Let’s first take a moment to understand what a literary theme is and why it is important. 

Literary themes are the main idea you want to explore through your story. It can be a message you want to deliver through your work or the exploration of a certain part of human society. Recall some of the best novels, movies, or TV shows you have ever watched. They must have had a literary theme or a message they conveyed.

Doing this is important because you want your novel to be relatable. We, as human beings, tend to look for things that resonate with us. Literary themes and the characters exploring it can make your readers feel closer to your story. It also makes just a random bunch of events into something heartwarming. But have you ever wondered which of the multiple themes you see out there can work best with speculative fiction and how? Read on to find out!

Good Versus Evil

The quintessential fight between good versus evil has captured readers’ attention for a long time. Whether you first came across it in some religious scripture or found it in a novel, like the Harry Potter series, this theme speaks to the masses. And for a good reason. The theme is about the protagonist going against an antagonist. This antagonist can be an individual, a society, or even a supernatural force. A good versus evil theme lends itself well for speculative fiction by creating tension in a unique world setting, and can even help unravel mysteries about the world, characters, or their species. This theme can also help bring the protagonist’s internal conflict to the forefront without overshadowing your unique world building.

Love and Friendship

Often a powerful theme, and the most universally understood. After all, everyone, at one point in their life, has craved for an epic love or a beautiful friendship. Maybe even both. The theme works well because it has so much potential, from exploring toxic relationships to describing heart-wrenching sacrifices. For speculative fiction, this theme can work as an extra layer to your already extraordinary ‘what if’ question. If the stakes are high in your novel, you can sprinkle in the chosen flavor of your love and friendship theme: forbidden love, unrequited love, familial love, betrayal, or friendship. If your protagonist is going on a journey to an unexplored world, but has someone to return to, or finds someone along the way, it makes the story more impactful.

Revenge and Redemption

The tension is always high when revenge comes into play. Often, you find revenge themes in the classic superhero stories. How you play it out will determine how the story is perceived by the readers. I, personally, enjoy writing the revenge theme. The first novel-length story, House of Cards, I put out into the world without a pen name, was centered on it. It explored the cost of human life and how much you can stretch morality without tipping over to the darkside. Doesn’t that sound fun? Redemption is a whole other story (no pun intended). It is hope. Finding the error of your ways. Speculative fiction can do wonders with a redemption theme. Rather than turning the mood all gloomy, your novel can be the sunshine of hope.

Courage and Perseverance

This is not just something seen in literature, but also in real life. When faced with adversity, people fight against it and come out the other side as victors. The odds might not be in their favor, but that is what makes the story nail-biting good! Protagonists in speculative fiction often have to show courage and perseverance to reach their goals. After all, the unique world is often just as new to them as it is to the readers. Even if it is not, the ‘what if’ question can test them to their limits. This might, after all, be a good match to your novel. 

Remember, you can always mix and match your themes. As long as the central idea resonates with your readers, they will remember what they read for a long time.

Which theme are you going to pick next? I can’t wait to read in the comments. Until next time!

Disha Walia is a lifelong storyteller and an enthusiastic writer and editor in love with the idea of exploring the creative world of words. While making her space in the world of non-fiction and fiction alike, Disha loves to spend even her free time daydreaming about what next to write. Connect with her on www.quillinary.com. You can also follow her on Instagram and Twitter.

The post How Literary Themes Can Make Your Novels Better appeared first on DIY MFA.

Yes, that may be a loaded question. But as a writer, you have good reason to remember it while crafting your protagonist. Your character’s motivations often evolve into her goal for the story, which then determines the direction of the plot. But did you know that the protagonist’s motivations also indicate some of the story’s literary themes?

Think of it as a chain reaction. Once you decide the protagonist’s motivations, you’ll know what she wants to achieve by The End. You’ll also discover which strengths and weaknesses will help or harm her on her journey, how her motivations will inform her decisions, the obstacles she’ll face, and what’s at stake. And once you’ve figured out those elements and begun writing, the story’s themes will naturally emerge. In other words, once you know the protagonist’s motivations, the rest of the story’s thematic pieces will fall into place.

