#writing themes

[physalian]

On Writing Theme (Or, Make it a Question)

An element of story so superficially understood and yet is the backbone of what your work is trying to say. Theme is my favorite element to design and implement and the easiest way to do that? Make it a question.

A solid theme takes an okay action movie and propels it into blockbuster infamy, like Curse of the Black Pearl. It turns yet another Batman adaptation into an endlessly rewatchable masterpiece, seeing the same characters reinvented yet again and still seeing something new, in The Dark Knight. It’s the spiraling drain at the bottom of classic tragedies, pulling its characters inevitably down to their dooms, like in The Great Gatsby.

Theme is more than just “dark and light” or “good and evil”. Those are elements that your story explores, but your theme is what your story *says* with those elements. 

For example: Star Wars takes “dark vs light” incredibly literally (ignoring the Sequels). Dark vs Light is what the movies pit against each other. How the selfish, corrupted, short-sighted nature of the Dark Side inevitably leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy of doom—that’s what the story is about.

A story can have more than one theme, more than one statement it wants to make and more than one question to answer. Star Wars is also about the inevitable triumph of unity and ‘goodness’ over division and ‘evil’.

Part of why I love fantasy is how allegorical it can be. Yes I’m writing a story with vampires, but my questions to my characters are, “What makes a monster? Why is it a monster?” My characters’ arcs are the answer to my theme question.

Black Pearl is a movie that dabbles in the dichotomy between law-abiding soldiers and citizens, and the lawless pirates who elude them. Black Pearl’s theme is that one can be a pirate and also a good man, and that neither side is perfect or mutually exclusive, and that strictly adhering to either extreme will lead you to tragedy.

Implementing your theme means, in my opinion, staging your theme like a question and answering it with as many characters and plot beats as possible. In practice?

Q: Can a pirate be a good man? A: Jack is. Will is. Elizabeth is. Barbossa is selfish and short-sighted, and he loses. Norrington is too focused on propriety and selfless duty, and he loses.

Or, in Gatsby.

Q: Is life fulfilled by living in the past? A: Mr. Buchanan clings to his old-money ways and is a sour lout with no respect for anyone or himself. Daisy clings to a marriage that failed long ago, to retain an image and security she thinks she needs. Myrtle chases a man she can’t ever have. Her husband lusts after a wife who’s no longer his. Gatsby… well we all know what happens to him.

The more characters and plot beats you have to answer your theme’s question, the more cohesive a message you’ll send. It can be a statment the story backs up as well, as seen below, questions just naturally invite answers.

—

Do you need a theme?

Not technically, no. Plenty of stories get by on their other solid elements and leave the audience to draw their own conclusions and take their own meaning and messages. Your average romance novel probably isn’t written with a moral. Neither are your 80s/90s action thrillers. Neither are many horror movies. Theme is usually reserved for dramas, and usually in dramatic fantasy and sci-fi, where the setting tends to be an allegory for whatever message the author is trying to send. That, and kids movies.

Sometimes you just want to tell a funny story and you don’t set out with any goals of espousing morals and lessons you want your readers to learn and that is perfectly okay. I still think saying *something* will make the funny funnier or the drama more dramatic or the romance more romantic, but that’s just me and what I like to read.

When it is there, it’s right in front of your face way more often than you might think. Here’s some direct quotes succinctly capturing the main theses of a couple famous works:

“He’s a good man.” / “No, he’s a pirate.” - Curse of the Black Pearl

“What are we holding onto, Sam?” / “That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it’s worth fighting for.” - LotR, Two Towers

“Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.” - LotR, Fellowship of the Ring

“A person’s a person, no matter how small.” - Horton Hears a Who

“You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” - The Dark Knight

“Can’t repeat the past? Why of course you can!” - The Great Gatsby

“Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” & “Life finds a way.” - Jurassic Park

"Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind." - Lilo & Stitch

“But… I’m supposed to be beautiful.” / “You are beautiful.” - Shrek

“I didn’t kill him because he looked as scared as I was. I looked at him, and I saw myself.” - How to Train Your Dragon

“There are no accidents.” & “There is no secret ingredient.” & “You might wish for an apple or an orange, but you will get a peach.” - Kung Fu Panda

*If any of those are wrong, I did them entirely from memory, sue me.

