Variations on a Theme
Let Me Tell You a Story ReleasedOct. 5th!
My next volume in the Writing inthe Dark series for the good folks at Raw Dog Screaming Press is called LetMe Tell You a Story, and it’s scheduled to come out Oct. 5th.
Here’s a description of the book fromRDSP’s website:
In Let Me Tell You a StoryWaggoner presents stories from his own publishing career and uses them toillustrate techniques and point out ways to improve. “In both Writing in theDark and Writing in the Dark: The Workbook, I included a short storyof mine and critiqued it based on the principles outlined in those books.Readers responded well to this feature, so I decided to focus a new book oncritiquing stories drawn from throughout my career, discussing what worked,what didn’t, and what I might do differently if I had the chance to rewrite thestories. I hope readers will find Let Me Tell You a Story to be asinteresting – and most importantly as useful – as its predecessors.”
There are fourteen stories in thebook, five of which have never been reprinted after their initial appearances.
You can find order links for Let MeTell You a Story later in this entry.
I learned a lot from analyzing my stories,reflecting on their creation, and viewing them in the overall context of mycareer. One of the things I noticed was various themes that recurred in mywork, and that got me thinking about different ways to make theme work forauthors. And that, in turn, inspired the following article.
Recurring Themes
(This article originally appeared inmy Sept. 2023 newsletter.)
In 2002, I read David Morrell’s Lessonsfrom a Lifetime of Writing (which in 2008 was reworked and re-released as TheSuccessful Novelist). One of the things Morrell talks about in the book isidentifying your major theme(s) as a writer – which often appear subconsciouslyin your work – so that you can consciously strengthen them. He said that aftermuch thought, he realized he wrote about fathers and sons the most (whetherliteral or figurative fathers and sons). I found that fascinating, so I decidedto see if I could identify my own theme(s). Duality was a big one, as was wateras a symbol of cosmic horror (I almost drowned in a lake when I was nine).Transformation was another theme. A couple more: Not being able to fully trustthose closest to you and not being able to fully trust that reality is what itappears to be. I’ve also had themes for different stages of my life. When mydaughters were young, parental fears featured prominently in many of mystories. Now that they’re both grown and I’m getting older, aging is startingto become a recurring theme.
It helped that I’d written a fairnumber of novels and short fiction by that point. I had plenty of examples to compare.I don’t remember doing anything more than looking back on my bibliography andthinking about the stories and novels that I’d written. I suppose if I needed amore structured way to approach this analysis in the future, I could go backthrough my work and list the various story elements. Then I could compare themand note which ones showed up the most often.
What’s the benefit from identifyingyour themes? You can delve into them more deeply because you can do soconsciously. If like me you have several, you can start mixing and matchingthem in ways you haven’t before. If you find that you’re repeating the way yourexpress your themes in your work – for example, I discover I’m using too manylakes in my stories – I can find other ways to use water as a symbol. Rain, awaterpark, a shower that won’t turn off . . . And if I feel too hemmed in by myrecurring themes, or that I’m repeating myself too much, I can purposely avoidreturning to those themes. Hey, this isanother water story! DELETE. Notrelying on my usual material will help me stretch and grow as a writer. Recurringthemes can also give you a focus for short story collections. My collection ALittle Aqua Book of Marine Stories was centered on – surprise! – mywater-themed tales.
You can research your themes in orderto explore them further and get different ideas or find new ways to approachold ones. I did this recently for a story when I researched fear of water. Aquaphobiais fear of water – which I knew – but I learned about different variations andways to treat it. I also learned about thalassophobia, fear of deep bodies ofwater. That phobia would go well with my water as cosmic horror symbol theme.
Some artistsprefer not to analyze their own process and work at all, afraid that by doingso they’ll become so self-conscious they’ll freeze up and stop producing work.I think this is a real possibility, although it’s not something that’s everstopped me. But I naturally tend toward introspection and self-analysis, and I’malways looking for ways to grow, both as a writer and as a person. But if you’drather not gaze behind the curtain of your imagination for fear that you mightruin the magic, that’s cool. But maybe a general awareness of your themes won’thurt?
Maybe explore and little and see whathappens. You might find whole new worlds of imagination opening for you.
If you’d like to buy David’s book, youcan do so here: https://www.amazon.com/Successful-Novelist-Lifetime-Lessons-Publishing/dp/1402210558/ref=sr_1_1?crid=E2UTIUF35CYA&keywords=david+morrell+novelist&qid=1693854470&s=books&sprefix=david+morrell+novelist%2Cstripbooks%2C157&sr=1-1
DEPARTMENT OF SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION
Order Links for Let Me Tell You aStory
If you order the book at the Raw Dog ScreamingPress site in either hardback or paperback, you’ll get a discount until Oct. 5th!
https://rawdogscreaming.com/books/let-me-tell-you-a-story/
But if you’d prefer to order fromAmazon or B&N:
Barnes and Noble Paperback: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1143990468?ean=9781947879645
Barnes and Noble Hardback: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1143990468?ean=9781947879638
Lord of the Feast Also Available for Preorder
My next novel for Flame Tree, Lordof the Feast, will be out April 16th, 2024. My editor DonD’Auria says it’s “Incredibly original, great characters, compellingplot... Basically a damn good book.” Thisis the tenth book that Don and I have worked on together since 2005.
This novel is set in Oakmont, Ohio,the same town where The Mouth of the Dark takes place. It’s not a directsequel, though.
Synopsis:
Twenty years ago, a cult attempted tocreate their own god: The Lord of the Feast. The god was a horrible,misbegotten thing, however, and the cultists killed the creature before itcould come into its full power. The cultists trapped the pieces of their godinside mystic nightstones then went their separate ways. Now Kate, one of thecultists’ children, seeks out her long-lost relatives, hoping to learn thetruth of what really happened on that fateful night. Unknown to Kate, hercousin Ethan is following her, hoping she’ll lead him to the nightstones sothat he might resurrect the Lord of the Feast – and this time, Ethan plans todo the job right.
Order Links
Flame Tree Press Paperback and eBook: https://www.flametreepublishing.com/lord-of-the-feast-isbn-9781787586369.html
Barnes & Noble Paperback: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lord-of-the-feast-tim-waggoner/1143636012?ean=9781787586369
Barnes & Noble eBook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lord-of-the-feast-tim-waggoner/1143636012?ean=9781787586376
SCHEDULED APPEARANCES
Butcher Cabin Bookfest. October 18th.5pm – 10pm. Pivot Brewing, 1400 Delaware Ave, Lexington, Kentucky.
Scarelastic Book Fair 2: March 2nd.12pm – 6pm. Scarlet Lane Brewing. 7724 Depot Street, McCordsville, Indiana.
StokerCon 2024. May 30th toJune 2nd. San Diego, California.
WHERE TO FIND ME ONLINE
Newsletter Sign-Up: https://timwaggoner.com/contact.htm Website: www.timwaggoner.com Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/twaggon1?subscribe Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Tim-Waggoner/author/B001JP0XFM?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true Blog: http://writinginthedarktw.blogspot.com/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/timwaggonerswritinginthedark X (formerly Twitter): @timwaggoner Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tim.waggoner.9 Instagram: tim.waggoner.scribe Threads: @tim.waggoner.scribe@threads.net BlueSky: @timwaggoner.bsky.social Slasher: @TimWaggoner
