From https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/single-best-way-write-powerful-themes/:
How to Intertwine Plot, Character, and Theme in Every Scene
If plot, character, and theme are the foundational underpinnings of story itself, then they must be present in every scene as well, right? But that gets tricky. How can you make sure these elements are doing their job in every scene? And if they’re not present in every scene, does that necessarily mean the scene is problematic?
3. Theme on the Scene Level
Finally, we come to the ghost of our trifecta. Plot is the astronaut going to space, taking action, looking awesome, and getting things done. Character, meanwhile, is the astronomer, who both gleans understanding from the astronaut’s discoveries and uses that knowledge to help the astronaut achieve their goals.
Theme (to strain the metaphor a bit) is the secret agent. It works behind the scenes. Sometimes the powerful effect of the information it provides is clearly obvious. But sometimes it’s invisible in plain sight. To the naked eye, it seems like it’s in stealth mode most of the time.
But this simply ain’t true.
Theme is always there. Indeed, for a story to succeed in creating cohesion and resonance, theme must not only be present in every scene, it must be the guiding principle of every scene.
Ironically, theme is actually the easiest of the trifecta to implement on the scene level.
Why?
If you’ve already successfully intertwined plot and character to the point they’re crucially affecting each other in every scene—then you can be almost positive theme is already present as the glue holding them together.
Put in its simplest terms, theme in a story’s unifying idea. It should be present in the premise itself and then spread out to every other aspect of the storyform. If a story has no unifying idea, then it’s in trouble on the ground level before you ever get to plot and character, much less their execution on the scene level.
Theme on the scene level is rarely as obvious as plot and character. Unlike plot which is the scene and character which provides the necessary engine that moves the scene, theme is often entirely subtext. It is present by implication.
For example, let’s say your theme is Love Conquers All. The concept of “love,” or its many variations or opposites, will probably only be mentioned in a handful of scenes—or perhaps not at all. But it should be the unifying idea that guides you in choosing each scene’s pertinent action. Specifically, theme will reveal itself in the character’s inner change and actions. Theme is whatever idea is “proven” as the Truth, via the character’s changing relationship to the Lie He Believes.
In other words, even if the character doesn’t realize it, what he’s seeking in every scene is the theme. The ways in which each scene’s plot changes the character are direct advances toward or retreats from the story’s thematic Truth. If they are not, then you have to question whether that scene’s action and character development is actually contributing to the story’s overall cohesion and resonance.
The easiest way to double check this is to take a look at the “lesson” and “emotion” in the character section. Do they both relate in some way to the theme?
For example, if the theme is Love, the character’s “lesson” might be as ancillary as “I can’t achieve this specific goal without help,” while the “emotion” might be gratitude toward a friend who agrees to help or loneliness in the realization that he currently has no loyal friends.
Another actionable way to integrate theme onto the scene level is to look at ways to turn the character’s inner battle between Lie/Truth into an externalized moral or philosophical argument. If one of the obstacles in the external conflict is another character’s resistance to the protagonist’s belief in the way and the why of accomplishing the goal, then the plot itself becomes inherently thematic.
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If you’ve already set up your story trifecta of plot, character, and theme on the macro level of your story, implementing it on the scene level becomes much easier. Optimally, it’s even instinctive, happening fluidly scene by scene as you pull together the pieces of the story into a seamless whole. Use this checklist to make sure every scene in your story is intertwining the most important aspects of your story.
Step 1: Focus on the story and perfect it, long before you worry about the themes.
This is the single greatest failing of most stories with messages. The writer is so focused on them, that they forget the medium altogether. And as important as you think a message is, it is worthless if devoid of a concrete story. So craft your story around something tangible and solid—something that would be wonderful if there were no message whatsoever.
Step 2: Identify the themes in your story.
When your completed draft is ready for editing, you’ll want to go through your story, and circle/segregate every monologue (both spoken and thought), major confrontation, and epiphany reached by your characters. These will most likely be the places where your themes show up prominently. If you are having trouble identifying the themes, find the lessons that your characters learned, and what the natural consequences of their actions were.
Step 3: Identify in one sentence what your character is saying, learning, or teaching in that segment.
Identifying your moral, theme, or message, and being able to say them in one sentence is the first step in making sure that each theme is concrete, and not some vague tangle of thoughts. If you cannot do this, edit that segment until it makes enough sense so that you can.
Step 4: Note that the consequences of actions may provide themes that you don’t want.
If you are writing a romantic story, you may inadvertently make your character’s world magically perfect after they get the girl or guy of their dreams. Whether you want it or not, this creates a natural theme of its own—that getting a romantic partner will fix your life and make it perfect. Which is, of course, untrue. Always make sure that consequences within a story line up with reality, and teach a lesson that is truly worth noting.
