#AStorysSoul

New at DIY MFA: A Case Study on Courage as a Literary Theme

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Courage, bravery, heroism, gutsiness – no matter what we call it, this trait is one that many people admire. It’s also an idea that’s explored frequently in literature, sometimes without us noticing.

Today’s Theme: A Story’s Soul post at DIY MFA takes a deeper look at courage as a literary theme with the help of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale. How do these two very different books examine the same theme in strikingly similar ways? You’ll have to read to find out.

Click here to read “A Case Study on Courage as a Literary Theme.”

Got any questions or suggestions for Theme: A Story’s Soul? Feel free to comment below or tweet me at @SaraL_Writer with the hashtag #AStorysSoul.

Two New Articles at DIY MFA

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Hope you all have had a good start to 2016! I’m back from my blogging “hiatus” today, and with two new articles at DIY MFA to boot.

On Friday, I took part in DIY MFA’s annual #5onFri post on New Year’s Resolutions. Each participating columnist picked an aspect of our writing careers that we want to improve on or achieve during 2016. What did I choose as mine? You’ll have to read the article to find out! 😉

Click here to read “#5onFri: 5 Resolutions from the DIY MFA Team.”

I’ve also got a new Theme: A Story’s Soul article that went live today. This one is a case study on communication as a literary theme. It may sound like a weird choice of topic, but once you read the examples you’ll see how a story can offer insights on the importance of communications in our character’s lives as well as our own.

Click here to read “A Case Study on Communication as a Literary Theme.”

Got any questions or suggestions for Theme: A Story’s Soul? Feel free to comment below or tweet me at @SaraL_Writer with the hashtag #AStorysSoul.

New at DIY MFA: A Case Study on Art as a Literary Theme

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I love it when an author makes art intrinsic to a story. Whether they highlight painting, poetry, or acting doesn’t matter. Simply reading about art awakens my imagination and draws me closer to the creative characters who are featured. However, did you know that by involving art in a story, the author is also making a thematic statement about the subject?

That’s the question behind my newest post for DIY MFA’s Theme: A Story’s Soul column. We’ll examine how art is used as a literary theme in two different novels, as well as the parallels in both examples that can help us explore the same theme in our own work.

Click here to read “A Case Study on Art as a Literary Theme.”

Got any questions or suggestions for Theme: A Story’s Soul? Feel free to comment below or tweet me at @SaraL_Writer with the hashtag #AStorysSoul.

New at DIY MFA: A Case Study on Family as a Literary Theme

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Many of us have read stories where family plays a major role in the main character’s life. However, did you know that the writer is making thematic statements about family by involving parents, children, siblings, and other blood relatives in the story? That’s what we discuss in today’s Theme: A Story’s Soul post at DIY MFA. Using examples from Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones and Michelle Moran’s Rebel Queen, we’ll look at parallels of exploring family as a literary theme and discover how a character’s beliefs about family can be challenged, reshaped, or reaffirmed as a result of the journey he/she undergoes.

Click here to read “A Case Study on Family as a Literary Theme.”

Got any questions or suggestions for Theme: A Story’s Soul? Feel free to comment below or tweet me at @SaraL_Writer with the hashtag #AStorysSoul.

New DIY MFA Article and Worksheet on Character Arc Themes

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So far at Theme: A Story’s Soul for DIY MFA, we’ve featured articles that deal mainly with themes and reading. However, since DIY MFA is first and foremost a resource website for writers, it’s time we tackle how to write with themes in mind – or rather, how to consciously develop our story’s themes without forcing them.

Today I’m excited to launch a special four-part Theme: A Story’s Soul series called “Developing Themes in Your Stories.” Part 1 focuses on character arc themes and features a brainstorming activity to help you discover potential themes in a story idea before you start writing the story. That way, you’ll know your story’s themes upfront instead of digging for them later. 😉

Click here to read “Developing Themes In Your Stories: Part 1 – The Character Arc.”

New Worksheet on Character Arc Themes

Yes, I’ve posted a brand new worksheet for you today! The Character Arc Themes Worksheet is formatted as a table to help you complete the exercises given in the coinciding DIY MFA article. This worksheet was a last-minute idea, so that’s why I’m making it available here without the DIY MFA branding.