Sounds daunting, right? Don’t worry. In this edition of Theme: A Story’s Soul, we’ll go over four steps that can help you ensure your protagonist’s motivations will influence the story’s themes.

Step #1: Decide What Your Protagonist Wants and Why

A protagonist’s motivations are twofold: what and why. The what is the desire that the character longs for at the story’s beginning. Typically this desire is tangible and relatable, which will persuade the reader to believe the protagonist can achieve it and to connect with her on an emotional level.

The why unearths the meaning behind this desire. It digs into the character’s backstory and psyche to reveal the need that’s driving her want. (You can use Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to help you determine where your character’s motivations fall.) For example, a teenage boy may want to find new friends because his family moved to a new town, and he craves knowing he belongs somewhere. Or the heroine may want to trust a new romantic partner after being abused by another man, and she believes she deserves a healthy, loving relationship.

This layered approach to character motivations isn’t new to literature. Choose any book from your collection, and you’ll find what the protagonist wants and why they want it. Here are three different examples from books on my shelves:

• J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: Harry wants to feel like he belongs somewhere. He’s been raised by his uncaring relatives ever since his parents were killed, so he doesn’t know what it’s like to have a loving family.
• Brandon Sanderson’s Skyward: Spensa wants to attend flight school and become a starfighter pilot, just like her father. It’s been her dream since she was little; and even though her father was branded a coward for deserting his team during his final mission, she’s determined to not let anyone stand in her way.
• Cormac McCarthy’s The Road: The unnamed father wants to ensure his son’s survival. With winter on the way in their post-apocalyptic world and few trustworthy people out there, he feels compelled to do everything he can so his child can live.

So as you explore your protagonist’s motivations, take some time to answer these questions:

1. What does the protagonist want?
2. Is this motivation tangible or achievable, given the character’s circumstances and/or the story world? Why or why not?
3. Is this motivation relatable? Will the reader understand and/or sympathize with the protagonist because of this motivation? Why or why not?
4. Why does the protagonist want this goal? What need is driving this yet-to-be-fulfilled desire?
5. What has transpired in the protagonist’s life and led to the lack of fulfillment of this need?

A person’s desires and needs aren’t cut-and-dried. Rather, they’re complex because of that person’s unique blend of values, dreams, attitude, and personal history. So by considering your protagonist’s motivation in layers, you’ll ensure their motivation is as complicated as that of any human being—and make your character seem even more real.

Step #2: Awaken or Threaten This Want with the Inciting Incident

The key to tying the story to the protagonist’s motivations begins with the inciting incident. This first major plot point, which happens during the first couple of chapters, draws the character into the main conflict through a single life-changing moment. So if this scene is going to shake up the character’s world and send her on a (figurative or literal) journey, why not shape that scene so that it plays upon—or preys upon—her motivations?

An inciting incident typically impacts the protagonist’s motivations in one of two ways:

1. It Awakens: The protagonist is aware of her goal or desire but hasn’t actively pursued it. Thus, the inciting incident entices the protagonist through an event that introduces the main conflict and increases the protagonist’s awareness of her motivations by giving her a taste of its fulfillment.
2. It Threatens: The protagonist is pursuing her goal/desire or appears to have already fulfilled it. Thus, the inciting incident acts as a threat to the protagonist through an event that introduces the main conflict and attempts to remove what the character holds dear from her life, compelling her to react so she can protect the people or ideals she loves or has been striving for.

To determine which direction your inciting incident should take, ask yourself, “How do I want the reader to feel when the inciting incident scene is over?” The awakening approach works best when the character’s circumstances are already less than ideal. That way, the inciting incident can offer a glimmer of hope, which can make the reader excited about the protagonist’s life changing for the better. 

