The Basics of Writing Fiction
Setting and Theme
Setting -- surroundings: the surroundings or environment in which something exists or takes place.
As a writer, you really have to commit to your setting. A lot of writers on Wattpad neglect the setting in their chapters. They either tell us way later in the chapter where the characters are - focusing more the conversation and the color of the main character’s eyes - or give subtle hints here and there about the grass or the sky. Okay, so your characters are obviously outside, but outside of what? Sitting outside a Mcdonald’s? Standing on the front lawn of a house? Who’s house? I know that a lot of writers are scared about taking too much time describing their setting, but a small amount of concrete details go a long way. Spend less time describing the color of the clouds and get to the point. My characters are outside the courthouse and they’re sitting on the steps. Nobody cares about the friggin color of the car parked a few feet away and nobody wants to hear about the fancy color you just made up to explain the grass.
The following basically sums up what I just ranted about. The information is found on Ehow under "Literary Writing Techniques" if you want to read more. “An info dump occurs any time the author reveals a large amount of information about the story's setting in a single scene or a monologue or conversation between two characters. When used too frequently, the info dump can irritate readers, as the large amounts of information exposed are usually things the characters in the scene should know. Including is the exact opposite of an info dump. Here, small amounts of information and setting are revealed over the course of a larger work. This type of world-building lets the reader feel included in the world the author has created.”
So basically, stay clear of info dumping and info neglect. Tell the reader where the hell your characters are, but don’t get too far into the details. That’s the most important thing about setting we are going to discuss.
Theme --
You should never use theme to preach to your audience. The theme is presented through your characters. John Gardner puts it this way: "By theme here we mean not a message -- a word no good writer likes applied to his work -- but the general subject, as the theme of an evening of debates may be World Wide Inflation."
However, the typical definition of theme is the central idea or ideas explored by a literary work.
All great and memorable works have a powerful theme. This does not mean your theme has to be serious. According to About.com, "Home Alone" has a theme as simple as protecting your home. And of course, a work can have more than one theme.
“Although the details of your story will fade over time in your reader's minds, the theme stays with people. So actively choose the theme you want to leave with your readers rather than leaving it to chance.” When choosing a theme, it is important to contemplate what you want the reader to get out of reading your story. What thoughts do you want to leave with them. How do you want your work to make them feel. Young adult novels do a fantastic job of giving their audience a theme that stays with the reader. After reading The Mortal Instruments, you might learn from Jace that love does not destroy a person, but it makes a person alive (I use The Mortal Instruments a lot as examples because I just read that book and everything is fresh in my mind. Excuse me for it if you do not like young adult fiction).
Some of the most common themes in literature are the following:
1. Human struggle against nature
2. Human struggle against self
3. Importance of family
4. Marriage/love
5. Yin and Yang: Just when you think life is finally going to be easy, something bad happens to balance it all out.
6. Death is part of the life cycle. We all die
7. Sacrifice brings a reward
8. Strength of woman
9. Loneliness
10. Motherhood
11. Working class struggles
12. Youth and beauty
13. Karma
14. Honesty
Looking over these themes, you might recall a story you have read that included more than one theme. In John Steinbeck’s classic "Of Mice and Men", the themes of loneliness, companionship, women, and working class struggles come into play.
The author’s purpose for writing is not the same as the theme. A author may write a story to show an audience the life of a character struggling with loneliness and the criticism she may face as a beautiful woman to persuade the reader to look at women differently. The author’s purpose is to persuade (remember the four purposes that your teacher should have taught you in elementary school: persuade, inform, entertain, and explain), but the themes are loneliness, beauty, women, and overcoming obstacles.
So the theme is the overall topic, and the purpose is the message the author wants you to get from reading the story. The theme helps the audience relate and understand the message. A work can have many themes, but only one purpose.
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