Weak Theme Development: How to Solve a Common Writing Problem

If you are like many authors, early drafts of your book are—or will be—a bit kitchen-sinky, with too much of this and too much of that. Whether the issue is models, stories, or some other element, be prepared to make some hard decisions and do some trimming as you revise. One common problem I see in manuscripts is too many themes muddying up the message of the book. Of course, I also see the opposite problem: too little thematic cohesion. Either way, weak theme development is something you have to address to create a consistently engaging read.

What are themes? Those foundational concepts, ideas, or philosophies that you return to again and again as you develop your content. Themes work with your message and promise to create the through-line for the book, turning a collection of topics into a cohesive whole. They help create a path your reader can follow. Remember, your message is the refined expression of a core idea. Your themes are how you deepen and support that idea, creating context.

I am working on a book about the customer experience, and one of the core themes is the importance of improving the employee experience. In most chapters, that philosophy comes into play in how the message of the chapter and book are explored. In a chapter on understanding your customer, for example, the author explores how employees feel—respected, prepared, confident, connected—when they know what they need to know to serve customers well.

Why is weak theme development problematic? If you have too many themes, you have too many angles on your core message, and it becomes muddy. Readers come away from the book not entirely sure of what it was you were trying to communicate. And that prevents them from telling their friends about it in a compelling way. And if you have little theme development, your chapters will seem like loosely related essays and the reader may or may not have a strong sense of your perspective on the main idea by the end of the book.

So, to avoid these problems, try the four approaches I’ve described below.

Plan

Either as part of your work on your message and promise or as part of your work on your outline, think carefully about your themes. Make a list of big ideas or philosophies that support your biggest idea, your message. Return to your notes on message and promise. You probably touch on a couple of themes in your one- or two-sentence message, and you probably considered other themes during your work on that message.

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Clarify

You want to return to your themes consistently throughout the book to help support your message and your perspective on the content. If you have a dozen themes, many will be raised once or twice and then be abandoned, confusing or distracting the reader. Take your initial list and refine it to five or fewer. Consider whether some themes are actually topics or whether they just aren’t as important to the development of your message.

Connect

Great writers develop themes through subtle connections. This subtlety is necessary because you want your readers to internalize the themes, to spend time thinking about them. Well-developed themes help your readers connect your content to their experiences. Review your outline and consider the interplay between themes and topics. How will you explore each theme throughout the book, across multiple chapters? Which themes are most important or relevant to which chapters?

Refine

When you are revising your manuscript for the second, third, or thirty-third time, consider how you are developing your themes. Revisit your list of themes, identify where in the manuscript you have touched on each, and decide if you have too many, if you have developed them consistently, or if you need to add even more connections for the reader to get the message. Be prepared to kill your darlings, as the old saying goes.

Post some of your themes in the comments!

Featured image: © Vinh Dao