It should.

A theme is a one-line explanation of your story.. Every story should have one because our stories are about something.

When I say should, I mean that this isn’t always case. Especially so for beginner writers, who may not know, that theme carries story. Or even those who’ve been writing for years may not be aware of importance of a theme.

And a theme is important.

A theme is what will keep you on track as you write story.

What happens if you write without a theme in mind? Two things…

1.You stray from subject

or

2.You write more than one story.

Let me give you an example of a story written with a theme in mind…

The theme to a story I once wrote was, ‘Vanity Leads To Destruction.’

Very briefly, this story is about a female character that believed herself to be so beautiful, in end she lost everything.

Writing this theme on a post-it note and sticking it on my computer, I was always reminded that my story had to revolve around this theme. Having a theme helped me stick to story I had intended on writing and not stray from it – not even a little. It also helped me to focus only on what was essential to my story.

So according to my theme, ‘Vanity Leads To Destruction’…

•Every action my character performed was to show her vanity

•Her goals sprung from her vanity

•What motivated her was her vanity

•Her words (dialogue) showed her vanity

•How she handled situations showed her vanity

Our plotting stage is our testing area.

Everything in plot should be tested for its effectiveness before we put in into our stories. If you believe something in your plot could be better, make it better.

Figuring everything out in your plot will save you time rewriting later.

So how do you test your plot?

Start with everything that has gone into it.

For example...

Are events interesting?

Does your plot contain problems for character to solve?

Have you given your character a goal?