Some of the best scenes in these stories are where the theme synthesizes in direct dialogue. There’s this moment of catharsis where you, the audience, knew what the story has been saying, but now you get to hear it put into words.

Or, these are the lines that stick in your head as you watch the tragedy unfold around the characters and all they didn’t learn when they had the chance.

When it comes to stories that have a very strong moral and never feel like they’re preaching to you, look no further than classic Pixar movies.

“Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.” - Ratatouille

“I’m not strong enough.” / “If we work together, you don’t have to be.” - The Incredibles

“Just keep swimming!” - Finding Nemo

Ellie’s adventure book, to live your own adventure, even if it’s not the one you thought it would be - Up

The Wheel Well montage, to slow down every once in a while, because in a flash, it’ll be gone - Cars

The entire first dialogue-less section of Wall-E, to stop our endless consumption or else

The real monsters are corporate consumption - Monsters Inc

One cannot fully appreciate happiness without a little sadness - Inside Out

With enough loud voices, the common man can overthrow The Man - A Bug’s Life

A person’s worth is not determined by their value to other people - Toy Story

These are the themes that I, personally, took from these movies as a kid and later in life. If I remembered the scripts any better I could probably pull some direct dialogue to support them, but, sadly, I do not have the entire Pixar catalog memorized.

—

After you’ve suffered through rigorous literary analysis classes for years on end, the “lit analyst” hat kind of never comes off. Sometimes you try to find a theme where none exists, coming up with your own. Sometimes you can very easily see the skeleton attempt at having a theme and a message that came out half-baked, and all the missed opportunities to polish it.

Whatever the case, while theme isn’t *necessary*, having that through line, an axis around which your entire story revolves, can be a fantastic way to examine which elements of your WIP aren’t meshing with the rest, why a character is or isn’t clicking, how you want to end it, or, even, how you want to approach a sequel.

Unfortunately, very, very often, a movie, book, or season of TV has a fantastic execution of a theme in its first run, and the ensuing sequels forget all about it.

No one here is going to defend Michael Bay’s Transformers movies as cinematic masterpieces, however, the first movie did actually have a thematic through line: “No sacrifice, no victory.” They didn’t stick the landing but, you know, the attempt was made. Where is that theme at all in the sequels? Nonexistent. They could have even explored a different theme and they abandoned it altogether.

Black Pearl’s thematic efforts fell away to lore and worldbuilding in its two sequels. Not that they’re bad! I love Dead Man’s Chest, but to those who don’t like the sequels, that missing element may be part of why.

Shrek and Shrek 2 both centered on their theme of beauty being how you define it and no one else. Fiona finds true love in her “true” form, then strengthens that message in the sequel when she has the chance to be “normal” and conventionally attractive, and still chooses to be an ogre, to be with Shrek. Shrek 3’s theme is…? 

When it was never there, that theme is missing isn’t so obvious. When it used to be there and got left behind, it leaves a crater in its wake everyone notices, even if they can’t pinpoint why.

—

TLDR: Theme is more than just vague nouns and dichotomies. Good, evil, dark, light, selfishness, altruism, beauty, ugliness, riches, poverty, etc are what your story uses. Your theme is what your story has to say with those elements, using as many characters and plot points as possible to reinforce its message. Is it necessary? No. Is it helpful and does it lead to a richer experience? Yes.

#writing advice #writing resources #writing tips #writing tools #writing a book #writeblr #writing #fantasy #scifi #theme #writing themes

[saraswritingtipps]

Some popular and timeless themes that provide a rich foundation for storytelling:

1. Love and Relationships: Explore the complexities of romantic relationships, family dynamics, friendships, and the various forms of love. Delve into themes of connection, loss, sacrifice, and personal growth through relationships.

2. Coming of Age: Capture the journey of self-discovery, growth, and transformation as characters navigate the transition from childhood to adulthood. Explore themes of identity, independence, societal expectations, and the challenges of finding one's place in the world.

