The Writing Life
Every story is supposed to have a single, predominant theme, and every detail is supposed to work toward that theme. It isn’t that writers can’t insert smaller themes within the larger one, but they have to be conscientious about the main impulse. It directs every detail, from the characters who inhabit the story to the setting and structure.
Writing about the same topic again and again can feel like approaching a house and always going in through the front door. Find a new entry point. Knock on the screened-in back door. Look for an open window. Climb the trellis to the attic. Start there. [Read more…] about Find a New Entry Point
Topics are high-level in their aim. They are the general subject. Themes, what I sometimes call “angles,” are different. They’re targeted. They’re a subset of the larger subject at play.