The threat approach, however, can be effective no matter how promising or terrible the protagonist’s circumstances are. If the reader has connected with the character even in a small way when the inciting incident occurs, the reader will feel worried or concerned about whether the protagonist can save what she cares about. Which emotional response would fit your story best?

Let’s see how the inciting incidents in our three examples awaken or threaten each protagonist’s motivations:

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: At the zoo, Harry is talking to a boa constrictor when his cousin, Dudley, and his friend push Harry out of the way. Harry then unknowingly uses magic to release the snake from its glass enclosure and set it after Dudley. This begins a chain of events that sends Harry to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the first place where he feels like he belongs.
• Skyward: On the last day of school, Spensa’s teacher tries to convince Spensa to skip the pilot’s test, implying that she would automatically fail per the flight school admiral’s orders. Later, a disheartened Spensa finds an abandoned starfighter in a nearby cavern. This discovery reignites Spensa’s desire to fulfill her dream, and she resolves to take the pilot’s test no matter what.
• The Road: The father’s motivation is clear from the beginning. His every thought and action revolves around keeping his son alive, including carrying a pistol for protection—which he uses when a stranger tries to abduct his son.

Step #3: Use the Protagonist’s Motivations to Influence Her Choices

Once the inciting incident occurs, the protagonist becomes more aware of her motivations than ever. She may not fully understand how high the stakes are yet, but she knows what’s important to her. She also knows she may have to make difficult decisions to make her goal a reality or to protect what she cares about. So as the story continues and the protagonist is forced to make those tough choices, she’ll fall back on her motivations and let them guide her decisions and actions, for better or worse.

At this point, you’ve already done most of the hard work. In Step #1, you determined your character’s motivations so you could craft an inciting incident that aligns with her goals or desires (or threatens to take them away) in Step #2. Now, for Step #3, keep the protagonist’s motivations in mind as you write each plot point. When it’s time for your character to make a new decision or take action, use these questions to ensure her next move is consistent with what she wants:

1. Which option aligns most with the protagonist’s motivations? If the decision is a choice between “the lesser of two evils,” which option does the character see as being in her best interest? 
2. How does the protagonist feel right now? How does her emotional state help or hinder her decision-making abilities?
3. How do the protagonist’s decision and its outcome raise the stakes even higher?

Will your protagonist always make the right decisions? Of course not. Sometimes emotions will cloud her judgment. Other times, the outcome will turn out differently (and adversely so) than she hoped. But through it all, her motivations should remain consistent throughout the story, and her decisions should hold true to those motivations. And by ensuring that her choices grow more challenging and the costs even higher, you’ll prove to the reader how much the sources of the protagonist’s motivations truly mean to her.

What kinds of decisions have our three example characters made since Step #2? Let’s take a look:

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: Harry makes several of his decisions as a result of his desire to belong and be loved. He confirms his acceptance at Hogwarts because he wants to be with other children like him who perform magic. Later, he visits the Mirror of Erised to “see” his deceased parents because he misses the family he’s never known.  
• Skyward: Spensa clings to her dream despite the odds against her. After she’s denied entrance to flight school, she is offered a way in by one of the first-year instructors and accepts it. Toward the end, after Spensa is expelled from flight school, she chooses to join the effort to defend the starfighter base against an alien attack—and to learn more about why she can “hear the stars.”
• The Road: One doesn’t have to read too far to find more evidence of the father’s desire to ensure his son’s survival. He shows it during the story’s most pivotal moments as well as in his everyday actions, from providing the boy with food to choosing their shelter for the night. He also demonstrates it when he speaks to his son by offering advice, telling stories, and apologizing for yelling at him.

Step #4: Discover the Themes That Emerge from These Motivations

Notice what happens as you use Step #3 to craft the rest of the story. When each choice the protagonist makes aligns with her motivations, those motivations will remain consistent from beginning to end. And because you designed the main conflict to tie in with what your character wants (see Steps #1 and #2), the source of her motivation will constantly be on her mind as the story plays out.

