Title: Theme of a Story: 3 Ways to Uncover Yours with Story Grid
Headings: Theme of a Story: 3 Ways to Uncover Yours
Theme of a Story: 3 Ways to Uncover Yours
What is the Definition of Theme?
What is the theme of a story?
3 Ways to Uncover the Theme of a Story
1. Determine your global genre.
2. Figure out what you have to say about life.
3. Think about how your character changes.
Universal Themes of a Story:
Uncovering the Theme of a Story: An Example
Final Thoughts
About the Author
Story Grid 101: The Five First Principles of the Story Grid Methodology
Comments

Content: Action stories explore things like survival, death, courage, and good vs. evil
Horror stories explore things like survival, death, fear, safety, and good vs. evil
Love stories explore things like friendship, romance, connection, and intimacy
Mystery stories explore things justice, injustice, safety, and good vs. evil
Morality stories explore things like altruism, selfishness, and right vs. wrong
Performance stories explore things like respect, esteem, and shame
Society stories explore things like power, revolution, equality, and corruption
Status stories explore things like success, failure, admiration, and pity
Thrillers explore things like survival, death, and good vs. evil
Worldview stories explore things like wisdom, meaning, and maturing
Westerns explore things like freedom, courage, and right vs. wrong
War stories explore things like survival, courage, honor, and safety
If you’ve been a part of the Story Grid universe for a while, you might already know that each genre has both a positive and negative expression of a theme. Each link above will take you to an in-depth article about each genre that includes both expressions of the genre’s theme. So, let’s say that you already know that you want to write a murder mystery. What do you have to say about justice? Or murder? In your story, does justice prevail? If so, how and why? What does justice mean to you? Or maybe you’re writing a romance … What do you have to say about love or human connection? In your story, does love conquer all?