Have You Tested Your Theme Against Your Plot?


Creative Writing Tips -

How we usually begin the preparation stage in the writing process is?

Once we come up with a theme and we begin plotting, we have to see how the theme and the plot match up. Sometimes as we plot we find that the theme we had initially chosen won't do.

For example?

'Winning The Lottery Makes Your Life Easier'

Plotting with this theme in mind, we have our characters pay off all their debts, go on endless shopping sprees, go on holidays, etc. We find though that this won't make a very interesting story. So we spice it up, adding to the theme or coming up with a different one.

"Winning The Lottery Makes Your Life Easier But Everything Has Its Price."

We can show the characters living the life of the rich for a while before they realize that being wealthy has its problems too...

This second scenario creates more problems for the characters, so it's more interesting for us readers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The preparation stage is there to prepare before you write. It's our workbench where we figure everything out. We test our theme, we test our plot and once everything passes the test, then we begin writing.

You can change the theme as many times as you feel it needs changing, while you are in the preparation stage.

The main thing is to make your story interesting.

It's not a good idea to keep changing the theme when writing the story because then you will have to keep changing the story. This means rewriting.

Figure everything out then write.

Have you tested your theme against your plot?

About The Author

Besides his passion for writing, Nick Vernon runs an online gift site where you will find gift information, articles and readers' funny stories. Visit http://www.we-recommend.com

mail@we-recommend.com

MORE RESOURCES:
RELATED ARTICLES
Do You Know How To Write English For Global Audiences?
When you write for international audiences, mainly directly in English, you will need to develop an audience profile. In particular, you will have to show consistency and clarity in style/expression and you will have to be culturally sensitive.
Are You Feeling Dash-ing? Using Punctuation for Effect and Influence
The dash--that curious mark of punctuation people use in their email and letters. Not the hyphen (-), but the dash (--).
Screenwriting, Screenplays, Screenwriters - Writing a Screenplay Using Structure
Effective screenwriting relies on the good understanding and use of structure.Inexperienced screenwriters may believe that structure inhibits creativity, but experienced writers know that following a template helps them to problem identify, generate ideas, select good ideas and develop them to reach that all important words-on-paper first draft - structure is not a hindrance but an enhancer of creative output.
How to Write Bad Poetry
So you've decided to crown yourself with a title that a million other people (just like you (yes, just like you!)) give themselves every day. Some people believe giving yourself such a title is equivalent to, and just as beneficial monetarily, as naming yourself Queen of England.
Vary Your Writing Style and Win Readers
First drafts are for getting down the ideas. Anna Jacobs calls the first draft the 'dirty draft'.
Mission Possible: Get Published with Goals, Guidance, and Persistance
You send me an e-mail. You tell me you've written over three hundred poems since you were 16 (in your teenage angst stage).
Getting Past The Shoulds To Write
During the past few months I have received many questions as to how I have gone from an unknown writer to over coming society's adversarial thoughts on what writing should be and become a well known writer. So, today, I was inspired to write on this.
Written Communications - 6 Tips on Language & Tone
In most aspects of business, we will be expected to write a message to a client or customer, in the form of a letter, memo or e-mail. Language and tone in these communications is vital to the relationship with the recipient, and can mean the difference between a sale and a lost prospect.
Authors-Stop Expensive Mistakes Before you Spend on Professional Services
So many clients come to me as a book or marketing coach telling me how they spent and wasted a lot of money and time following different well-known gurus in the book and publicity fields. Debbie's Story A recent client, Debbie, already got her books printed--over 900 left to sell from the 1000 at too much cost.
Writing with a Sense of Adventure
We've all been told that we need to use all five senses to bring our fiction to life. Sight, sound, smell, taste and touch all need to be invoked.
A Writers Life
Ever wonder what an author's life is like? What that breathing, sweating, hungry, weary, bona fide guy does when he's not at the keyboard? How does his "day job" affect his writing? When he's mowing the lawn, grocery shopping, or babysitting grandchildren - what goes through his mind? Is he sucking up every sensation as he moves through his day, tucking tidbits away for a future piece? Or, does he simply journey through life, just - doing - these things?How do I define myself? Am I Aaron Paul Lazar, with the obligatory middle name, author of the LeGarde Mystery Series? Sometimes. At book signings, indeed.
Writing Tips for your Journey
Tips for your writing journeySo, you'd like to be a writer? Congrats! Writing not only is a great way to express yourself, but can provide an income. Keep in mind not all writers make a fortune, some still cant quit their day job.
Writers Who Consistently Cut The Mustard Do So Because...
Have you ever wondered why certain writers are able to churn out seemingly endless streams of published bestsellers while thousands upon thousands of others suffer an endless stream of rejection slips?Sure, you can get lucky first time out, once in a blue moon.I did.
Writing - Copyrights and Trademarks Protect You
When most people consider writing a book, they don't think about Trademarks. However, I highly recommend that you leverage your writing for multiple purposes, and that's why registering a Trademark for your concept is a good idea.
A Few Brief Tips to Deal with Writing Rejection
What to do when you get rejected.You've just finished your book, sent out query letters and was rejected.
8 Tell-Tale Signs That Forecast Writing Success!
'Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.
Memories Dont Fade Like Hair Does: Memoir Writing Help for You, Our Elders, to Tell Your Story
~~~Old age, to the unlearned, is winter; to the learned, it's harvest time. ~ Yiddish saying~~~You can tell your life story by biography, which is a whole book that starts from the start and ends at (or near) the end.
Should You Hire a Ghostwriter?
Have you heard the term 'ghostwriter' and wondered what they do or who they work with? Although it sounds mysterious, ghostwriting is actually a very simple agreement where an individual or company hires a writer to create a work that will be owned outright by the buyer. The buyer is not required to give credit to the writer and is even allowed to claim authorship.
The Makings of a Personal Essay, Really
Sometimes I can be dense when it comes to realizing the potential of my own life experiences as essays for magazines. I, of course, fully believe that everything in my life is newsworthy, but sometimes have trouble figuring out which experiences will hit home with other people.
Creative Problem-Solving: Following Your Stream of Consciousness
Having trouble finding a solution to a nagging problem? Try a well-known journaling technique called stream of consciousness--you may be surprised at the creative messages you receive from your inner self.Take the case of Shana, an online journaler who had a problematic relationship with a co-worker.