What are our books really about? Is there one central theme common to the books you write, or to the books you enjoy reading?
This has been on my mind ever since I and some other romance writers were interviewed for a local news bureau’s story on St. Valentine’s Day. Note that we were all St. Valentine Day losers–there was a distinct lack of caviar, chocolate, champagne or heart-shaped hot-tubs in our lives, and the reporter adopted that arch “I’m only writing about romances” tone we’re all so tired of hearing. Her first question to me–and she didn’t include this in the interview–I thought was the most interesting one. She asked me, in a rather patronizing tone, whether romances were “only about people falling in love and getting married, and about families.”
And I asked her what other sorts of stories there were. I believe that’s what all stories are about, when it comes down to it. Even in Beowulf the monster has a mother. If you’re interested in the whole storytelling-myth-archetypes topic, check out Christopher Vogler’s The Hero’s Journey, or, if you’re feeling really brave, you can tackle Joseph Campbell whose whole area of scholarship was on the subject.
If I had to give a quick definition of what I write about (naturally I have this suspicion that I’m writing about the same people all the time and/or I’m writing about myself, both of which are to a certain extent true), I’d respond that I like to write about people discovering their true identity.
How about you? Do you find common themes in the books you write or the books you find memorable reads?
Janet
My books seem to come down to being about redemption and forgiveness – not sure why, but over all four of my mss, that theme keeps recurring. Hmmmm.
Let’s see. I like the idea that one character (usually the heroine) is trying to hide one aspect of herself because she’s ashamed of it, but that one aspect is the very reason why the other character (usually the hero) absolutely needs to be paired with her, and this is why they love each other. (Works the other way too.) I can’t think of a title for it though. Shared discovery? With a touch of redemption?
I think my protagonists are usually outcasts of one sort or another, and often in the course of the story either they recognize their own worth, or (if they’ve known it all along), the world recognizes their worth… 🙂 Which, of course, is not to say that all my novels are the same!
Cara
My stories involve women coming into their strength–discovering desires and abilities they may not have known they had at the beginning.
Mine seem to be about gaining confidence, learning that you can survive with or without love (but love always arrives at the end anyway after that revelation).
I looked back over my books, and they all seem to be about people who have done not-so-good things in the past “finding themselves” and their own sort of redemption through love. Or partly through love, which shows them that they can do good in the world, they can make amends and start fresh. Sounds like a cheesy song, huh? 🙂