, of course, this means not taking risks. Mystery-western? Mmm, it does not sound good. Comedy-tragedy? Keep going… Science fiction-western? Tried and failed. Dystopian romance? Wow, that is off-target.
Another rule to follow is to keep the themes balanced and consistent. So, they must be present from start to finish. For example, in the buddy police story, it would not work to have a funny first half and an action-paced second half without humor.
There is a crucial distinction between a dual theme and a story that takes turns. For example, a character can go from a dramatic scene to romance, to action, and so on. This would not be a multi-themed combined story but would instead be an unfolding story.
What is an excellent example of a failed dual theme? The dreadful 1984 film Exit to Eden, starring Rosie O'Donnell and Dan Aykroyd, pops up on my list. It was supposed to be a buddy police film where two strait-laced police officers investigate a murder on a sexy fantasy island with hilarious consequences. The primary problem was that they slapped together the themes. The main characters did not bond, the sex/romance was super awkward, and the crime-solving was unrealistic/implausible. If they separated the movie into two (a buddy police film and a sexy fantasy island), then it is likely the two movies would have been good. Yet, I still remember a great quote from the movie, “What is my biggest sexual fantasy? Paint my house.” Did you laugh? I guess you had to sit through a terrible film to appreciate this quote.
I have never tried a dual theme, yet my plots have many elements. My first book contains big thrills, confrontation, and drama. Its sequel is a drama, romance, and travel. My second book is even worse. It contains drama, romance, sci-fi, and survival.
I’m probably deluding myself into thinking that these are not competing themes. My (imagined) distinction is that I did not start off with a single theme. Instead, I had a story that evolved and took an organic approach. Yeah, I am deluded and have taken a deep dive into multiple themes. Fortunately, my blogs stick to one theme.
