772: Theme Is Your Foundation

A client of mine was struggling to thread some work together ... overwhelmed all the directions he could go, and going nowhere as a result. A couple of days ago, we talked about the value of choosing a theme. Not the scary, confusing "theme" of English literature ... but the reassuring foundation of a simple, controlling idea. The theme for my first thriller was right there in the title – execution is everything. I built the book around that idea. For my second, it took longer, but eventually I settled on [[Guilt]] ... and it POWERED the story like a train. As with so much in creativity, it helps to reduce your options – and theme does that. Don't be scared of it. Use it. Episode home: https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/772:-Theme-Is-Your-Foundation