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So far in our theme series, we’ve covered What Theme Actually Is, how to Narrow Down Your Theme into a focusing question, but how do any of these actually work in the story itself?

It’s all well and good to have a handy little focusing question and a bunch of answers, but how do we actively apply these to a story?

Here’s where we get to one of my most favourite parts of theme. Experiments in Living/the Lie and the Truth and Character Arcs.

 

So, before we get started, I’m mostly going to be calling these things ‘Experiments in Living’ (EiLs). Some other sites/books call the same thing ‘the Lie’, or simply ‘your character’s world view’ etc. I’ll probably switch between them a little bit, but they’re basically the same thing.

Now, EiLs aren’t something you learn about in your general literacy class, so let me give you a quick explanation. To define it basically, an EiL is a person’s belief or view on a subject, and how that shapes the way they live and respond in certain situations and challenges.

 

Bob could have an EiL where he believes that revenge will make him happy. Tim could have an EiL where he believes that joy is only found while eating hamburgers.

 

Everyone has Experiments in Living. You have EiLs about different aspects of your life. Do you believe that it’s right to take someone else’s things without asking? Whether you answered a yes or a no to that question…whatever you answered was an Experiment in Living.

 

Now, even though I used humorous and light EiL examples (joy is only found while eating hamburgers), a good Belief should be much deeper. It should be the very core motive of why we act how we act.

They should be realistic and authentic to how people act in real life. There’s no use in trying to give a character the EiL that ‘hope only exists in roast potatoes’ because I highly doubt that will be relatable to most of your readers.

(Disclaimer: yes I talk about food a lot, yes I was hungry while writing this. Pardon me while I go find myself some lunch. 😂)

 

 

That’s what an Experiment in Living is, but how do you write them and what have they got to do with theme?

Now, raise your hand if you remember what I said last week. I said that coming up with lots of different answers to the Focusing Question was very important because you’d need it soon. That time of need is here and now.

 

An Experiment in Living is any one of those alternate answers. To return to my examples in the last theme post, and to scoop up a random main character I’ve temporarily dubbed ‘John’, I’ll show you what I mean.

Theme: Hope

Focusing Question: How can you keep up hope in the darkness?

 

John’s EiL could be to ‘Wait it out for the darkness to leave’ or to ‘Cling to the hope from the past’ or ‘If you look hard enough, hope can always be found somewhere.’ There’s many other options for what the character believes, and plenty of characters have different ones.

While John thinks that it’s best to leave hope until after the darkness is gone, Liam might believe that he has to bring the hope.

 

So is the character’s original Experiment in Living the message of your book?

Absolutely not.

Why not?

Because of Character Development.

If John begins your novel hiding away and waiting for the darkness to go and the hope to miraculously spring upon him…there’s a lot of room for him to grow and learn.

 

Before we get in to the actual character arc details (which will come next week), there’s still more important things to think about. In order to have a strong Experiment in Living (strong, not necessarily correct) you have to know why your character thinks that way.

What is it that makes John want to just wait out the darkness? What has happened in the past to make him believe that this is the best way?

 

Pick two characters from your book: your main character, and one other of your choosing. Put yourself into their shoes. Really delve deep to find the answers to these questions. Not only will your theme be stronger and deeper, but you’ll develop the foundations of who your character is and pave the way to make them more unique and more realistic than just your ordinary Tom, Dick, or Harry.

– Which answer to your focusing question does your character believe?
– Why does your character believe what he believes?

 

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