This repetition is key to nurturing literary themes in a story, and not just from the protagonist’s motivations. That’s why repetition is part of our working definition of “theme.” In order for an idea to become a theme, it needs to be revisited throughout the story in an artful and nuanced way. Allowing your character’s goals and desires—her driving force since Page 1—to influence some of those themes is one of the most salient ways to achieve this repetition.

Review the work you’ve done in Steps #1 through #3. What concepts emerge through the protagonist’s motivations, the inciting incident, and the character’s choices afterward? It’s perfectly fine to list a couple of themes instead of one. As I mentioned earlier, our own motivations are complex, so we can’t expect ourselves to boil down our dreams and goals into one simple idea. Instead, ensure the themes you find align with what your character wants or is fighting for. And if they do, then you’re well on your way to creating a story that will be logically and thematically consistent—and that will make your reader feel endeared to the protagonist and invested in your story.

Below are the themes revealed from each protagonist’s motivations in our three examples. Do you have others to add to this list?

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: friendship, family, home, belonging
• Skyward: courage versus fear, dreams and hopes, coming of age
• The Road: love, mortality, isolation

What are your protagonist’s motivations? How does the story’s inciting incident awaken or threaten them? What themes emerge from the story as a result of those motivations?

Sara Letourneau is a freelance editor and writing coach who lives in Massachusetts. She’s also a poet whose work has appeared in Mass Poetry’s Poem of the Moment, The Aurorean, The Avocet, The Bookends Review, Golden Walkman Magazine, Soul-Lit, and other journals and anthologies. She can often be found performing her poems at local open mic nights, reading good books, roaming the shores of Cape Cod, and enjoying a cup of tea. Learn more about how Sara can help you with your writing at Heart of the Story Editorial & Coaching Services. You can also connect with her at her writer website, Twitter, Goodreads, or Instagram.

The post How Your Protagonist’s Motivations Influence Your Story’s Themes appeared first on DIY MFA.

“Well,” my friend said, “what are some of the literary themes?”

My reply? “Ummmm…. Let me think about that.”

It was an embarrassing response, but an honest one, too. Theme wasn’t something I’d thought much about before then. I knew what the story was about in terms of plot and characters. But in terms of the big picture or the ideas it explored? I had no clue. In fact, I began worrying that, because I hadn’t consciously considered themes up to that point, maybe my story didn’t have any themes. (Good news: It did.)

Maybe you’ve wondered the same thing: “What point in the writing process should I start paying attention to themes? Should I nurture those ideas from the very beginning, or wait until the story’s further along?” The answer is… It’s not so much when you should start thinking about themes, but rather when it feels appropriate depending on each story’s unique process, from the moment you begin brainstorming to the changes you make with each draft.

Recognizing Themes During the Planning Stage

Sometimes you’ll recognize your story’s themes shortly after inspiration first strikes. That spark might not be a theme in itself, but as you consider the plot or characters more deeply, the heart of the story eventually becomes clearer. If you don’t recognize those themes until later in the writing process, that’s OK. However, having that early awareness can help you grasp – and remain focused on – what the story is really about.

Neil Gaiman’s Coraline is a great example of this. Gaiman wrote this novella after one of his daughters, when she was young, told him stories about girls like herself whose mothers were kidnapped by “evil witches who looked like their mothers.” He also, as indicated in this interview, had an idea of what Coraline would be about based on the journey he wanted his heroine to take. “I wanted to write a book about what being brave is,” he said. “It’s being absolutely scared and doing what you must do, despite fear and obstacles.” Thus, from a conceptual perspective, Gaiman sensed early on that courage would be one of the story’s themes.

