Navaan (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
doesdoctorstuff) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2024-03-04 02:00 pm
doesdoctorstuff) wrote in fandomhigh2024-03-04 02:00 pm
Entry tags:
Creative Writing--So Simple Even You Can Do It! (Probably), Monday, Period 4
"Today, we're going to talk about themes in your stories," Navaan said. She was dressed up like a ghoul for reasons that would become clear with her lecture. Or maybe just for fun. Who could really say? "Themes are really important in books. They're the main idea of the novel, the underlying premise. You have to have one, or the whole book falls apart in a big gloppy mess and even the best of sex scenes can't save it." She paused to reconsider. "Okay, maybe the best, but they'd have to be really up there and I'm not sure I've seen the quality of work from you lot that suggests you could pull that off."
Look, she didn't mean to be harsh, but aspiring writers needed to be able to take criticism.
"So, there are lots of themes you can choose from. Like...steampunk! And vampires! Or really, any kind of supernatural creature, as long as they're sexy. Ghosts are kinda a tough sell, being all incorporeal and all. Trust me, they just up and vanish on you when things are getting good. Other themes might include wizards, or magical high schools, or--hey! Has anyone thought about combining those two? That'd be awesome!"
Anyone who was expecting Navaan to delve into the class divide of steampunk or the underlying cultural anxieties of supernatural monsters was a) going to be sorely disappointed, and b) probably in the wrong class. Apparently, when Navaan discussed 'themes' she meant them in the most surface way possible, more like a theme park than anything to do with literature. "So, once you got your theme picked out, you need to make sure the it fits the rest of the book. Don't worry if it's not exactly perfect, you can pretty much make anything work if you try hard enough. You just have to be careful about using too many themes. Like, steampunk vampires would be cool--ooh, hey! I'm claiming that!--but you don't want to have steampunk vampires in a dystopian future setting with clockwork angels fighting for supremacy in the ruins of ancient temples. Space that stuff out and get a book deal that covers sequels."
Look, she didn't mean to be harsh, but aspiring writers needed to be able to take criticism.
"So, there are lots of themes you can choose from. Like...steampunk! And vampires! Or really, any kind of supernatural creature, as long as they're sexy. Ghosts are kinda a tough sell, being all incorporeal and all. Trust me, they just up and vanish on you when things are getting good. Other themes might include wizards, or magical high schools, or--hey! Has anyone thought about combining those two? That'd be awesome!"
Anyone who was expecting Navaan to delve into the class divide of steampunk or the underlying cultural anxieties of supernatural monsters was a) going to be sorely disappointed, and b) probably in the wrong class. Apparently, when Navaan discussed 'themes' she meant them in the most surface way possible, more like a theme park than anything to do with literature. "So, once you got your theme picked out, you need to make sure the it fits the rest of the book. Don't worry if it's not exactly perfect, you can pretty much make anything work if you try hard enough. You just have to be careful about using too many themes. Like, steampunk vampires would be cool--ooh, hey! I'm claiming that!--but you don't want to have steampunk vampires in a dystopian future setting with clockwork angels fighting for supremacy in the ruins of ancient temples. Space that stuff out and get a book deal that covers sequels."