Step 5: Make sure that your themes are true on a literal level.
Make sure that the themes are literally true, at least in the world you are writing in. If your intended moral is that “true love conquers all,” you must take into account the falseness of the statement. True love does not conquer AIDS, cancer, death, or a great number of other things. Otherwise, your story will be perceived as shallow, and will not resonate with the reality that your readers live in.
Step 6: Remember that universal themes with realistic evidence are the most powerful.
If you want a genuinely good theme, make sure that it applies to all people. For example, the theme that if you work hard, you will succeed in life, may only apply to first-world countries with laws against slavery. Teaching that hard and noble work is better than laziness, however, may resonate as being more universal, and thereby more profound.
Step 7: Know that the simpler and more basic your themes, the better.
If you are having difficulty coming up with a profound theme, remember that simplicity is better. Life is hard—that is a solid and meaningful theme that has inspired some of the best works of literature. Kindness towards one another will make the world a better place—is another simple but true message that is not contrived, or riddled with holes and fake promises. Don’t try to promise a happily ever after, absolute justice or fairness, or external reward for goodness; and don’t try to imitate Hollywood’s attempts at blowing their audience’s mind with thickly veiled stupidity.
Step 8: Show, don’t tell.
The single most important rule is to show the themes, don’t tell them. Your narrator and characters may discuss an obvious dilemma or themes, but this should be for the purpose of getting your audience to begin chewing on those thoughts. The actions of your characters, and the consequences of those actions will be what ultimately portray the theme. Note the effectiveness of Romeo and Juliet’s deaths as a model for teaching the harms of racism and hatred, versus two friends of different color talking about good it is to not be racist.
Step 9: Don’t demonize opposition to your themes—embrace them.
The last step is to imagine how people would disagree with your themes. This role will often be portrayed through the antagonist or villain. Do not demonize them in the story, if you want your theme to contain genuine power. Show what events would have led your antagonist to the opposite conclusion, embrace the problems, and try to deal with them respectfully and with strength. Otherwise, your audience may perceive you to be naive, or unable to take criticism—imposing the same problems on the themes in your story.
From https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/single-best-way-write-powerful-themes/:
Part 9 of The Do’s and Don’ts of Storytelling According to Marvel
The longer I study stories, the more convinced I am that the one single thing that sets apart the great stories from the meh ones is theme. What this means, of course, is that figuring out how to write powerful themes is possibly the most important job of any writer.
Theme is what a story is about. More than that, however, theme is why a story matters. Without a powerful theme that works in cohesion with the plot and the character development to resonate with readers in a relatable way, you will never create a story that lives beyond its two covers (if it actually gets far enough to have a cover, of course).
When, however, you find that sweet spot where theme grows so beautifully and organically at the crossroads of character and plot—the result is a story that instantly multiplies in depth, meaning, power, and cohesion. The biggest of stories without theme will always be a flop. But if you learn how to purposefully write powerful themes, you can take even the smallest, silliest, most escapist of all stories (like, say, a superhero comic book) and turn it into something great.
How to Write Powerful Themes in Just 3 Steps
Writers are sometimes confused by the concept of theme. It just seems so…. conceptual. So airy-fairy. How can you ever truly get your brain around it?
The matter gets even more complicated when you start hearing advice that goes something along the lines of, “Don’t you dare think about your theme! God forbid you actually write a theme on purpose. If you do anything more than look at your theme crossways out of the corner of your eye, you’ll end up shoving a heavy-handed moral message down your readers’ throats.”
To which I say: Horseradish.
Like any part of the story, theme is just a piece of the puzzle. It is a problem that can and should be solved.
How do you do that?
Easy. By breaking theme down into its three prominent aspects, studying how they work in successful stories like Winter Soldier, and then examining how to apply them to your own stories.
Theme Aspect #1: Thematic Principle
Often, when writers start thinking about theme what comes to mind is a story’s overall thematic principle. Often, this is a general truth, virtue, or evil that can be summed up in one word, such as fear, love, justice, or faith.
If you look at each of the three primary stories within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, up to this point, I think you can make a good case for delineating their general themes as follows:
- The Iron Man movies are about: Self.
- The Thor movies are about: Family.
- The Captain America movies are about: Friendship and Loyalty.
This is most obvious in the Captain America movies because, out of the three trilogies, it’s the one that pulls its theme off most faithfully, most blatantly, and most cohesively.
How Winter Soldier Gets Its Thematic Principle Right
The secret to Winter Soldier‘s resonant theme is twofold:
1. It builds its theme out of its characters.
That’s the whole secret of theme right there. You can’t just choose an arbitrary message and slap it onto your story. Rather, you must look at your characters, their desires and beliefs, and the journeys they’re on—and suss out what theme is found therein.