More recently, Angie Thomas wrote her YA blockbuster The Hate U Give after the real-life police shooting of Oscar Grant, an unarmed black man. She has also discussed how her experience of attending a mostly white, upper-class Christian college influenced another of her protagonist Starr’s struggles during the story. “There were things that I went through while I was in college that I would not share with my classmates because I was afraid that they would see me as, ‘Oh, that’s the poor black girl from the ‘hood,’” Thomas said. “[And] I think in Starr’s case, she’s afraid, too. ‘If I expose this part of myself, all of a sudden they’re going to look at me in a different light. And all of this work that I’ve put in to show them this Starr will be for nothing.’” Though Thomas doesn’t specifically name race and identity as themes in The Hate U Give, she was likely aware of those ideas because of the story’s inspiration as well as the real-life experiences she wanted to incorporate.

So, how can you recognize some of your story’s themes during the brainstorming stage? Try either (or, even better, both) of these exercises:

• Develop an objective statement. Use Neil Gaiman’s method and complete this sentence: “I want to write a book / story about [fill in the blank].” Your answer can focus on the big picture or the specifics. Either way, it will hint at some of the themes bubbling under the main conflict or the protagonist’s dilemma and then help you concentrate on the story you want to tell.
• Understand the role that the protagonist’s struggles will play in the story. In The Hate U Give, race and identity naturally emerge as themes through the main plot and through the racial discrimination and dueling identities that Starr experiences almost daily. Consider what kinds of struggles your characters might face on a consistent basis. How might those struggles influence the story’s events and shape the character’s journey? What themes might emerge from this?

Recognizing Themes During the Drafting Stage

Right now, you might be thinking, “How can I spot a story’s themes when I haven’t started writing yet?” Indeed some writers will find it challenging – even impossible – to recognize themes before beginning the first draft. This may be especially true if you’re a pantser (i.e., using your intuition rather than an outline to guide you). After all, the drafting stage is when you, the author, are experiencing the story for the first time. You’re getting to know the characters, imagining the setting, and building each scene through dialogue, action, and sensory details. Some things may change later on, but the most important elements – including themes – should gradually become less foggy.

In my own experience, the drafting stage is when I start becoming mindful of theme. This was partly a result of the conversation with my friend, and I was determined to give her a clear answer. So I read over the scenes I had written up to that point and reviewed my outline to remember where the story was heading. Through that deep study, I discovered themes such as family, revenge, and secrets in that story; and then made a conscious effort to strengthen those themes in later drafts. And now, thanks to my heightened awareness of theme, I’m already recognizing which ones are shaping the heart of my latest manuscript.

How did I discover my story’s themes? And how can you do the same if you’re currently in the middle of the first draft? Here are some suggestions:

• Deconstruct your story’s building blocks. Select a story-telling element, then analyze it in select scenes to determine the emerging themes. With dialogue, for example, you can read some of the story’s most important conversations and ask yourself, “What are the characters really talking about?” If you need some direction, check out our Developing Themes In Your Stories posts, which feature exercises that can help you with your investigation.
• Consider your main character’s choices. Theme, as stated in our working definition, is often illustrated through the character’s journey through the story. Any actions or decisions that the character makes will therefore reveal those themes and any related messages you want to convey to your readers. So, why does this character choose one option or the other? What happens as a result? Which theme(s) does his choice highlight, and how?

Recognizing Themes During the Revision Stage

Knowing your story’s themes by this point in the writing process can prove invaluable. How? Believe it or not, it can help you plan for revisions that will address how those overarching concepts are handled. For example, if you notice that certain scenes push a particular theme too forcefully, you can rewrite those scenes so the theme can emerge more subtly. Thus, recognizing and evaluating theme as part of your revisions will allow you to strengthen the story as a whole so that the plot is focused, each character serves a purpose, and nothing feels exaggerated or out of place. It can also help with the querying process (listing three or four themes will show agents that you know your story’s soul) or preparing your book’s jacket copy.

