Julianna Keyes's Blog - Posts Tagged "theme"
Release Week Post 4 - Past, Present, Future...Past?
RELEASE WEEK POST 4
PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE…PAST?
When I plotted out the major turning points in this book, I made a mental note to give each section a type of theme, and given the storyline, the theme of “past, present, future” made a lot of sense to me.
When we first meet Aidan, he’s still living as his “past” self. He’s been at college for three years as part of a scholarship program for troubled kids, and while he’s doing enough to keep the scholarship, he still hasn’t really embraced the opportunity he’s been given. As you are likely aware, he moves in with Jerry, spots Aster, and does what he can to steal her. Not exactly hero behavior, right? But very much the behavior of his past car thief self.
Once Aidan has split up the happy couple, he becomes more of his “present” self, cued by seeing the harm he’s caused to both Jerry and Aster and starting, for the first time in his life, to feel bad about his actions. As soon as he experiences regret, it’s like a tiny light bulb switches on and illuminates the world around him, and it’s a turning point for his character. It’s also the first time both readers and Aidan see that he might just have the potential to be the hero of this story.
As the romantic relationship between Aidan and Aster progresses, Aidan, who initially just wanted to hook up with Aster to get his craving for her out of his system, starts seeing a possible future. A future with Aster, but also a clearer idea of the future he’d like to have for himself. It’s the first time he’s ever looked that far ahead, and it gives him the motivation keep learning and growing.
If past, present, future were all there was, we’d have a pretty nice story. But I need more conflict in my books, and if it ended there we wouldn’t have a way of knowing for sure that all the lessons in the preceding pages had made a true difference in the lives of these characters. So to test that theory, the past shows up again, forcing both Aidan and Aster to use the things they’ve learned to leave those ghosts behind them once and for all. Only after I’ve sufficiently tortured them are they truly ready for their happily ever after.
PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE…PAST?
When I plotted out the major turning points in this book, I made a mental note to give each section a type of theme, and given the storyline, the theme of “past, present, future” made a lot of sense to me.
When we first meet Aidan, he’s still living as his “past” self. He’s been at college for three years as part of a scholarship program for troubled kids, and while he’s doing enough to keep the scholarship, he still hasn’t really embraced the opportunity he’s been given. As you are likely aware, he moves in with Jerry, spots Aster, and does what he can to steal her. Not exactly hero behavior, right? But very much the behavior of his past car thief self.
Once Aidan has split up the happy couple, he becomes more of his “present” self, cued by seeing the harm he’s caused to both Jerry and Aster and starting, for the first time in his life, to feel bad about his actions. As soon as he experiences regret, it’s like a tiny light bulb switches on and illuminates the world around him, and it’s a turning point for his character. It’s also the first time both readers and Aidan see that he might just have the potential to be the hero of this story.
As the romantic relationship between Aidan and Aster progresses, Aidan, who initially just wanted to hook up with Aster to get his craving for her out of his system, starts seeing a possible future. A future with Aster, but also a clearer idea of the future he’d like to have for himself. It’s the first time he’s ever looked that far ahead, and it gives him the motivation keep learning and growing.
If past, present, future were all there was, we’d have a pretty nice story. But I need more conflict in my books, and if it ended there we wouldn’t have a way of knowing for sure that all the lessons in the preceding pages had made a true difference in the lives of these characters. So to test that theory, the past shows up again, forcing both Aidan and Aster to use the things they’ve learned to leave those ghosts behind them once and for all. Only after I’ve sufficiently tortured them are they truly ready for their happily ever after.
RELEASE WEEK - POST 1
IT’S GETTING THEME-Y IN HERE
If you know me, you probably know I’m a fan of theme. I’m one of those people who always wants to know why things are the way they are, and one of the things I think about when I’m reading is why the author made the choices they made for the story. Why this job? This setting? This conflict? Sometimes that answer is no more complicated than “because I like it,” but sometimes the answer is related to theme, and that’s my favourite.
The major theme in TEAM PLAYER is, you guessed it, the idea of “teams.” In the story, both Gwen and Ty are at particularly lonely points in their lives. Gwen has lost her only family member and cut herself off from her friends while she grieves, and now has a job she doesn’t really like. Ty has lost his best friend, his team is struggling, and despite being one of the most famous athletes in the world, he feels all alone.
The story is about Gwen and Ty meeting at a point in their lives when they have no one else, and that burgeoning relationship (their own mini team), being the one to encourage and improve the other “teams” in their lives. To say too much more would be spoiler-y, but one non-spoilery reveal is that the Thrashers players have to learn how to come together as a team despite a bunch of off-season upheavals, and one of my favourite things in writing this story was showing their growing camaraderie. I wanted to write locker room talk that was funny and authentic, and made the supporting characters come to life. This was especially important because the baseball season—and its outcome—are central to the story, and a reader’s emotional investment in the team would make the story that much more compelling. (I hope!)
While the title certainly alludes to Ty’s previous off-the-field player antics, what it really references is his journey to being a better team player on the field, and how that influences his life away from it. And that’s the story’s message. It’s about finding your own team—friends, family, a Major League Baseball organization—and finding yourself in the process.
What do you think? Do you pay attention to theme when you’re reading? Does it matter?
image:
If you know me, you probably know I’m a fan of theme. I’m one of those people who always wants to know why things are the way they are, and one of the things I think about when I’m reading is why the author made the choices they made for the story. Why this job? This setting? This conflict? Sometimes that answer is no more complicated than “because I like it,” but sometimes the answer is related to theme, and that’s my favourite.
The major theme in TEAM PLAYER is, you guessed it, the idea of “teams.” In the story, both Gwen and Ty are at particularly lonely points in their lives. Gwen has lost her only family member and cut herself off from her friends while she grieves, and now has a job she doesn’t really like. Ty has lost his best friend, his team is struggling, and despite being one of the most famous athletes in the world, he feels all alone.
The story is about Gwen and Ty meeting at a point in their lives when they have no one else, and that burgeoning relationship (their own mini team), being the one to encourage and improve the other “teams” in their lives. To say too much more would be spoiler-y, but one non-spoilery reveal is that the Thrashers players have to learn how to come together as a team despite a bunch of off-season upheavals, and one of my favourite things in writing this story was showing their growing camaraderie. I wanted to write locker room talk that was funny and authentic, and made the supporting characters come to life. This was especially important because the baseball season—and its outcome—are central to the story, and a reader’s emotional investment in the team would make the story that much more compelling. (I hope!)
While the title certainly alludes to Ty’s previous off-the-field player antics, what it really references is his journey to being a better team player on the field, and how that influences his life away from it. And that’s the story’s message. It’s about finding your own team—friends, family, a Major League Baseball organization—and finding yourself in the process.
What do you think? Do you pay attention to theme when you’re reading? Does it matter?
image:
