What are your themes?

Yesterday I posted some thoughts about a new novel idea, and a commenter saw some similarities to my novel Henderson's Tenants, which has been in progress (I use the word loosely) for most of the past decade.

Well, I don't think I could combine Henderson with my new idea, but the commenter had noticed something: My novels tend to have the same themes. And that's a topic in itself.

When I look back at my 11 published novels (plus two or three that didn't get that far), I see some family resemblances: A Big Problem has arisen. It expresses itself as a threat to women in general and one woman in particular. The hero is a pretty sharp guy, but he just wants to get on with his life until the Big Problem pushes him into a corner where his life is at risk.

The hero comes out of the corner absolutely furious, but also aware that he can't right any wrongs by himself. He needs allies, and they are usually people (and animals) that are also oppressed by the Big Threat.

He is also aware that whatever his power may be, he is likely to misuse it if he's not careful. That's what distinguishes the hero from the villain: The villain doesn't care who gets hurt when he uses his power, but the hero cares a lot. 

The hero is also very insecure, trying to recover from some early disaster. He's not looking for revenge, just for some kind of return to a quiet life.

The key to that return is not the hero himself, but the woman he's trying to protect. She has some kind of power far greater than his, and in the end she rescues him—while overthrowing the villain and shocking the hero with the violence of that overthrow, or with her own sacrificial death.

I have been telling this story over and over again since the 1970s, so I guess it means something to me. Henderson's Tenants is just the latest version: Mike Henderson is a really smart guy, and one of his tenants is a brain-damaged Korean teenager who (if I ever finish the damn story) will literally save the world. But it won't be a pretty sight. 

Of course your novel shouldn't deal with my themes and narratives. They're my personal hangups.

But step back from your own writing now and then, and ask yourself why you keep coming up with similar themes and images and plots from story to story. Your manuscripts are always trying to tell you something—about themselves, but also about you. If you listen, your stories will improve. Maybe you will too.

Comments

[Adam]

Great tips here. I'll Re-Tweet for you on this.

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