Theme isn’t what your story says

It’s what your story proves.

You don’t tell readers what your story is about. You show them through the characters’ journey.

If your theme is “love conquers all,” your story isn’t a speech about love. It’s characters proving, through struggle and sacrifice, through decisions that help them overcome their obstacles, that love is worth fighting for.

If your theme is “power corrupts,” we need to see a character rise, fall, and lose themselves in pursuit of control.

Theme isn’t a message you write at the top of the page. It’s the pattern that emerges when your character makes choices, faces consequences, and reaches the end changed.