Of course, depending on the changes you make, the themes can change as well. YA author Emily X.R. Pan ran into this while working on her debut novel The Astonishing Color of After. In her Author’s Note, Pan explains that, despite the novel’s many rewrites, “[t]he only thing in common across all the drafts was how it was always a story about family and identity and the different facets of love.” However, the final version of Astonishing didn’t take shape until after Pan lost a family member to suicide. “Half a year later,” she writes, “I began rewriting this book for the umpteenth time, and the complicatedness of that grief stuck in my brain and glued itself into my words.” As a result, the novel’s themes of loss and mental health didn’t exist until late in Pan’s revision process, while the other previously mentioned themes remained.

Curious as to how you can nurture theme during the revision stage? Consider these techniques:

• Fine-tune the story-telling elements to ensure each theme is well-developed. If, as you revise your story, you discover that your handling of a particular theme could use bolstering, determine how you can strengthen that theme’s presence. What changes could be made to the dialogue, the protagonist’s arc, or certain plot points? Could a new element such as an appropriate symbol do the trick?
• Be open to new themes that fit the story. Just as Emily X.R. Pan incorporated changes into Astonishing that ushered in new themes, you can do the same if you think those changes (and the related themes) will not only improve your story, but also make sense for it. So, as you review how the revisions will impact the plot, characters, and so on, give some thought to the big picture as well. How would the new themes affect the story, including any existing themes? What other revisions could “synchronize” the new and the old while maintaining your vision for the story?
• Eliminate extraneous themes. Revisions often mean rewriting or deleting to make room for new and stronger material. So it’s possible that, during this process, you’ll have to remove themes that are no longer relevant. The first two revision exercises above can help you recognize such themes and brainstorm ways of eliminating them from the story. These solutions could range from simple edits to rewriting subplots, characters, or entire scenes – or, if they don’t serve the story, cutting them out completely.

Now Is Always the Right Time

In short, there’s no right or wrong time in the writing process to start paying attention to themes. Recognizing them early on will help you focus on the story’s most important ideas and avoid unneeded elements or conflicts. But as Emily X.R. Pan’s experience shows, revisions can lead to changes in the story’s thematic makeup. The wisest approach then is to be aware of themes throughout the process and know when and how to highlight or discard them. That way, the soul of your story will be clear to you as well as your readers – and perhaps more compelling and emotionally resonant, too.

When in the writing process do you start noticing your story’s themes? What experiences have you had with recognizing themes while planning, drafting, or revising, and/or how those themes changed with each draft?

Sara Letourneau is a speculative fiction writer and poet in Massachusetts who devours good books, loves all kinds of music, and drinks copious amounts of tea. In addition to writing for DIY MFA, she is a Resident Writing Coach at Writers Helping Writers and is hard at work on a YA magical realism novel. She also freelanced as a tea reviewer and music journalist in the past. Her poetry is forthcoming in Canary; and has previously appeared in The Curry Arts Journal, Soul-Lit, The Eunoia Review, Underground Voices, and two print anthologies. Visit Sara at her personal blog, Twitter, and Goodreads.

The post Recognizing Themes at Each Stage of the Writing Process appeared first on DIY MFA.

And guess what? You – and all writers, for that matter – can also find themes in your writing life. It will requires you to dig a little, by examining the projects you’ve worked on and the patterns you’ve established over time. But by doing so, you’ll gain a greater understanding of what drives your writing-centric decisions, what improvements you should make, and which qualities you already have that will be instrumental down the road.

But… What Exactly Are “Writing Life Themes”?

The term “writing life theme” doesn’t refer to the themes or topics we write about. Rather, it refers to our experiences as writers. Each of us is unique in terms of the stories we write as well as our publishing path, sources of inspiration, and strengths and weaknesses. From that perspective, we can think of a “writing life theme” as a common thread that emerges constantly throughout our career, regardless of our projects at any given time.

