How to bring out theme to give your story extra oomph

It's been a crazy month around here-- a lot crazier than I thought it was going to be, hence me being absent from the blogosphere even more than I thought I'd be. I'm sorry I haven't been around to your blogs much lately. I really do miss hearing thoughts and news from my internet writing buddies! Hopefully things will calm down soon, and I'll see you around a bit more.

In the meantime, let's talk a bit more about what I mentioned last week-- theme. I've often found that there are times when it feels like my story is missing something, like there's some important piece missing. It just falls flat. It might be bad, it might even be good, but it's never GREAT. When that happens, I've found that the main culprit is a theme that's either missing or not fully expressed.

Theme is a complicated but necessary part of every story. For me, I've found that theme is one of the things that tends to come more organically. Even when I plan things ahead of time for a theme, it changes (or becomes more specific) 90% of the time. So let's talk about how you can use theme to enhance your story, whether you plan it or let it come out on its own.

1. Know what theme is-- and what it isn't.

Theme isn't the "lesson" or message you're trying to teach your readers. You don't want to come across preachy, because people will get bored an ignore what you're trying to say. Theme is what your story is really about underneath the plot, and as such, it often comes out as a natural part of your concept or characters. For example, in my current story The Unhappening of Genesis Lee, the plot is about a girl whose memories are being stolen. A natural thematic extension of that revolves around identity-- how do you define who you are? By your past? By what people tell you? By what you feel, say or do?

2. Write out your theme, and try to phrase it as a question

It's often a good idea for your theme to be a question-- and you don't necessarily have to answer that question. You can explore the different facets of it, and leave your reader to make their own conclusions. That will have a much bigger impact on them than if you told them what the point of the story is. Let them find their own point.

3. Remember that there can be more than one theme-- but there is usually one main theme.

It's fine if you discover there is more than one underlying theme to your story. It's probably good, actually, because it's indicative of depth. But you don't want to be schizophrenic in your storytelling. If you're hopping from one theme to another, your reader isn't going to get a clear idea of what the story is "about"-- the theme. Let the little ones come out, but don't let them take over the story.

4. Bring out the theme through both the plot and the characters.

As different events unfold in your story, how they work out-- or don't-- can have a big part of what you're trying to say. The choices your characters make, which often affect these events, are another way you can emphasize the theme. Like in Brodi Ashton's Everneath, the theme often also comes out as part of the character's personal growth arc. This is an effective way to highlight the theme, and lets the character's actions touch on the theme. Character's relationships and their individual strengths and weaknesses can be good places for different sides of the theme to be explored.

So, my friends, how do you find your theme? How do you bring it out in your story so that it makes the story more powerful? What are some books you loved that had strong themes that touched you?