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:
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