3. Good vs. Evil: Examine the battle between right and wrong, morality, and the choices characters make in the face of ethical dilemmas. Delve into the nature of evil, redemption, and the complexities of human behavior.

4. Loss and Grief: Portray the emotional journey characters undertake after experiencing loss and how they navigate grief. Explore themes of healing, acceptance, resilience, and the process of moving forward in the face of profound loss.

5. Identity and Self-Discovery: Focus on characters' quests to understand themselves, their purpose, and their place in society. Uncover themes of self-acceptance, self-worth, cultural identity, and the search for authenticity.

6. Power and Corruption: Examine the abuse of power, the allure of control, and the consequences it brings. Explore themes of corruption, moral ambiguity, the struggle for power, and the potential for redemption.

7. Nature and the Environment: Explore humanity's relationship with the natural world and the impact of environmental issues. Delve into themes of conservation, harmony with nature, the consequences of exploitation, and the preservation of the planet.

8. Social Justice: Address themes of inequality, discrimination, and social issues. Explore topics such as racism, gender equality, socioeconomic disparities, and the fight for justice and equality.

9. Human Nature and the Human Condition: Reflect on the complexities of being human, our flaws, desires, and struggles. Explore themes of love, fear, ambition, mortality, resilience, and the search for meaning in life.

10. Redemption and Forgiveness: Delve into characters' quests for redemption, their journey toward forgiveness, and the possibility of finding redemption even in the face of past mistakes or wrongdoing. Explore themes of second chances, personal growth, and the power of forgiveness.

Remember, these themes can be explored in various genres and settings, and they can be combined or adapted to suit your specific story and creative vision. Ultimately, the themes you choose should resonate with you as a writer and allow for exploration of universal human experiences.

#writing #writer on tumblr #writing tips #character development #writerscommunity #writer tumblr #writblr #writing advice #novel writing #storytelling #writing themes

[orcaissance]

Idespite having not shown my writing and not having motivation to write any large stories or any of my fan fictions, I’ve decided to try and do this 100 themes challenge! I’m not gonna promise that I’ll do it EVERYDAY, but I can say that I’ll do it :)) and I’ll be posting them all here as a master list for the challenge!!

OO1 ; home.

OO2 ; love

OO3 : light.

OO4 ; dark.

OO5 ; exodus.

OO6 ; revolver.

OO7 ; heaven

OO8 ; innocence

OO9 ; ancient

O1O ; lemon tree

O11 ; memory

O12 ; gold(en)

O13 ; dawn

O14 ; smile (hd)

O15 ; silence (w koro sensei)

O16 ; colour

O17 ; upside down

#writing time #original writing #writers #writing #writing prompts #writing challenge #writing themes #100 themes #writers on tumblr #writers block #writerscommunity #writing tings #writer things #my writing #writblr #writers and poets #nonspecific #writing masterlist

[secondhandsorrows]

Writing a Strong Premise That Checks All the Boxes

To begin, a strong story premise sets the foundation for an engaging narrative. It can be anywhere between a single sentence to a short paragraph -- I, myself, tend to write both ways and think slightly-longer premises are just fine. It depends on how to-the-point you want your premise to be for a quick summary, or if a longer one offers more context to have it make more sense. The goal is to communicate the heart of your story efficiently in simple terms without overwhelming the reader.

First, here's some examples of strong premises:

"A smart young girl, raised by uncaring parents, discovers she has magical powers which she uses to teach her tyrannical headmistress a lesson." - (Matilda, by Roald Dahl)

"A rehearsal is in progress when the actors are suddenly interrupted by six mysterious people, who demand to be put in a play. They are the characters of a story yet to be written." - (Six Characters in Search of An Author, by Luigi Pirandello)

"When world-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a mysterious symbol—seared into the chest of a murdered physicist—he discovers evidence of the unimaginable: the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati…the most powerful underground organization ever to walk the earth." - (Angels and Demons, by Dan Brown)

Not only is your story condensed to one sentence (or two, or three...), but it should, at the very least, be understandable enough to the potential reader, not only providing a short summary that hits the boxes we will discuss here, but also asking a main question that arises from the premise (such as: will the main character succeed in their plans, or will they fail in the longrun?). The idea of the main question is a whole new can of worms that makes me want to write a new post in of itself, so for now, let’s just get into the elements of a good premise.

