Writing Story That Matters – Themes, Techniques and Voice.’

Susanne Gervay, Author

The theme of a story is driven by the author’s voice. It’s the author’s perspective, humour, sadness, observations and view of the world. Writing is a journey that matters. So writing must have integrity. Even where the work is light and humorous, it should be grounded in experiences and observations that are meaningful and funny to the writer. It’s about inviting readers into an authentic emotional life which includes imaginary worlds, where readers travel with the story making it their own.

‘Show not tell’ is an old truism, yet it’s often hard to follow. Authors are motivated by sharing stories, ideas and often have altruistic ideals. The trouble is that writers often explain the ‘good’ values and what’s happening. They don’t trust the reader to understand. The reader will decide how to interpret the narrative. Once the work is printed and given to another party, it’s the reader’s journey and no longer the author’s. Powerful story is when the reader emotionally engages. Failed story is when the reader ‘listens’ to a lecture on what is happening and what they should believe.

There are many techniques that create this authenticity. A key one is description which should be a vehicle to advance narrative and/or develop character and/or theme. Descriptive passages may be lyrical but it is not enough. They must be integral to story. How many times do you see readers flip over long descriptive passages to find the story? Another key one is to build tension and interest through character and theme development. When the pivotal realization in the story arrives, it’s important not to over-write these realizations. The author has already laid the ground work for it. Imagine if in To Kill A Mockingbird as Atticus Finch walks out of the court room after defending a black man in a white racist community, Harper Lee gives a dissertation on racism and social justice. The power is in the simple line when the black Reverend Sykes says to Scout … ‘stand up. Your father’s passing.’

Susanne Gervay
www.sgervay.com
Blog – www.sgervay.com/blog