That's an interesting perspective to write from. I think we've all been on that search to be "healed" at some point. Many probably more than once. Are all your books romance? I would love to read one. PM me your favorite one and let me know where I can get it. Or post it here so maybe everyone can get it.
I don't think about themes or dick all too often. I think you start to see themes as they emerge. Same could be true of dicks, I guess.
I believe the mundane is a beautiful thing for a writer to play with, but I don't think that means boring. Trying to escape the everyday life is not a mundane story unless that character does makes a break for it every day.
Unfortunately I hate them all, once I'm done with them and can no longer make the changes I suddenly realize I want to make! And, yes, most (all?) of my published stuff is romance. But the first book in one of my series only has hints of it - you could check out Long Shadows by Kate Sherwood. Special bonus: the e-book is CHEAP.
Wow, this thread has to be one of my favourite to read in a while! What a variety of themes there are on display here, and it's really fascinating to find out what themes are important to you all. It also made me think a little further about what I also find important when reading a novel. I myself never really had any centralising theme until recently; I never really thought it important. I just wanted people to enjoy the ride. However, identifying and focusing on a couple of key themes has really helped give the novel extra depth and really made it - well, more focused. So it was partway through my third draft that I concentrated on the theme of trust. As I said, I never really planned for this theme in advance - the theme already was there as I had written it, and that's what I decided I should focus on. Due to a traumatic childhood event, my MC has a compulsive and irrational distrust of everyone, she has a very defensive and confrontational personality. Throughout the novel as she forges alliances and meets new companions, that protective shell she has constructed gradually begins to unravel. That also ties into the secondary major theme of prejudice. The novel takes place in a country at war itself, comprised of two peoples who hate each other. In addition to this, my MC has a particular grievance against one particular nation that makes her quite bigoted. Sort of tying into the primary theme of trust, over the course of the novel, those discriminatory views are gradually eroded away.
Lets see.... Perseverance in the face of long odds, is one, as is adaptability (or lack thereof) used to face these odds. Also there's the use (or missuse) of power, by rulers/head of states/military commanders, and the effect of that use of power on the "little people". Basically the great old "great power comes with great responsibility" trope on the political level.
I love mixing the metaphysical with actual historical events. The combination of the two provides me with endless, fascinating subject matter. Truth is always stranger than fiction. Happy writing! Mark Lemohr
Great thread I had to participate! It's interesting. I will read any good book but I particularly seek out and write about themes of abuse/healing/trauma Trust/betrayal And I love exploring sibling bonds/relationships. I always thought they were so unique and not used as a theme enough. Also other *types of relationships. Not just the bbf or the bad boy lover but the person you see as father figure or a protective authority etc can't think of other good examples now I'm on the way to work but I have not found the themes I enjoy nicely done in many books so I am currently writing a dark fantasy with all of the above themes and oh my do I enjoy writing it. On the other hand I tend to steer clear of romance themes most of the time because people don't seem to know the difference between love and lust and that bothers me. Or they use many cliches such as the hot hunk or falling in love at first sight. All I can do is roll my eyes. Even though I don't mind themes of dysfunctional families it bothers me when there is constant bickering and problems between family members epecially siblings. I know there are many REAL families like that but for some reason I don't like to read about it
Unlikely couplings.... learning from those opposite from you.... becoming more than what you think you are/the weak and overlooked becoming strongest and most dangerous..... struggle (everything i write seems to always have my character suffering either bodily harm, mental, or emotional).
How people deal (or don't) with grief, regret and loss. Not on purpose, mind you, that just works its way in because it's such a large part of my own life. Also weird, inspired-by-real-events metaphysical stuff.
I'm working on two themes currently: 1) Human relationships and the effort and acceptance that goes into making them work. Although not typical romantic relationships but rather relationships between a parent and a child or a mentor and student. I want to focus on the type of relationship that goes above and beyond anything physical or romantic where you genuinely love someone for who they are, help them grow, and stick with them through the ugliest of times because of love. 2) The ability to be wrong. I feel like too much emphasis and importance is placed on the need to be "right" that we've become close-minded, selfish, and unforgiving. This also ties into the theme of acceptance from above.
Setting. Where it's set. When it's set. These things interest me. I like setting my stories all over the world. In the present, past or future. And then I like to tell the story.
What makes people who they are. What defines them. How they change over time. The central importance of practicality. The search for purpose in life.
The right to self-determination. Consciousness. The line between visionary experience and mental illness. Cheese. Smoked. Gruyere mainly, sometimes Oscypek.
I guess the theme seems to be responsibility/weight of the world seems to be on the shoulders of heroins I seem to write, either my UK Asian Buffy The Vampire Slayer, or Jessica, the strong mother from the future accused burnt at the stake of being a witch in the past, but really is a scientist now trapped in our future where the character Jessica is originally from, but away from her adopted daughter in the past caught up in the Witch Trials. That and migration. Jessica took her adopted daughter to America, UK Asian Buffy The Vampire Slayer's parents fled to the UK in the 1970's from Africa where they hunted vampires, old Gujarati vampire hunting family went to Africa from India to hunt vampires there before being chased out so they came to London in the 1970's and had a millennial in the UK who's the heroin, this British woman now facing vampires and would be husbands; and even Talking Toilet, my other character project who is no hero, but an anti hero hero if at all a hero, even he was built in France and shipped off to America, so I guess migration too. All of these too have a strong family bond, even Talking Toilet has his mother, a talking shower head back in France. - But only UK Asian Buffy The Vampire Slayer who works in the fanily business, a corner shop; seems to live with her parents and deal with them as characters in the same location. The family bonds are different, but they're all families.
The bonds that you choose. Lately, I've found myself much closer to the people I choose to be around then my actual family, but that kind of thing has been in almost every story I've worked on. Hell, only the one I'm currently working on actually has a parent and child that have a healthy relationship (Without one of them being dead by the time the story starts). The other major one would be not being good enough. I'm not sure why I like this one, but almost all of my favorite characters that I've seen start off with feelings of inferiority, only to eventually gain confidence and become someone that they think is good enough.
These are spot on for me. I resonate with these completely. My latest project has an MC who goes through many hard choices and have to constantly cross lines of morality to achieve his goals and even to stay alive. One theme that is significant to me as well is the complete randomness of history. Some people like to think of it as a progressive evolution parallel to time, but I disagree. It's complete happenstance. You only have to research how many events that came true seemed highly unlikely right before they happened. I also like to explore the domino effect, small choices setting off chains of completely unexpected and major events.
