THEME

[@MiguelSilva-li4qc]

"If you don't know what you're saying...you might be saying something awful." This quote is on point. Great video!

[@writingforscreens]

Thank you so much!

[@JonAddisonFilms]

I just found you on Film Courage - an interesting story well told about your writing journey! Will definitely find some time to digest all your videos at some point!

[@writingforscreens]

Great, thank you! And if you have questions - ask them here, or through "Contact Me" on WritingForScreens.com. I'll try to answer as many as I can in future videos!

[@itsredsunset7992]

I'm so grateful for you, your channel, your lessons and most definitely your wholesome out-takes haha. Much love and success🤍

[@writingforscreens]

Thank you so much!

[@alimusannef]

That's so well said. Simple, clear, yet encouraging. Thanks!

[@writingforscreens]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jonfrey6893]

Thank you for suggesting this video Glenn. Should I ever have any influence through writing I will attribute it to your teachings.

[@writingforscreens]

Well: your talents, style, vision and determination might have something to do with it too...

[@spiritualreliefchannel]

Thank you, kind sir !

[@writingforscreens]

You are entirely welcome - thank you for watching and commenting!

[@tomlewis4748]

What's intimidating is assuming you must have a clear understanding of your theme before you've done any work. Surprisingly, it doesn't seem to often work that way. Quite often, you have to put time and effort into a story before the theme reveals itself to you. Sounds paradoxical, but it's true. This all applies to the writing of long-form literature as well. I've had more than one knowledgeable 'guru' state that it can take time for the theme to reveal itself. Oh, it's there all along. But it might not be clear in your mind at first. Your unconscious mind knows exactly what your theme is from the beginning. But your conscious mind might not be able to grasp it all that immediately. I'd been writing a novel for a long time before I even realized what the global genre was-a courtship love story. I knew that was a big part of it, but it had healthy subplots, too, so it wasn't clear at first. I eventually realized that what the theme really was, was legacy-what we leave after we're gone. What our imprint is on the world around us. And quite a while after that I realized that the theme was also family. And I'd been writing in that direction all along, but I didn't really know that I was. When you get to the point where you understand your theme clearly, which can take some time, that gives you the power to express your story in the best way. It's just another part of the hard work. Do the work, and eventually, the theme will reveal itself to you.

[@writingforscreens]

Yes, I agree! I didn't mean you have to get it settled before you start. I tend to ask myself this question early on, but as you say: sometimes (often!) the theme reveals itself only when you can look at a version of the work.

[@Undeabducks]

This video helped me realize how best to write the dialogue in my game. You're a legend!

[@writingforscreens]

So glad it was helpful1 Thanks for legend-izing me!

[@mikehess4494]

Thank you.

[@marcosluporini9259]

Quick question. Why don't you put your website link on the description? Thank you for all the valuable information!

[@writingforscreens]

That is a VERY valid and valuable question!! Thank you - I just hadn't thought about it :) I tend to forget what an useful space the description is. Thanks for your comment and the helpful question!!

[@michaelgerena5676]

Thanks for another great video. I have a request (if I can be so bold) Can we get a video about the main characters point of no return? I've been told many times that I always write it too late in my scripts. How far in is too late? Can it be implied or does it have to be seen or is it acceptable to express this event in dialogue? Thanks!

[@writingforscreens]

I think I can work something up...might take a bit of time. As a preview though: I had to research the "point of no return", because I don't really know what it IS - so I can tell you right now my take is going to be: don't get too hung up on Formal Markers of Plot Elements. There is no such actual thing. Look for the "note behind the note": are they saying your first act is too long? Your character is indecisive? Try to deal with what they're feeling, not some kind of checklist item on a Structure Plan. More on this soon I hope...

[@michaelgerena5676]

@@writingforscreens thank you so much. I'm looking forward to it.

[@writingforscreens]

Michael - are you okay with me quoting your request comment in the video? I hope it will encourage others to also ask questions or request topics, if they see I responded to an actual comment. I'd use the name "Michael G" under the quote. Let me know - thanks!

