Cheers. This locked in the two-factor problem for me. The Story Grid makes total sense. Everything falls into place. Can't imagine a better bed for letting stories blossom uniquely and compellingly.
Not that misery likes company. However, it's good to know I wasn't the only one who went through that type of self discovery. From listening to your other videos you went through a soul searching (metamorphosis), to say the H word in a nice way. Very interested in your book. Unfortunately Tim, I made a lot of very bad people pleasing, external validating, yes person, nice guy decisions that landed me in a not so nice place. I didn't know the words. Never say yes when it's a no to yourself. Once, I, work, myself, out of this. For future reference your book is on my list. Very interested. Thank you for the education. 👍💥
great video! It's so nice to listen to other authors' experiences. For me theme is something "behind" the actual text. In communicational theory of linguistics utterances are considered to be units that form based on thoughts, emotions and purposes. Implying that to literature works too: theme forms an image and image is used to tell a story
Thanks mate. You've helped me clarify my themes. Find a way to express them - because my weakness is in summarising, being concise, succinctly describing my ideas in a way others will understand. Rather than the way they fill my head as a general idea that only I understand. Which is my starting point for a story. One thing: How specific do you think you should get? Eg. The theme of gender dysphoria could fit under your 'being your true self' statement. So could 'hiding your emotions out of misplaced loyalty and fear'. What do you reckon?
I promise not to comment again, but how many years does it take on average, in anyone's opinion, to learn and remember all of these things? This advice is superlative, but on top of worry over style, diction, vocabulary (130 books read a year, and I've improved my vocab by half a page), syntax, theme, structure, all the nuances and subtleties of the latter, transitioning, sentence length, paragraph length, proper punctuation and grammar - and this is only on the surface - i want to be able to do these things, but its incredibly daunting. The more I learn, the worse my writing gets.
I'm currently brainstorming a new mystery book which I hope will be the first of an on-going series. I'm wondering about how to approach theme with an on-going series. Do I need a new theme for each book in the series or do I have just the one to carry through all books? Or perhaps something in between? I'd love to hear people's opinions.
I'm brainstorming a mystery series too, Katrina. And I've figured that there could be a theme overall in the series, such as a theme for a maturation worldview story, and each book could/should have its own theme for its specific plot regarding the crimes/criminals. *Ex: Series theme - Compassion is the first sign of civilization; humans need each other (Your protagonist could learn this over the course of the series). 1st book theme - You don't really know a person until you look at their reaction to emotional pain (the protagonist can learn this specific lesson, but not the overall lesson yet) etc...
@@katrina484You people “brainstorming,”. I hope you are actually writing your ideas down, preferably on paper, yellow paper, black ink. Medium point pen. Even the stupid ideas; they’re the best. You want ideas that come beyond yourself, beyond comfortable. The ones you want to reject, don’t. Ok, throw them in the trash, but don’t empty the can until next month. Ok, stuff will start to ferment on the bottom of the can, but so will those discarded ideas. I’m not trying to be funny, it’s no fun digging through empty tuna fish cans . But that’s why you use yellow paper! A flash of yellow! There it is!! Dig, Dig.
I'm having this very issue as we speak. I've plotted all 3 books, #1 seems to be a confused dark gangland suspense, so crime. By the end I figured the main main character deserved a romance but there is no realisation of it til the end of book 2. The other character she's fallen in love with is a horrendous option. There are clear arcs through all 3 but there is no way of finishing each book without setting up the next one. They do all need a separate arc but not end on a cliffhanger unless you specify to your audience that it IS a cliffhanger
Interesting that your book is about being a jerk, and in Steve Martin's movie "The Jerk", his dog was named S**thead (which is the title of your book).
Yes yes yes, I understand the central importance of theme, how it is crazy important. Although it is he most important part of the book, it is not where you start. Before you even know what the book is about, before you have a book theme, you have a this character this lonely main character. Story starts with character and ends with character. And in the middle, they change. As we spy on this character, we begin to believe there is something going on here, something important, but what? Theme comes from character, not the other way around. To sit down and say I want to write a story about “Injustice “ is cerebral and dead. Start your your story not knowing anything and suddenly suffering, injury, and injustice happens to your main character. Yeah!! THAT is what I will write about. That is how theme is discovered. It is already in the DNA of the story. Want a stiff beginning, do it the cerebral way. Author. Please, make yourself innocent, as innocent as your main character. Let your story hit you over the head just as hard as it hits your main character. Your reader will feel the hurt, the injury, the injustice of it all. Be THERE, right THERE in the dirt, the hurt, and turmoil . Readers deserve to suffer; they love it, live for it. Give it to them. Full measure. Ok, with a bit of excitement, you’ve got your theme; go back do some clean up, revision if necessary, but now you are well on your way: you’ve got yourself a theme, a holy theme.
