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Defining Theme

Theme is a common thread and repeated idea incorporated into fiction.  Themes are usually deep.  Theme is unraveled and uncovered in a work of fiction as you read.  In fiction, the author uses characters, plot, and other literary devices to assist the reader in an adventure.

An example of theme is in Mark Musa’s interpretation of Dante’s Divine Comedy Volume I: Inferno.  The theme in the case of Dante’s Divine Comedy Volume I: Inferno is that one needs to take action of one’s own behaviors, for it affects one’s conditions in the afterlife. This theme can be found in Canto V “…when the evil soul appears before him, it confesses all, and he, who is the expert judge of sins, knows to what place in Hell the soul belongs: the times he wraps his tail around himself tells just how far the sinner must go down” (7-12). Dante uses numerous techniques, such as imagery, that further elaborates the theme of consequences of not living correctly.  Dante writes, “the cries and shrieks of lamentation” (TTT:22). Dante also writes “…the banks were coated with a slimy mold that stuck to them like glue, disgusting to behold and worse to smell” along with many other horrible examples of Hell (XVIII:106-108).

In the world’s greatest fiction, authors inter-mingle theme throughout a story to slowly put the pieces of a puzzle together.  The reader’s ability to recognize theme is of paramount importance because it allows the reader to understand the author’s purpose in writing the story.

Questions to ask about theme: The underlying meaning.

• Is there a point to the story?
• Is the theme too heavy or thick?
• Is the theme dramatized?

Hope you enjoyed the last part of the fiction writing series? Stay tuned, more interesting posts to come!

Keep writing!!!

Plot Defined:

All stories have a plot. Plot is the sequence of events that take place in the story. There are five main components of plot to consider when critiquing your own story or someone else’s story:

• The central problem/conflict found at the beginning of the story (Man vs. Man, Man vs. Nature, Man vs. Society, Man vs. Self).
• There should be a rising action which includes all the events created by the conflict.
• The climax is the highest point or turning point of the story.
• The denouement, or falling action, is when the conflict becomes unraveled.
• The resolution occurs when the conflict is resolved.  The resolution of a story may have either positive and/or negative outcomes.  There may be more than one problem in the story needing resolution; however, there is usually only one main problem central to the core of the story.

The questions below are designed to help individuals develop and critique their own creative writing as well as the writing of others.

Questions to ask:  Plot sequence of events

• Is there a good story being told?
• Is the story’s plot interesting?
• Is the plot dramatic?
• Does enough action happen?
• Is there too much going on?
• Does the plot follow a logical sequence?
• Does the plot flow smoothly?
• Are there smooth transitions from event to event?
• Does the tension increase as the story progresses forward?
• Is there a strong enough climax?
• Is the climax believable?
• Is every piece of the plot necessary?
• Are there any missing pieces to the plot – holes in the story that might confuse the reader?
• Is there descending action until the end of the story?
• Is there resolution to any or some of the problems presented in the story?

Hopefully, the above questions about plot will get you started editing or critiquing in the right direction.

Wish you the best of luck writing!

~Mosaico Writing

Setting is defined as: 

The place or location of action that provides the historical and cultural context for characters.   Setting often symbolizes the emotional state of characters.

Questions to ask yourself about setting:

The questions below are designed as a check list to critique your own work or the work of others.

• How does the setting enhance the mood of the characters?
• Does the setting enhance the mood and overall emotion of the story?
• How is the story grounded in time – is the era defined at all?
• How is the story grounded in place?
• Is the cultural context/historical significance defined in the setting? This does not have to be spelled out.  A writer can use symbols once again to enhance the story.
• What amount of description is included in the setting – too much or too little?
• Is your description of setting too flowery and off point?
• Does the setting move the plot forward?
• How is the setting symbolic in reference to the emotional state of characters?

What all the above questions regarding setting are designed to do is to build upon the reading presence of the story, making the story more pleasurable to read.

Keep Writing!