Theme (and a Little Bit About Hall of Mirrors)
Theme is something that gets talked about a lot in writing circles, but it's honestly something I never gave a lot of thought to before. It was something that evolved over the course of writing the story, or that you found after you were done.
But as I mature in my writing, I'm giving it more and more thought, and coming to agree with the idea that the answer to the question 'what is your story about?' should be the same as 'what is the theme?'. The theme is what the story's about. The plot is just what happens.
You've heard of the 'elevator pitch?' Boiling down your story to a single sentence? Well, now I also strive to make the themes of my books strong enough to be distilled down to a single word. That's the goal, and for the first time in anything that I've written, that's where I started from with Hall of Mirrors.
If Remember, November is about identity, and The Fires of Winter is about truth, then Hall of Mirrors is about consequences. If that sounds ominous, well, [SPOILERS REDACTED]. There are, of course, myriad sub-themes throughout my books, but as far as a pure distillation, that's how I interpret it. You may disagree, or see things in them that I don't, and that's great. That's the beauty of art, innit?
But for something so nebulous as 'theme' to go from an afterthought to very much a forethought is an interesting transition to me, mentally. Maybe it's because I've gotten to know these characters so well, they write their own stories now, and when I write something else, that may not be the case, I don't know. But the thread that connects everything I write is character, and the relationships between the characters. It all stems from that; without them, there is no story.
I am very excited and anxious to share Mirrors with you, and I will have news regarding release date and whatnot once I get a few more things nailed down, but it is coming, rest assured.
"When will then be now?"
"Soon."
"How soon?"*
I will let you know as soon as I know, promise.
But as I mature in my writing, I'm giving it more and more thought, and coming to agree with the idea that the answer to the question 'what is your story about?' should be the same as 'what is the theme?'. The theme is what the story's about. The plot is just what happens.
You've heard of the 'elevator pitch?' Boiling down your story to a single sentence? Well, now I also strive to make the themes of my books strong enough to be distilled down to a single word. That's the goal, and for the first time in anything that I've written, that's where I started from with Hall of Mirrors.
If Remember, November is about identity, and The Fires of Winter is about truth, then Hall of Mirrors is about consequences. If that sounds ominous, well, [SPOILERS REDACTED]. There are, of course, myriad sub-themes throughout my books, but as far as a pure distillation, that's how I interpret it. You may disagree, or see things in them that I don't, and that's great. That's the beauty of art, innit?
But for something so nebulous as 'theme' to go from an afterthought to very much a forethought is an interesting transition to me, mentally. Maybe it's because I've gotten to know these characters so well, they write their own stories now, and when I write something else, that may not be the case, I don't know. But the thread that connects everything I write is character, and the relationships between the characters. It all stems from that; without them, there is no story.
I am very excited and anxious to share Mirrors with you, and I will have news regarding release date and whatnot once I get a few more things nailed down, but it is coming, rest assured.
"When will then be now?"
"Soon."
"How soon?"*
I will let you know as soon as I know, promise.
...
*From Spaceballs: The Movie
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