Here are some points to ensure your premise is strong enough and compelling:

1. The Protagonist: Introduce the main character(s) and their primary goal or desire. Draw attention to what makes them more important and stand out from others. Keep in mind as you write: Why is this their story to tell… what makes them the prime candidate worth experiencing this story? 

2. The Antagonist / Opposition: You don’t necessarily have to dive into the villain and their motivations in your premise, if you have one, but you should mention the forces, people or not, that stand in the way of the protagonist. This opposition often drives conflict and tension.

2. External Conflict: Branching off from the last step, a strong premise often includes inherent conflict and high stakes. Identify what's at stake for your protagonist, what they want, and what obstacles they face in achieving their goals. What does the protagonist have to gain or lose? 

3. Internal Conflict: On the flip side of the prior step, also be sure consider the internal struggles or dilemmas the protagonist may face. This could be emotional, moral, or psychological challenges that add depth to their journeys. You could hint at potential character growth or change. 

4. Exploration of Themes: A good premise hints at the themes your story will explore. Think about the underlying messages or ideas your premise conveys. Also think about the emotional impact of your premise: does it evoke curiosity, excitement, fear, or empathy?

Remember that a strong premise isn't just about a catchy or original idea, but also about how well it sets the stage for the narrative to unfold. It should capture your audience's imagination and make them eager to read your story. 

Feedback can be a useful tool to determine whether or not your story’s premise is strong enough. Don’t be afraid to share your premise with others: get different perspectives to understand how your premise resonates with different readers, see if their expectations align with your own or challenge you to think outside of the box. Refine your premise through multiple iterations — expand through various plot points or characters for different outcomes. Open your mind to new possibilities until there’s one that really sticks with you. 

Also remember that your premise doesn’t have to contain every element or plot device of your story — that will be apparent in the finished product. For now, take the points that are most important, especially the ones that make you most excited to share this story in the first place. 

Sources linked!

#writing advice #writing tips #story premise #the premise #story tips #creative writing #fiction #writing #character #on writing #writing protagonists #story conflict #story summary #writing themes

[unrelatedbut]

Please reblog and share with writer friends. We're trying to get a wide sample of answers

Thank you!

#writing conflicts #writing themes #writing poll #writing friends #writing is hard #reblog to save a life #do people still use that tag?

[autumnn27]

Rage; How to define such a subtle yet heavy word? I do not underestimate softness like before since I’ve experience rage more closely. It is an oscillation between being consumed by wrath or consuming wrath. As time flows by, sensations of torment with their unsharpened edges in my bosom develop into fossils buried within deep interiors where my hands don’t fit enough to reach. Although, years after when they are excavated like an unknown archaic discovery, I act out of it like a possessed doll. It feels unknown yet known like i cannot recognise it but I have known it intimately enough. It makes my mind ponder and question whether every archaic object or discovery is truly unknown or we do not recognise it after generations.

The soil has been knowing everything since humans stepped on it, witnessing every movement closely to bury it all deep within its bosom. I wonder how does the earth soaks it all. Moreover, I wonder the most about its process of dissolving everything. As when volcanoes erupt, or the clouds pours themselves, resulting in wonders of nature to born. Rocks form and flowers bloom, exactly like it’s unrecognisable for the earth yet it knows them intimately. What holds more credibility to go through this entire process of metamorphosis and yet remain still and grounded to host the plethora of movement we have known as life.

I do not know how long I may burn to transform like volcanoes or cause movement beneath the surface unnoticed in order to bloom like spring daffodils but as long as I remain in this process, I can only shed like autumn in action waiting for winter to come soon to be able to rest and reborn again. The journey of rage coming to life.

#dark academia #reading #writing #literature #dark academia literature #dark academia things #writing themes #writingblr #autumn #winter

[ntzsche9]

Thanks for the tag, @deanwax. I like this one even though this is definitely an exercise in which I stare into the abyss and the abyss stares back lol.

___

Thumbprint Challenge

RULES: look back on your work, both past and present, finished and unfinished. what are five to ten narrative elements or tropes that continuously pop up in your work? give a list of these things!