Oops, too late, already having written 300k words without knowing my theme. Oops. Scenes just came to and I wrote them down as fast as I could with yellow pad and medium pointed pen, ha ha. But now, motivated by you I look at my splattered landscape and see that I DO have a theme, double-whatever, and a Main Character that I love, and even I don’t know what will happen. I hear this is common, right? 0:13
Don’t get me wrong, I like your theme for your new book. Really. But when you summarize 14:53 it into one sentence using abstract, high generality words it makes it sound so boring. If I had to keep looking at that sentence , I would quit on chapter 3. Sorry. Here’s a suggestion: take that one-sentence theme and turn it into a something your main Character would say, something that moves you to keep writing, like “Screw it!!” Post it on the hood of your computer. Only you know what it means to you, how precious, how everything depends on those two words: to walk away from rules, expectations, to finally be yourself, and in the process you discover you have become more likable, and those you feared you would lose their respect? They respect you more. Well maybe, it’s your book. But for sure, breathing is easier, and sweeter too. So “screw it” becomes the theme and it will propel you to the last page of writing. It’s only for you, not something to blog about. Ok, Ok, you can write your theme sentence on another post-it: “True self-acceptance and inner peace …” and stick it to the other side of the computer. I know which one you will look at in the year it takes to write it.
@@StoryGrid funny. i had no idea what theme i've been writing about for the last couple of years (though i did try to figure it out many, many times). but your theme happens to summarize it precisely. that's an epithany for me, i never tried to look at that direction of thought.
My theme(s) is usually multi layered and boiling it down to one sentence simply wouldn't work. I usually just hold the themes in my head, the same way I would compose a photoshoot or digital artwork.
The steps start at: 4:16 for those who want to know. I like this video btw 💖
100% About meeting yourself deep down, level up, identify who you really are and navigate life from there.
Cheers. This locked in the two-factor problem for me. The Story Grid makes total sense. Everything falls into place. Can't imagine a better bed for letting stories blossom uniquely and compellingly.
Not that misery likes company. However, it's good to know I wasn't the only one who went through that type of self discovery. From listening to your other videos you went through a soul searching (metamorphosis), to say the H word in a nice way. Very interested in your book. Unfortunately Tim, I made a lot of very bad people pleasing, external validating, yes person, nice guy decisions that landed me in a not so nice place. I didn't know the words. Never say yes when it's a no to yourself. Once, I, work, myself, out of this. For future reference your book is on my list. Very interested. Thank you for the education.
👍💥
great video! It's so nice to listen to other authors' experiences. For me theme is something "behind" the actual text. In communicational theory of linguistics utterances are considered to be units that form based on thoughts, emotions and purposes. Implying that to literature works too: theme forms an image and image is used to tell a story
Thanks mate. You've helped me clarify my themes. Find a way to express them - because my weakness is in summarising, being concise, succinctly describing my ideas in a way others will understand. Rather than the way they fill my head as a general idea that only I understand. Which is my starting point for a story.
One thing: How specific do you think you should get? Eg. The theme of gender dysphoria could fit under your 'being your true self' statement. So could 'hiding your emotions out of misplaced loyalty and fear'. What do you reckon?
Awesome job explaining the difference between preaching "the right way" and arguing what you believe readers should take away.
Very insightful and generous of you to share 🎉 Thank you!
Very clear explanations, Tim. Thanks.
I promise not to comment again, but how many years does it take on average, in anyone's opinion, to learn and remember all of these things? This advice is superlative, but on top of worry over style, diction, vocabulary (130 books read a year, and I've improved my vocab by half a page), syntax, theme, structure, all the nuances and subtleties of the latter, transitioning, sentence length, paragraph length, proper punctuation and grammar - and this is only on the surface - i want to be able to do these things, but its incredibly daunting. The more I learn, the worse my writing gets.
Tim, have you done a StoryGrid Spreadsheet on your book, and will you release it so we can use it when reading Shit Head?
I'm currently brainstorming a new mystery book which I hope will be the first of an on-going series. I'm wondering about how to approach theme with an on-going series. Do I need a new theme for each book in the series or do I have just the one to carry through all books? Or perhaps something in between? I'd love to hear people's opinions.
I'm brainstorming a mystery series too, Katrina. And I've figured that there could be a theme overall in the series, such as a theme for a maturation worldview story, and each book could/should have its own theme for its specific plot regarding the crimes/criminals.
