But themes are not agendas. ALL books have themes, even if you don’t notice them or consciously intend to write them. If you don’t know what the themes of your book are, then you’re simply not paying attention to what you’re writing. Most of your books have a theme of friendship, for instance, and some of them have a theme revolving around music, either in playing it or producing it, I’m not sure. Some of your books seem to have a crime theme, and they all have a theme of how Latino cultural ties bind people together. ( ˆ◡ˆ)۶ ٩(˘◡˘ )
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Yeah…now that you mentioned it.
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My current work has several themes.
Combat-PTSD, survivor’s guilt, adoption, desire for revenge / vengeance, grief / mourning, pseudo-families, relationship dynamics between age groups, creating new lives (and reluctance to move on from old ones), and some science fiction / plausible future reality…The typical themes for a Young Adult novel…
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Ooh! Wait, your novel are YA?
I had no idea that was the case! Wowie!
In theory, it is a YA story. But some parts will probably be too mature for most YA audiences. Although one of the character’s (Krista, 14) favourite bedtime stories are Beowulf, the Songs of Solomon, and the original Grimm’s Tales. Along with a generous serving of old Russian fairy-tales. First Edition hardbacks if possible. Krista’s young but not naive.
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Wow! Thanks for letting me know! I was under the impression that you story was adult military fiction of some sorts.
Sorry, for the false accusation.
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Generally under “Do what it takes to bear up under the burden.” for Memoirs of a Luna, not a specific moral ideology.
I’m not so sure what the heck is going on with this new story, but the 1st half is definitely somewhere around “don’t fall for a mentally unavailable man”.
Mini Moo? It’s definitely a twisting of “count the cost”, at points.
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It’s generally not a concern until you have to address it, most often it’s when your characters make decisions that bother you.
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Ah, I see…
Good to know in advance…
These are interesting!
Also, I should be more focused on the themes a bit. I think I just mentioned thematic agenda because I was just on a roll. So, I wanted to keep up with the topic.
Honestly wanted to know what everyone’s themes were and why the choose it.
Sorry for that.
It’s not a problem.
For the new thing, why it’s shaping up to be “don’t expend yourself on unavailable men” is because it’s someone who wants the MC, but isn’t willing to be all in, and is outright refusing a relationship. It was just best to have him tell her not to get involved with him any further.
The thing is that she’s not there to get with him, directly, but as a request of a 3rd party to push him into moving into situations. It results in exposed chemistry. So, the second half is going to be very different.
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My other works are adult military fictions, and there is a strong military undercurrent in this story too.
Krista’s parents, and housemates, are career mercenaries. The other mercenaries children serve in the Israeli military (the characters live in a fortress-villa south of Be’er Sheva). Another main character, Dov, is a former Australian Commando, and a Afghan war veteran. Dov and Krista have the task of teaching a young girl (a prototype hybrid clone called Freyja) how to live and act as a ‘typical’ Israeli teenager*, and how to fight as an Australian Commando…Every girl should know how to protect herself…
*Reviewing Freyja’s character in my other short works, set after this story, she’s more like an Australian (i.e. Dov). Freyja appears passive, kind, gentle, and polite, and just happens to be a crack-shot with most rifles and terrifying with a blade. The other housemates taught Freyja a few of their favourite tricks.
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Ooh, sounds like some teeth sinking drama!
Awesome!
Thank you very much! 
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Oh, I see!
Quick random off-topic question; Is there a genre that you would love to focus on that still has military in it, but at the same time different?
Like a new-ish challenge for you, if you are willing to try it out!
I said in the sense you’re thinking, I didn’t say “my books are themeless”. I don’t really think about them, to be honest. I see them more as “keywords” than actual themes.
A literary theme is the main idea or underlying meaning a writer explores in a novel, short story, or other literary work. The theme of a story can be conveyed using characters, setting, dialogue, plot, or a combination of all of these elements.
I don’t really have an underlying theme/meaning to explore particularly in a lot of my stories. Yeah, there may be elements of a theme or ideas to explore, but I havent got any ovearching ones that I want to overly focus on, or challenge narratives with in some stories.
I think that a theme is more something that a reader decodes in a story, rather than something outright that an author includes. Yes, an author might have themes and focus areas within their message, but I don’t have any real standout agendas/morals
Like, to be fair you came up with these from what you observed from my stories and reading them. But, they may have been there in small amounts but weren’t the main focus, if that makes sense?
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No longer focus on that anymore. I only mentioned that to keep the topic following and to get an understanding for own story.
I am good now! I am only excepting themes, both major and minor.
I have to change that in the thread and I apologize for that.
EDIT/UPDATE: I’ve made the changes!
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Maybe historical fiction. Real-world events told in different (fiction) narrative styles. Otherwise, nothing springs to mind.
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Ah ha! Anything grabbing out at you at the moment or you’re waiting for that little spark?
You will know it when it flashes before you. LOL!
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I don’t actually think about themes when writing tbh. I try to leave it open to my readers to interpret what they think. I’ve been told some interesting ones 
- Gods are just as stupid as mortals
- Sometimes a sacrifice has no meaning
- A world entirely good might be as harmful as a world entirely bad
- Life doesn’t give happy endings
- A lot of wars are just family squabbles
- Found family is just as (if not more) important than blood family
- True friends aren’t afraid to be upfront and honest when they have to be
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