[@michaelgerena5676]

@@writingforscreens I'm your Huckleberry.

[@Crystal300z]

@@michaelgerena5676 Hey Doc, that was a really good question. I too am interested in what Mr. Gers has to say about it. Thanks!

[@fallenempire451]

Thanks a lot for the video, cleared a whole lot of mess in my head! Got one question though: would I be right to believe that theme is a different concept from that of the "main/central idea"? I read somewhere, that the main idea is basically a way to put your theme forward? Like, the very same theme could be explored using different "main/central" ideas? Let's say the theme of "Crime and Punishment" could be explored with different characters and different events? More of a literature question, of course, but I'd be greatly interested in your opinion on that ❤ Once again thanks a lot for the video, the quality of your work is insane!

[@writingforscreens]

Thank you so much! Re: your question...it feels to me like what you're calling the "main/central idea" is actually the plot/story. So: yes - a certain theme could be explored in many different versions with different stories. OR a story could be re-thought to convey different themes. One way to look at that would be to think of the theme as the "content" or "idea" or "vision" or - I say this uneasily - "message" ...and the plot or story is the "form." The relationship is inter-dependent: you can't really have one without the other. On the other hand, neither automatically controls or defines the other. They are just two elements, two ways of looking at events and people and art.

[@jamuojisan]

Totally agree with the "meaning" part. Thus, do you think one needs to have a better idea about life and the world before s/he starts to write? Because the story may be interesting, yet the meaning or the moral of the story may be awful or worse, wrong or outdated, as we keep updating our moral from time to time.

[@writingforscreens]

Complicated question! I don't think any idea is necessarily "better" or "worse" - different people will value different ideas differently, and while some are pretty widely-condemned, I like to recognize the complexity of that question. And we all DO change over time, and the world changes, so our ideas may change too. I DO think that it helps you make choices if you have an idea you are trying to express or explore. But sometimes you don't know what the idea is until you are in the middle or even at the end of writing. Sometimes you start with an idea - sometimes you use the writing to find or understand the idea.

[@RoddyTullenz]

It’s funny that the line between committing to the theme and dropping it can be broken by self doubt or attention span.

[@writingforscreens]

The good news is: it's not an all-or-nothing moment, it's a process! Let time help. Maybe one day you drop it - but the next day is a chance to pick it up again and work a little more with it. No one gets it all right or all done at once. The good work accumulates over time, if you keep taking small steps.

[@RoddyTullenz]

@@writingforscreens would you recommend making short films for the sake of practicing theme?

[@writingforscreens]

@@RoddyTullenz Not for theme, no. Shorts will give you good experience in writing-for-production, but you'd get more theme-confidence by writing a bunch of scripts and showing them to people and learning from how they communicate.

[@nextinstitute7824]

Hi Glenn, does a good title incorporate the theme, directly name it in a one-worder, indirectly hint at it, or should it be about the clue of the movie/book or just a related poetic statement that stands out in the market? It's probably all possible, but what is the most effective? Is there any research done?

[@nextinstitute7824]

Or does it really belong in the logline?

[@writingforscreens]

Some titles do one of those things - some don't! There's no "should" here - it's just what feels right to you. It's a choice. You're defining your work, your voice, by the choice. In my experience, you play around with different possible titles and then one "clicks" and you say: ah! that's it. Often I feel scared when that click happens, because I'm afraid it won't work...but the truth is, you have to make a choice, and whatever choice you make will be good in some ways and bad in others. So just make one you like and can live with. As for research: that becomes a marketing question, not a creative question. I personally feel when you start to write for marketing or business purposes, you write bad stuff. Yes, certainly, you can care what sells - but you can't write something outside of your own taste just because it's more popular. It will be bad.

[@nextinstitute7824]

@@writingforscreens Thanx Glenn! Good that you redirect the research question. It's hard to ignore it, as, well, books have to be bought before they are read. But you're right, I should focus on the novel itself and trust its strength...