A THEME is the understanding that the author seeks to communicate through his work. It is the central and unifying idea about which the story is structured.

As writers we've had the concept of "theme" pounded into our heads. "What's your story about?" Every story needs a theme: a single word that tells us the core of the story--or, what it's about.

The premise is, quite simply, what is at stake in your story. It is the foundation of your story, upon which your theme, characters, and plot are built.

Even when a story has memorable characters, a riveting plot and a fully developed genre, it may still be coming apart at the themes.

Theme is the meaning or concept we are left with after reading a piece of fiction. Theme is an answer to the question, "What did you learn from this?" valuable discussions.

When writing a book you are often asked for the theme of the story. What is theme? Here are some points to consider:

Theme Quotations - "The theme is what the novel is about, and, still more, it is the reason for the novel." Elizabeth Bowen

Writers write stories to bring alive some segment of human existence. Story writers perform a service for us-interpret life for us-whether they give us new insights or refresh and extend old ones.

Often, when you ask a writer what her story is about, she'll launch into a lengthy narrative giving detail about the characters' back stories, what's happening when the book opens...

As writers we've had the concept of "theme" pounded into our heads. "What's your story about?" Every story needs a theme: a single word that tells us the core of the story--or, what it's about.