It’s Thursday, a day for thinking about theme. Your theme is the underlying meaning of your story, or the main idea that it explores, or the message it is trying to convey. Any or all of the elements of your story can help to convey your theme. Today, take another look at a story you have already worked on. What is its theme? Does it actually have one, or can it be strengthened? Which elements of the story convey this theme, and help to get it across to the reader? Are there any aspects of your characters, the plot, the setting, the words used in any dialogue, that could be changed to help to emphasize your theme?
Creative Prompts
Daily Creativity #23: Write a Story Inspired by a Family Photo
Look through some of your old family photos, taken before you were born. Pick an image that you feel drawn to, then try to imagine your way into the moment. What were these people thinking, doing, feeling, and why? Write a short story about it.
Daily Creativity #22: Create a Photograph with Unexpected Perspective
In cubist paintings, it isn’t always immediately obvious what all the shapes represent. Look at Still Life with Checked Tablecloth by Juan Gris (1887-1927). What objects can you see in this painting? Does the way the items are arranged make you see more than is actually there? How does the perspective make you feel? Arrange some objects and take a photograph today that uses one of these techniques to make the viewer see things in an unexpected way.