The dark side of human nature (ala Heart of Darkness or Lord of the Flies)

The banality of evil

Bad things happening to good people

Living with traumatic experiences up to and including CPTSD and how it complicates relationships

Trauma bonding

Family building, through found family, pregnancy, and adoption - and the intergenerational senses of identity

Sexual liberation and claiming sexual autonomy after opression or abuse

Toxic parenting and adultism (often with just a sprinkle of religious trauma, for flavor)

The upheaval of life as the MC knows it - the end of the world, liberarion, trauma, catastrophe, etc. The Tower, if you know tarot.

Gentle tag to @anoelleart, @andromeda-grace, @paintedbutton, @winterandwords, @athensoddcollections, @words-after-midnight, and open to anyone else

#writeblr #my writing #writing themes #tag game

[skymeria]

Theme Tag Game

I was gently nudged by the wonderful @digitalsatyr23 and at just the right time because I am trying to drag myself back into #LunarWIP - so thank you for this!

As far as how this game works, there's a huge list of different themes, and you can mark ones in bold if they're major themes in your WIP or in italic if they're minor themes.

So let's see what mash of themes you can expect to find in #LunarWIP

addiction | beauty | betrayal | change vs. tradition | chaos vs. order | circle of life | coming of age | communication | convention vs. rebellion | corruption | courage | crime and law | dangers of ignorance | darkness and light | death | desire to escape | dreams | displacement | empowerment | facing darkness | facing reality | faith vs. doubt | fall from grace | fame and fortune | family | fate | fear | fear of failure | free will | friendship | fulfillment | good vs. bad | government | greed | guilt and forgiveness | hard work | heroism | hierarchy | honesty | hope | identity crisis | immortality | independence | individual vs. society | inner vs. outer strength | innocence | injustice | isolation | knowledge vs. ignorance | life | loneliness | lost love | love | man vs. nature | manipulation | materialism | motherhood | nature | nature vs. nurture | oppression | optimism | peer pressure | poverty | power | power of words | prejudice | pride | progress | quest | racism | rebirth | relationships | religion | responsibility | revenge | sacrifice | secrets | self-awareness | self-preservation | self-reliance | sexuality | social class structure | survival | technology | temptation and destruction | time | totalitarianism | weakness | vanity | war | wealth | wisdom of experience | youth

Who to tag? I've been away from writing tumblr so long I forget who to tag so I am going to go with @conkers-theficwriter because I am always interested to know more about her fics <3 and anyone else who wants to play - I need more writer friends and I love finding out about WIPs

#lunarwip #tag game #skymeria #writing community #writeblr #themes #writing themes #wip themes #wip themes tag #writer tumblr #writers of tumblr

[loveleelyric]

Writing in the Cyberpunk setting.

I find myself only being able to find the ever elusive "flow" that all artists seek when writing in a Cyberpunk setting.

As much as I adore classic fantasy, steampunk and modern realistic settings, something about neon lights and festering capitalism really butter my biscuits!

P.S. Someone help me figure out tumblr ;-;

#cyberpunk #short story #writing #writing themes #friends #be my friend #cyberpunk aesthetic #cyberpunk smut

[anitalenia]

𝙍𝙀𝙑𝙀𝙍𝙎𝙀 𝙃𝘼𝙍𝙀𝙈 ⋆⭒˚｡⋆‎♡‧₊˚

꒰ঌ definition ໒꒱ ˏˋ°•*⁀➷   𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑓𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑠𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝘩𝑟𝑒𝑒 𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑠. 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑎𝑠 𝑢𝑛𝑜𝑟𝑡𝘩𝑜𝑑𝑜𝑥 𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒. ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ below you will find sub genres under this category, as well as some useful pairings for this trope. for educational writing purposes — contains dark content <3

note: several of these can also be used in other tropes as well, just depends on how you write it and interpret it. Also, this is strictly woman x multiple men because reverse harem is just that. Harem is man x multiple women, ergo reverse harem

₊˚⊹.* ♡ person A being hunted by a group of people — the circumstance can be interpreted in many different ways (can be a game between them as to who gets her first)

₊˚⊹.* ♡ person A being passed around a friend group

₊˚⊹.* ♡ multiple yandere loving person A

₊˚⊹.* ♡ person A lost somewhere and taken to the home of person B, where multiple suitors await to take care of her

₊˚⊹.* ♡ demon brothers and their love (person A) — obey me! anyone ???