How do you know if a concept is a theme in your writing life? It should embody these three essentials from our working definition of “theme”:

1. It appears repeatedly throughout one’s writing career.
2. It has been central to past and present projects (the external) and to one’s growth as a writer (the internal).
3. It resonates with other people (fellow writers, target audience, etc.) on a universal level.

That last bullet is worth noting. Our audience here at DIY MFA is primarily writers, so we can relate to one another’s struggles or share certain rituals. But in many cases, the people within each writer’s audience or personal network will not be writers. They might not empathize entirely with your circumstances, but they might still recognize – or relate to – your heartaches, joys, or values in their own way. That’s why the themes of your writing life should be universal. They’re not specific to the writing community – they’re part of the human experience, just as literary themes are for characters across all genres.

So, how do you determine the themes of your writing life?

Part 1: Conduct a Self-Interview

Interviewing yourself will help you take a giant step forward in identifying the themes of your writing life. The questions that follow will be pertinent to your career so far, from the types of writing you’ve done to inspirations and motivations. This approach might remind you of Leanne Sowul’s post on crafting a mission statement. The difference, however, is that this self-interview will be grounded more in your past and present as a writer, as well as the reasons for pursuing your projects and other opportunities.

For ease of readability, let’s split this interview into four sets of questions. Group 1 covers the basics, or the Elementary Questions. I’ll share my answers as we go along to give you an idea of how this exercise is done, and so you can see how I arrived at my themes later on:

1) What are your primary writing projects?

Speculative fiction. Currently I have two YA fantasy manuscripts under my belt and am in the middle of drafting a YA magical realism novel.

2) What genres do you read most often?

Fantasy and magical realism, either YA or adult. I also enjoy historical fiction, science fiction, and literary fiction (either YA or adult on all) as well as poetry.

3) What other writing projects (freelance, creative, etc.) have you pursued?

I blog about literary themes at DIY MFA and the craft of writing at Writers Helping Writers. In past freelancing projects, I tasted samples of and wrote reviews on loose-leaf teas, and reviewed CDs and conducted band interviews for a music webzine. I’ve also had poems published in several online literary journals and two print anthologies.

Next is Group 2, the Existential Questions. It might seem early to go this deep in the self-interview, but these questions piggyback well off of Group 1:

4) Why have you pursued these projects?

All of my writing projects have been driven by passion. I’m passionate about music, tea, storytelling, and sharing my writing journey and the lessons I learn with fellow writers. I also view each project as a way of trying something new and “stretching my writing muscles” in ways they haven’t been used before.

5) Why do you write?

I’ve always struggled to express myself verbally. Writing has been the one outlet where I truly feel comfortable expressing those thoughts and emotions and then sharing them with others.

6) Where do you find inspiration for your writing?

Everywhere! Nature, places I’ve visited, life experiences, current events – anything that can evoke a strong emotional response in me, either positive (joy, peace, wonder) or otherwise (grief, anger, shock / disbelief).

For Group 3, we have the Evaluative Questions. These questions are meant to help you evaluate your favorite stories and your unique abilities as a writer:

7) What do some of your favorite stories have in common?

I love stories that feature character arcs or growth, eloquent writing, immersive world-building (either historical or fantastical), and characters I can connect with. (Not sure what your favorite stories have in common? Try this exercise.)

8) What are your strengths as a writer? What elements do you concentrate on most?

Realistic dialogue, well-rounded characters, transportive world-building, and evocative language – all of which I look for in the stories I read. Also, I feel comfortable with the editing process and enjoy polishing phrases and sentences until they’re just right.

9) What areas of your writing (either craft-related or psychological) have you struggled with and/or need improvement?

I frequently struggle with confidence in my writing and my ability to adequately bring my vision for a story to life. I also overwrite my first drafts and tend to commit myself to too many projects at one time.
Finally, Group 4 focuses on the Experiential Questions. Here, you can consider your “problem-solving” skills with your writing as well as the places (literally speaking) that your writing has taken you:

10) What do you do when you encounter writer’s block?

