: Re: Where does the power granted by a theme come from? A novel that has a theme - that is, something to say, a message - has a weight to it that a novel without a theme cannot achieve. I'm

@Dunderdale623

Vote Up Vote Down

Why are people willing to die in a revolution? Why do they sacrifice their lives to charitable work? Why do they protest against injustice even if it's not their own cause?

This is the inner desire, our inner will to make a change for the better, to cause a memorable impact.

If a book is immersive and the cause presented synergizes with beliefs of the reader, it wakes the same emotions that give a revolutionary the bravery and willpower to charge with a club on armed forces of the dictator. It's a thrill like none other, a true rage, love, hope.

Of course there are prerequisites. The first is excellent writing, because a sloppily written story will not captivate. Next comes immersion. The story must become more for the reader than just a referred tale - it must become a gate to that world, must make them live and feel what the protagonist feels, form a personal, emotional bond instead of just following the facts. And finally, the idea must speak to the beliefs of the reader, to take root in their hearts.

That's why readers will disagree about specific books - some consider given book merely decent, while others will call it brilliant. It's whether the idea was jarring or agreeing with given reader - even if the story itself was good, the "bonus effect" may not be available to all.

And then we arrive at your last point, the 'camouflage' as you call it. It's nothing else than the basic, most fundamental tenet of a writer: "Show, don't tell." Instead of shoving that idea down the reader's throat through lectures and rants, it is shown in action. Its effects work their magic on the fictional world, it changes the people, it makes empires crumble. You may not even be able to name the idea, but you can perceive the primal cause of the change and support it, believe in it.

And of course if the idea is just a background theme, a side dish to a meaningless action, it won't "catch", it will remain an unimportant side theme. Too well hidden, as you'd call it.

So the answer is simple: keep the idea in foreground, make it very important to the characters and events, but hardly ever name it and don't preach about it - instead, show its might through the events, and the impact will be there. If you start preaching, you're badly violating the first rule of writing, "show, don't tell", and as result the very first prerequisite for the idea to "catch": "excellent writing". And if the idea takes a farther place, out of main focus - it gets lost of course.

(0)

Login to post a comment!