*Ex: Series theme - Compassion is the first sign of civilization; humans need each other (Your protagonist could learn this over the course of the series). 1st book theme - You don't really know a person until you look at their reaction to emotional pain (the protagonist can learn this specific lesson, but not the overall lesson yet) etc...
@@holly4523 Thank you for your reply. You've given me much to think about.
@@katrina484You people “brainstorming,”. I hope you are actually writing your ideas down, preferably on paper, yellow paper, black ink. Medium point pen.
Even the stupid ideas; they’re the best. You want ideas that come beyond yourself, beyond comfortable. The ones you want to reject, don’t. Ok, throw them in the trash, but don’t empty the can until next month. Ok, stuff will start to ferment on the bottom of the can, but so will those discarded ideas.
I’m not trying to be funny, it’s no fun digging through empty tuna fish cans . But that’s why you use yellow paper! A flash of yellow! There it is!!
Dig, Dig.
I'm having this very issue as we speak. I've plotted all 3 books, #1 seems to be a confused dark gangland suspense, so crime. By the end I figured the main main character deserved a romance but there is no realisation of it til the end of book 2. The other character she's fallen in love with is a horrendous option. There are clear arcs through all 3 but there is no way of finishing each book without setting up the next one. They do all need a separate arc but not end on a cliffhanger unless you specify to your audience that it IS a cliffhanger
Interesting that your book is about being a jerk, and in Steve Martin's movie "The Jerk", his dog was named S**thead (which is the title of your book).
Yes yes yes, I understand the central importance of theme, how it is crazy important. Although it is he most important part of the book, it is not where you start. Before you even know what the book is about, before you have a book theme, you have a this character this lonely main character. Story starts with character and ends with character. And in the middle, they change. As we spy on this character, we begin to believe there is something going on here, something important, but what? Theme comes from character, not the other way around.
To sit down and say I want to write a story about “Injustice “ is cerebral and dead. Start your your story not knowing anything and suddenly suffering, injury, and injustice happens to your main character. Yeah!! THAT is what I will write about. That is how theme is discovered. It is already in the DNA of the story. Want a stiff beginning, do it the cerebral way.
Author. Please, make yourself innocent, as innocent as your main character. Let your story hit you over the head just as hard as it hits your main character. Your reader will feel the hurt, the injury, the injustice of it all. Be THERE, right THERE in the dirt, the hurt, and turmoil . Readers deserve to suffer; they love it, live for it. Give it to them. Full measure.
Ok, with a bit of excitement, you’ve got your theme; go back do some clean up, revision if necessary, but now you are well on your way: you’ve got yourself a theme, a holy theme.
Oops, too late, already having written 300k words without knowing my theme. Oops. Scenes just came to and I wrote them down as fast as I could with yellow pad and medium pointed pen, ha ha. But now, motivated by you I look at my splattered landscape and see that I DO have a theme, double-whatever, and a Main Character that I love, and even I don’t know what will happen. I hear this is common, right? 0:13
If you don't have a theme worked out from the beginning, the story won't go anywhere. The entire thing will need reworked or rewritten.
Why can I have one, like everyone move around dancing rethinking why I hear this urghhh
Don’t get me wrong, I like your theme for your new book. Really. But when you summarize 14:53 it into one sentence using abstract, high generality words it makes it sound so boring. If I had to keep looking at that sentence , I would quit on chapter 3. Sorry. Here’s a suggestion: take that one-sentence theme and turn it into a something your main Character would say, something that moves you to keep writing, like “Screw it!!”
Post it on the hood of your computer.
Only you know what it means to you, how precious, how everything depends on those two words: to walk away from rules, expectations, to finally be yourself, and in the process you discover you have become more likable, and those you feared you would lose their respect? They respect you more. Well maybe, it’s your book. But for sure, breathing is easier, and sweeter too.
So “screw it” becomes the theme and it will propel you to the last page of writing. It’s only for you, not something to blog about.
Ok, Ok, you can write your theme sentence on another post-it: “True self-acceptance and inner peace …” and stick it to the other side of the computer. I know which one you will look at in the year it takes to write it.
Could you share the links to the books you’ve written this way? - Tim
@@StoryGrid funny. i had no idea what theme i've been writing about for the last couple of years (though i did try to figure it out many, many times). but your theme happens to summarize it precisely.
that's an epithany for me, i never tried to look at that direction of thought.
My theme(s) is usually multi layered and boiling it down to one sentence simply wouldn't work. I usually just hold the themes in my head, the same way I would compose a photoshoot or digital artwork.