₊˚⊹.* ♡ kings and their favorite princess

₊˚⊹.* ♡ multiple boys at school wanting person A (like in anime’s where every boy has a vastly different personality / social status)

₊˚⊹.* ♡ enemy vampire clans wanting person A

₊˚⊹.* ♡ werewolves sharing person A in the pack

₊˚⊹.* ♡ person A’s professors find other ways to help her grades

₊˚⊹.* ♡ men of different species wanting person A (dark fantasy au) — like elf king wants person A, rogue werewolf wants person A, vampire lord wants person A, etc.

₊˚⊹.* ♡ stuck in a house with your captors (kidnapped au)

₊˚⊹.* ♡ biker gang x waitress who serves them

₊˚⊹.* ♡ angels x demons fighting for person A

₊˚⊹.* ♡ kings x maid

₊˚⊹.* ♡ rivaling princes of different nations x princess of one — they come together in their want for her (can be kings too ig)

₊˚⊹.* ♡ criminal x cop partner x best friend wanting cop!person A

₊˚⊹.* ♡ its mating season for monsters and they all want person A

₊˚⊹.* ♡ person A is the only human in the monster clan

₊˚⊹.* ♡ queen x servants (where person A is the one in control / the dominant one)

₊˚⊹.* ♡ person A and her group of boys she grew up with

₊˚⊹.* ♡ sorceress x her creations

₊˚⊹.* ♡ servant x princes ( can be demon brothers, any kind of royalty, where person A is hired to be their servant)

₊˚⊹.* ♡ multiple psychos playing a game with person A to see who can get them first

₊˚⊹.* ♡ person A is a criminal being hunted by multiple bounty hunters / cops

₊˚⊹.* ♡ person A is stalked by a group of men then later taken by them

₊˚⊹.* ♡ person A is the new farm hand or new to a farm x cowboys

₊˚⊹.* ♡ person A is the creation of person B, but she gets passed around to his partners with his permission — maybe her needs need to be met by more than just one person (person B is the main partner, but lets others use person A)

₊˚⊹.* ♡ bouncing off that idea, person B is the main partner of person A but person B’s partners / brothers / friends also want person A so he allows it

₊˚⊹.* ♡ person A and all her step brothers

₊˚⊹.* ♡ person A x her step brother and his best friends

₊˚⊹.* ♡ person A x her step dad and his best friends

₊˚⊹.* ♡ person A x her bosses

₊˚⊹.* ♡ succubus x demon men who love offering their services (can be human but humans die so do what you will)

₊˚⊹.* ♡ person A x incubus men who always come to her

₊˚⊹.* ♡ person A x vampire coven

₊˚⊹.* ♡ person A on house arrest x her security guards ( a lot of ways this can be twisted — different species, different circumstances, etc. )

₊˚⊹.* ♡ princess x her bodyguards

₊˚⊹.* ♡ person A is a scientist studying alien life forms — they take turns using her so she can “study better”

₊˚⊹.* ♡ person A is traded to a dark king in return for her kingdoms safety (whatever reason you want), only to be shared between him and his royal court (including brothers & best friends)

₊˚⊹.* ♡ person A is a highly fertile woman in a dystopian world, shared amongst lords in hopes to reproduce

₊˚⊹.* ♡ person A x the men sent to kill her

₊˚⊹.* ♡ person A passed around between the Zodiac (as in the twelve Zodiac signs — dark fantasy)

₊˚⊹.* ♡ omegaverse — person A is passed around between the Alpha and his betas

₊˚⊹.* ♡ omegaverse — person A is passed around multiple Alphas

₊˚⊹.* ♡ person A x powerful gods who want her for themselves

₊˚⊹.* ♡ person A x dragon princes

₊˚⊹.* ♡ princess who gets kidnapped by pirates (doesn’t have to be a princess obvi but regardless she getting passed around the ship)

