I read a list of about 100 themes that you shouldn't use because they're so cliche but the problem is that leaves hardly anything to work with. I'm writing a short story right now and the theme it's based on is leaving someplace for years at a time and then coming back to it for sanctuary. Or another way to put it is leaving a place to find where you belong just to realize you belonged there all along. There's something very cliche about it, but I just can't figure out what it is. I'm trying to think of a book or movie where either theme fits but I can't find one. What do you think about these themes? What do you think are cliche themes or themes that are almost never done? Let's discuss this a little.
. I have zero problem with overdone themes--you can do anything in a new way. The above is almost a plot summary of the movie version of The Wizard of Oz. Edited to add: Oh, and It's a Wonderful Life. Edited to add: And the picture book Where the Wild Things Are. Edited to add: And, arguably, The Hobbit. Edited to add: And the movie Sweet Home Alabama. Edited to add: And in a more abstract sense, Rumer Godden's The Kitchen Madonna.
Gotta link? My two initial thoughts are "Do we all even have the same concept of what a 'theme' is?" and my usual disregard for the worship of originality. IMO you can do something that's been done a million times before and so long as you do it well, it's fine. Everything is a remix etc.
I call bullshit. If nothing else, some of these intellectual prudes need to realize not everyone has read every book they've read. You know what? I haven't had a really good story about coming home and finding that you belong. All the stories I've read have been about coming home and finding that it isn't how you remembered it. Fuck 'em. Write what you want.
I mean, how many stories are there that people are interested in reading? Brandon Sanderson claims "Ender's Game" is just an underdog sports story and everyone loved it.
Themes are like tropes; they're useful tools for building a story. Whether or not it ends up a cliché rests entirely on the execution.