The Captain America movies are consistently some of the strongest entries in the series simply because they understand their protagonist Steve Rogers so well and never flinch from portraying him as exactly what he is—in all his stodgy, old-fashioned, stubborn, principled, loyal dimensions. The theme emanates directly from the heart of the main character, and the result is a theme that feels incredibly coherent and pertinent within the story’s action elements.
2. It creates a story driven by those characters.
Once you understand exactly who your characters are and what kind of journey they’re on, you can then consciously and purposefully strengthen that by going back and examining your plot. Are you creating a story that is driven by your characters’ desires and beliefs? When the answer is yes, you will always end up with cohesive trifecta of plot-character-theme.
At every turn, Winter Soldier‘s manhunt suspense plot challenges and reinforces Steve’s beliefs about friendship, loyalty, and duty. His relationships with Nick Fury, Natasha Romanov, Sam Wilson, and eventually his long-lost World War II-era best friend Bucky Barnes fuel every step of this story—both the outer journey and the inner. Everything that happens in the plot influences the development of the characters and the presentation of the theme—just as the characters and theme fuel the plot events right back.
Theme Aspect #2: The Protagonist’s Inner Conflict
Your protagonist’s inner conflict is where you start digging deeper into theme, beyond just the general understanding of its thematic principle. Inner conflict is where you begin your story’s moral argument.
Your story’s general thematic principle will always raise a question (e.g., How far must you go for the sake of loyalty and friendship? or What happens when loyalty and duty collide?). The inner conflict at the center of your protagonist’s character arc is where you then start searching for answers to that question.
Remember, character arc is always fueled by the battle between two opposing moral principles—the Truth and the Lie. Theme is right at the heart of that battle. You must create a deep-seated personal quandary for your character, one that is driven by and in turn influences the story’s outer plot. No matter what you may start out thinking your story’s theme is about, what it’s really about will always be found within your protagonist’s inner conflict.
How Winter Soldier Gets Its Inner Conflict Right
Steve is a Flat Arc character. This means he already knows his story’s Truths—about the value of friendship and loyalty, about the necessity of making hard choices in the name of principles and duty. He is challenged in his beliefs, but he also holds fast (unlike a Positive Change Arc character, who will start out believing a Lie and grow into the Truth).
Most importantly, of all, however, he uses his Truth to inspire change in the characters around him—in Fury, in Natasha, in Bucky. Theme is always about change. It does not live in stasis, even in a Flat Arc story. The presentation of a thematic premise isn’t just some nice feeling that floats around in airy-fairy land. The theme is always an active force, that must either be working upon the protagonist or worked by him. This is where we see theme fully integrating with plot.
Theme Aspect #3: Proving Theme via Action
Now that you understand the mechanics of theme—its overall message throughout the story and its inner workings within your characters—it’s time to put the theme to work within the plot itself. It’s time for your theme to do something.
As I said above, it’s not enough for your theme to live in stasis. But it’s also not enough for your theme to simply live inside your character. It has to get out and dance. It has to do something. It has to prove itself via action.
If you think of your plot as an external, visual metaphor for your protagonist’s inner journey, then you can see why it needs to closely mirror and support that journey. Why does your character have to endure this particular plot in order to learn this particular theme? If there is no obvious connection, then either the plot or the theme is the wrong choice.
How Winter Soldier Gets Its Action Right
This is where many an action movie goes terribly wrong. It creates an action-packed external plot and maybe (if we’re lucky) tucks a nice little inner transformation into the protagonist’s back pocket. But the two are only tangentially related at best.
Winter Soldier is a story that proves its thematic premise at every juncture in the plot. Every scene in this movie feeds into Steve’s personal quandaries and beliefs about relationships and duty. Every single interaction with Natasha and Fury demonstrates this—and that’s before the film knocks it out of the park by revealing that Steve’s childhood friend Bucky Barnes has been brainwashed into the fearsome Winter Soldier.
Literally everything Steve has been struggling with or defending throughout the story comes to a head when he is faced with the plot’s climactic decision: Do what’s right at the risk of killing Bucky—or not?
The reason this is a great movie in its own right—even apart from the overall series—is because it is a story about theme. It is a story that finds its theme deep within its characters and uses that theme to create its plot. All three thematic elements are integral to each other in a way that presents a powerful and compelling visual metaphor for a deeply personal and relatable moral quandary.
Doesn’t matter what kind of story you’re writing—whether you intend it to be literary or deep, or whether it’s just a fun romantic or action-packed romp. Every story should strive to perfectly balance its three most important elements—plot, character, and theme. Any story that does so, instantly has the potential to matter.
KC Storytellers 