₊˚⊹.* ♡ villain x the men sent to watch her and keep her in check — bonus if at least one of the men is strongly on the hero’s side but can’t deny his attraction to her

₊˚⊹.* ♡ alice in wonderland au — person A is new to the world and taken under the care of person B. person B takes them home and is introduced to all the men there. some are also just introduced at some point and want person A (like white queen and red queen are really sexy menz, werewolf boy, twin boys, yk yk. Im trying not to make this too long but I already did)

₊˚⊹.* ♡ person A x the lost boys — person A is lost and/or new to the world and is found by the lost boys (lowkey dark fantasy peter pan au)

#❀⋆ ─ 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 ⊹❀ ֙⋆ #writing tropes #writinghelp #writing themes #writing fanfiction #writing tips and tricks #writing help #writing things #writing inspiration #writing prompt #writing #story help #reverse harem #reverse harem trope #book tropes #book writing #book writing help #pink themes #aesthetic #pink #pinkcore #cute #sparkles #stars

[digitalsatyr23]

Theme Tag Game

Was tagged by @scifimagpie, so thank you! As far as how this game works, there's a huge list of different themes, and you can mark ones in bold if they're major themes in your WIP or in italic if they're minor themes. For this one, I'm going to showcase themes in my Arachnia Fables WIP. Even though those are a collection of different short stories and novelettes, there are some overarching themes I feel are important to the overall setting and each story connected to it.

addiction | beauty | betrayal | change vs. tradition | chaos vs. order | circle of life | coming of age | communication | convention vs. rebellion | corruption | courage | crime and law | dangers of ignorance | darkness and light | death | desire to escape | dreams | displacement | empowerment | facing darkness | facing reality | faith vs. doubt | fall from grace | fame and fortune | family | fate | fear | fear of failure | free will | friendship | fulfillment | good vs. bad | government | greed | guilt and forgiveness | hard work | heroism | hierarchy | honesty | hope | identity crisis | immortality | independence | individual vs. society | inner vs. outer strength | innocence | injustice | isolation | knowledge vs. ignorance | life | loneliness | lost love | love | man vs. nature | manipulation | materialism | motherhood | nature | nature vs. nurture | oppression | optimism | peer pressure | poverty | power | power of words | prejudice | pride | progress | quest | racism | rebirth | relationships | religion | responsibility | revenge | sacrifice | secrets | self-awareness | self-preservation | self-reliance | sexuality | social class structure | survival | technology | temptation and destruction | time | totalitarianism | weakness | vanity | war | wealth | wisdom of experience | youth

I think a big thing that's a part of my Arachnia Fables is the setting is designed to be multi-layered. It's probably hard to tell with what material is posted atm but a big thing (especially regarding lore and religious stories) is there are many unreliable narrators, but there's a bit of truth in each person's version or take on events, so it's like a puzzle. It's also a setting that is wildly dangerous to anyone from heroes to ordinary folk, but despite the constant threat of death and corruption, there's always a little light somewhere that gives people hope and helps them hold on, helps them find the will to keep living.

So! As far as tagging goes, I'm going to gently nudge: @gummybugg, @thepitflower, @skymeria, @desastreus, and @mitchell-nihil. Feel free to ignore if you're not feeling up to it. Either way, I hope you all have a pleasant day. :D

#theme tag game #writing themes #Arachnia Fables

[darkfaeluvr]

the internet raised me

the internet groomed me

me & ethernet cables go way way back

we grew up together

never really grew apart

in a kind of way we became enmeshed

me without them

is like them without me

makes no sense

i could never believe

in all honesty

it crushed me

made me comfortable with hiding in all the right spaces

later on

it somehow freed me

it saved me

it told me i could be anything i wanted to be

the internet is 41

my mom is 48

so i don’t think it’s bold to say

that the internet raised me

#poets on tumblr #writblr #poetsandwriters #poetblr #spilled ink #escapril #escapril 2024 #the internet #original writing #writing themes #topics #gen z #absent parents

[orcaissance]

1/100 theme ; home.

the day is dull.

but where will i go?

the noises are scary.

but who will comfort me?

the dark is cold.

but who will give warmth?

the silence is eerie.

but who will talk to me?

i am restless.

but what will soothe me?

my eyelids are heavy , but my hearts beats quickly.

so . . what watches me?

