Making Stories Immortal: The Power of Theme
If you want a story to resonate in decades it must speak beyond the context and time of its writing. It needs to tackle uniting experiences and deep, undying truths. Otherwise, it’s locked to a point in time that is already getting old…
We tell stories to know the world better. In the process, we discover ourselves.
Stories illuminate the darkness of ignorance by increasing our wisdom and knowledge, lighting paths for improving our lives.
Wisdom comes from experience. Knowledge from learning, right or wrong. We grow their light best by doing: living the consequences of our decisions firsthand.
The second best way?
Understanding the results of someone else’s decisions. That delivers meaning through the chain of their choices; through the law of cause and effect.
Stories are how we share those experiences, gifting second-hand wisdom in ways that will stick. We fictionalise to order life’s chaos – so real lessons and warnings can be understood.
Stories make hard truths about existence fun to explore and digest. But there needs to be a point to a story. After all, we give it our time.
We’ve made an investment…
We need know what it’s all been about. That’s your Theme’s job.
- Your theme defines what your screenplay is really about.
- The theme is unpacked and revealed through the obstacles your protagonist overcomes, and the climactic action they take to prevail.
- Universal themes make stories immortal.
- They unite us, no matter where we are.
The Inner Circle's
THEME CHECKLIST