I usually switch to another scene in the manuscript or a different writing project (blogging, etc.). That way, I can keep writing while my subconscious works on getting me “unstuck.” Taking walks in nature often helps that part of me “wake up” and dig for solutions.

11) What events or activities have you attended or places have you visited for your writing career’s benefit (conferences, research, etc.)?

I’ve been to two literary conferences (Writer’s Digest Conference in NYC, Muse & the Marketplace in Boston), a writing retreat in Iceland, and the Massachusetts Poetry Festival. I also used to frequent local open mic nights for reading my poems.

12) Why did you attend these events or visit these places?

I wanted to learn about the craft and business of writing, especially during the two conferences. And with the Iceland Writers Retreat, one of many reasons for attending was to begin researching the island’s geography, geology, and wildlife for a future writing project. Finally, I went to open mic nights to fine-tune my poems before submitting them for publication or to celebrate a “yes” from a literary journal – and to confront my nerves over public speaking!

Part 2: Identify the Common Themes that Pop Up

As you read your completed self-interview, pay attention to any recurring concepts in your answers. They can be qualities you possess, shared themes in the stories you love and the ones you write, similar reasons for your writing-related decisions, or mistakes you’ve repeated. Some themes will stand out immediately, and others might surprise you. All of them, however, should ring true to you and your writing journey so far in some way.

Here are some of the themes I found in my writing life:

Emotion & Connection: Not only do I write to express myself and connect with others, but I also long for that same relationship as a reader. Relating to characters and being moved by the words themselves matters to me on both sides of the reader-writer relationship.

Passion: All of my writing projects been passion pursuits – and I’ve followed my general passion for writing to some incredible places. My love of the craft has also been my life raft, convincing to keep going even when my confidence hits rock-bottom.

Versatility: Trying different types of writing (and writing about a wide variety of subjects) has enriched my career and my life with skills, techniques, and knowledge I wouldn’t have acquired elsewhere. It also taught me to be openminded about where else my writing could take me in the future.

Learning: Every writing project has been a learning experience for me. So has every conference and writing-related event I’ve attended. I guess I’m an eternal student of the craft!

The Natural World: For many writers, creativity and nature work hand in hand. I’ve learned to turn to nature for poetry and world-building inspiration and for solutions to writing blocks.

Courage: Through passion, a desire to learn, and a willingness to experiment, writing has taught me to be brave. I wouldn’t have discovered a love for travel, stood in front of a microphone and a crowd, or shared some of my own vulnerabilities with the world if I wasn’t a writer.

The Benefits of Knowing the Themes of Your Writing Life

Now that you know the themes of your writing life, you can use them as guidance for your writing career. Knowing what makes you tick can help you refine your idea of success and make more informed choices about future projects. You might also discover patterns that have led to past mistakes, and then consider changes that can improve your process and strengthen your career’s foundations.

Or, maybe these themes confirm what you already know about yourself and the writing career you want to have. Either way, having this awareness of what defines you as a writer allows you to see how far you’ve come since the first draft of your first story, and how well those themes reflect you as an individual and your vision for the future. That in itself can be empowering beyond words.

What are some of the themes of your writing life? Do any surprise you? Were others easy to think of off the top of your head? Share your thoughts by commenting below or tweeting me at @SaraL_Writer.

 Sara Letourneau is a fantasy writer in Massachusetts who devours good books, loves all kinds of music, and drinks too much tea. In addition to writing for DIY MFA, she is a Resident Writing Coach at Writers Helping Writers and is hard at work on a YA fantasy novel. She also freelanced as a tea reviewer and music journalist in the past. Her poetry has appeared in The Curry Arts Journal, Soul-Lit, The Eunoia Review, Underground Voices, and two print anthologies. Visit Sara at her personal blog, Twitter, and Goodreads.

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