Theme vs. Intent
The subtle difference in your writing with a big impact on your reader
When I was in high school, we spent endless hours in AP English classes dissecting a story’s themes. Let’s be honest, I loved an English class, but I do remember wondering if writers really sat down at the page and thought about these themes before writing their books. Was Melville really contemplating Man vs. Nature or did he just think a novel about a man with an obsession with a sea creature could create some high seas drama?
I suppose we’ll never know for sure.
But, now, as a writer, I know better.
Some writers are thinking big themes before they even sit down to write.
Others find their themes while revising their rough drafts.
And still others are surprised when readers point out themes in their stories they had no idea or conscious intent about but discover are happy accidents.
I’m a big believer in the reader being able to interpret a work however they want.
(Don’t get my family started on the great “what does the finale of LOST mean?” because we all have thoughts and they do not agree, even though mine is clearly correct!).
Themes are important to our work, sure. I do not want to discount this. I am a big believer in understanding your story point BEFORE you start writing and story points are very close to themes.
But in addition to the theme or story point, there is often something we forget to focus on during our writing and revising process because it’s subliminal a lot of the time or we just assume it’s there.
And that’s our intent for the reader.
As an author, what do you want your readers to do/think/feel when they finish reading your book?
This may relate to your theme, for example, if you’re writing an environmental fiction, your theme will certainly be related to caring for the Earth. But, you may want your readers to care more about the environment in order to take some kind of action or amend a behavior. That may look like someone inspired to start recycling, composting or speaking out against a large AI data center looking to move into their communities.
You could write a story whose theme is love conquers evil but your intent is that you want a reader to feel hope in a dark time.
The theme of your fish out of water immigrant story may be the struggle for belonging and your intent would be wanting readers to find empathy for what others are going through before making stereotypical assumptions about others.
Do you see the difference?
When you center your intention or purpose for your book, your WHY you’re writing it, then you will infuse that theme with meaning, you will take special care of your reader, you will layer and focus on your theme in a new way – whether you are aware of it yet or not.
And boy, is that magic!
When I work with writers diving into their revisions, we spend time articulating your personal why and your story’s themes. Without understanding both, your story pulse tends to be erratic or, sadly, dead on arrival.
Similar to the backstory you dream up about your characters that never makes it physically on the page, articulating your intentions may never show up on a specific page of your novel. But it will inform every moment. Every description. Every chapter ending cliff hanger.
Be intentional when you write.
Pantsing your plot can be fine, but don’t pants what you hope to accomplish.
Know this. Embrace it. Flaunt it.
Your why and intention are your story’s special sauce.
Need help articulating your story’s theme and intention to help your revision sing? Schedule a free consult call and let me help you identify it.