Click here to visit Worksheets for Writers and download a PDF copy of the Character Arc Themes Worksheet.

Got any questions or suggestions for Theme: A Story’s Soul? Feel free to comment below or tweet me at @SaraL_Writer with the hashtag #AStorysSoul.

New at DIY MFA: How Mirror Characters Can Illustrate Literary Themes

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When two characters use similar traits or functions in opposite ways, they’re known as “mirror characters.” These pairs are a great way of creating conflict or relationships – and, oddly enough, a frequent source of literary themes. In the latest Theme: A Story’s Soul article at DIY MFA, we discover how mirror characters can help illustrate theme, using examples from Kristin Cashore’s Fire and Sara Litchfield’s The Night Butterflies. And, if you read closely enough, you’ll see how both examples mirror one another. 😉

Click here to read “How Mirror Characters Can Illustrate Literary Themes.”

Got any questions or suggestions for Theme: A Story’s Soul? Feel free to comment below or tweet me at @SaraL_Writer with the hashtag #AStorysSoul.

New at DIY MFA Today: A Case Study on Trust as a Literary Theme

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Trust is an essential building block in relationships of all kinds. However, for some people and in certain situations, trust isn’t won or earned easily.  Today’s Theme: A Story’s Soul article at DIY MFA examines how trust is explored as a literary theme, using two very different novels (Scott O’Dell’s Island of the Blue Dolphins and Karina Sumner-Smith’s Radiant) as examples and discovering techniques from both stories that develop this theme. Click here to read “A Case Study on Trust as a Literary Theme.”

Got any questions or suggestions for Theme: A Story’s Soul? Feel free to comment below or tweet me at @SaraL_Writer with the hashtag #AStorysSoul.

Happy 2015 – and Thank You!

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Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you ended your 2014 with a safe and fun celebration; and I wish you good health, joy, fulfillment, and great success in 2015, whatever your goals may be. 🙂

I also want to extend huge hugs of gratitude to everyone who visited the blog this year and continues to come back on a regular basis. 2014 turned out to be the most successful year statistically at this blog, with more visits, likes, and comments than in years past. *breaks out confetti and pompoms*

One thing has undoubtedly contributed to that increase: outreach. Joining Twitter and making a greater effort to visit blogs by writers, book reviewers, and other bloggers last year helped make a difference. But there’s only so much I can do myself by commenting and putting myself out. So, for all your feedback on book reviews, novel updates, and other musings… for your retweets and Facebook shares… for your support, curiosity, and enthusiasm… I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Now, I’d like to look back on what 2014 meant to me, and what my hopes and plans are for the year ahead. Continue reading →

Time Flies: December 2014 Edition

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Looking for this month’s Freelance Article Round-Up? It’s here – under a new name!

The Freelance Article Round-Up series will now be known as Time Flies!, a monthly wrap-up article that… well, does exactly what the Freelance Article Round-Ups had been doing. Originally, the round-ups were designed to share my columnist projects at A Bibliophile’s Reverie, Grub Street, and DIY MFA. Then I started including other happenings related to writing, this blog, and life in general. And so the round-ups evolved into something more – and a couple weeks ago, I realized the title didn’t fit the purpose anymore. What do you think of the new name? And the new logo? 🙂

Let’s jump right in with this month’s updates: Continue reading →

New at DIY MFA Today: Identifying a Novel’s Themes Using the Title and the Blurb

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Normally we can’t tell what a novel’s themes are until we’ve actually read the novel. However, did you know that with some stories, you can identify potential themes by looking for clues in the title and the blurb (a.k.a. jacket copy)? We explore that idea in “Identifying a Novel’s Themes Using the Title and the Blurb,” the latest article in my Theme: A Story’s Soul column at DIY MFA. We’ll even do some detective work together using the jacket copy of Anthony Doerr’s All The Light We Cannot See. Curious? Click here to read the article.

Got any questions or suggestions for Theme: A Story’s Soul? Feel free to comment below or tweet me at @SaraL_Writer with the hashtag #AStorysSoul.