“if you’re scared . . just go home.”

oh . . yea.

i’ll just go home.

“there’s a problem?”

what… what is it?

“where is home?”

a/n: feel free to reblog with your own writing ]

#writers #writers on tumblr #writing #poems on tumblr #poem #poetry #original writing #original poem #poems and poetry #my poem #100 themes challenges #home #writing about #writing prompts #writing challenge #writing themes #my writing #late night writing #sad poem

[thedramaticwriter]

My name is Pepper and it’s my dream to become an author, I’ve only tried writing this story and rewriting this…again and again for the last 4 years or so…

You can imagine my progress. Very little on paper but so so much planned, I just need to motivation to keep going! Thats where this comes in, I want to share my tales and characters with the world as I write this drama packed fantasy story and hopefully find people who are just as excited as I am!

The book I’m writing about takes place in a medieval fantasy setting, within the confines of a kingdom. I don’t want to go into too much detail just yet, buut if your interested in reading about a baker and a prince falling hopelessly in love with each other against all odds then this blog is just for you! P.s they’re both men

If all goes well I’m hoping to post snippets of my progress as I write to those interested, I also plan to practice writing prompts for my characters as well! It’ll help me flesh out my characters more and hopefully it’ll be entertaining enough for anyone wanting to read!

I hope you enjoyed and I hope I caught your attention! If I did stay to watch my progress as I grow! Thank you for reading!❤️

#storytelling #writing themes #writing tumblr #writing talk #fantasy #medevial #fiction #writing #creative writing #oc #drama #bl fantasy #bxb story #author #reading #magic #angst #beginner writer #writerscommunity #writer stuff #female writers #writer problems

[little-mouse-gardens]

🌸WIP Themes tag🌸

tysm for the tag @minutiaewriter!

I'm going to use my wip The great beasts for this one!

tagging: @mjjune, @anechomirrored, @authoralexharvey, @angelasscribbles, @angelswing236, @wildswrites, @elizaellwrites, @creatrackers, @awordchemist, @regalserpent and anyone else who wants to participate!

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addiction | beauty | betrayal | change vs. tradition | chaos vs. order | circle of life | coming of age | communication | convention vs. rebellion | corruption | courage | crime and law | dangers of ignorance | darkness and light | death | desire to escape | dreams | displacement | empowerment | facing darkness | facing reality | faith vs. doubt | fall from grace | fame and fortune | (found) family | fate | fear | fear of failure | free will | friendship | fulfilment | good vs. bad | government | greed | guilt and forgiveness | hard work | heroism | hierarchy | honesty | hope | identity crisis | immortality | independence | individual vs. society | inner vs. outer strength | innocence | injustice | isolation | knowledge vs. ignorance | life | loneliness | lost love | love | man vs. nature | manipulation | materialism | motherhood | nature | nature vs. nurture | oppression | optimism | peer pressure | poverty | power | power of words | prejudice | pride | progress | quest | racism | rebirth | relationships | religion | responsibility | revenge | sacrifice | secrets | self-awareness | self-preservation | self-reliance | sexuality | social class structure | survival | technology | temptation and destruction | time | totalitarianism | weakness | vanity | war | wealth | wisdom of experience | youth

#wip : the great beasts #jttw fanfic #lmk fanfic #jttw ocs #lmk ocs #writing themes #tag game #writing tag game #creative writing #themes

[bamber344]

when the story about werewolves (historically an effective metaphor for the queer experience) turns out to be an allegory about the queer experience: 😮 (this is shocking for some reason)

#just did some introspection and realised how closely the plight of the werewolves in Direwolf translates to the plight of trans people #against right-wing extremism in modern day society #it's so obvious yet i only just realised it after writing it for over a year #and i'm trans lmfao #you'd think i'd have figured it out before then #writing #direwolf #creative writing #writers #writing memes #queer #werewolves #writing themes #writing tropes #character tropes #lgbtq