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 |   A month-long novel-planning challenge with prizes galore. |
What themes are you exploring in your own work? None. If themes appear (and they possibly do), they are subconscious. I write because I have an idea I want to put down on paper. I have had people read themes into my work, and that's cool. They were never put there consciously. I write to tell a story, I do not write to a theme. But - and I want to emphasise this - that is me. I do find stories written to a theme to the exclusion of most else are dull. And sometimes theme overwhelms what should be a fun tale. There should be some sort of balance there. Do you need help pinning down your themes? Possibly... if I cared.  Look, many writers feel that themes are vital to them, to help get their ideas down in a cohesive manner, especially during ther plotting/planning phase. When a plan gets bogged down, go back to the theme you want to explore and see if that can help steer your story in a happier direction for you. Themes can also help you develop characters by using the archetypes that are related to those themes, which can give a solid base for building your own character. When writing a short story (and I know this is moving away from NaNo), a theme can help a beginner writer turn a vignette into a short story, give it an arc. Because the idea of themes can help give an overall story arc. Characters need to grow or change for a story to be compelling to a mature reader. If there is a theme that can help that develop naturally, then utilise it as another tool. So, yes, I do see the value in having a theme there for some writers, and can even understand how it can help. I am not saying ignore themes. I am saying I ignore themes. that's all. |
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