Lesson 4: Theme and Story Question
Don’t all books have essentially the same basic elements? Yes, actually they do. So,
let’s start with: What makes a great book?
The Four Things All Stories Must Have:
Theme – What is the story about? What can we learn about ourselves or humanity or life
or even God?
Plot – What happens in the story? What choices do the characters make or respond to?
What is accomplished or lost?
Characters – Who are the players in the story? They are the ones who live out the story.
(I’m a firm believer in starting here with the development of your story. We’ll get to this
later.)
Setting – Where does the story take place? Setting can be a character too. It adds
tone, theme, and can even be a protagonist. And if your novel is a historical book, that
is a part of the setting as well.
Let’s start with the Big Picture: The Theme or the Story Question
What is a Theme or Story Question?
Theme: Theme is the overall idea of a book or movie. The Hunt for Red October is about
betrayal and loyalty, about freedom. Return to Me is about eternal love and second
chances. Sweet Home Alabama is about forgiveness and discovering your heart. But
none of these really answer a question about life.
A Story Question asks what if? Most great stories start out with a “what if” question.
What if a Russian nuclear submarine disappeared and you thought you knew why? (The
Hunt for Red October) What if your wife died, and her heart was donated, and you fell
in love with the new recipient without knowing it? (Return to Me) What if you returned
home to divorce your first love, only to discover you still loved him? (Sweet Home
Alabama)
A Story Question, however, isn’t just the momentary “what if.” A Story Question answers
a deeper question for us all, a question of the heart or mind. It’s the great “what if.”
 The Hunt for Red October: Can a man from one country know the heart and
mind of a man from another?
 Return to Me: Is it possible for a “heart” to pick its recipient and attract the same
man twice?
 Sweet Home Alabama: Can you find your soul mate at the age of six?
These are the questions that drive a story and resonate with readers, making them turn
pages.
So, how do you develop a Story Question?
Ask:
 What is my subject matter? Love, greed, betrayal, loyalty?
 What am I saying about my subject? Maybe I’m saying love doesn’t end at
death, or loyalty to self trumps loyalty to country.
Turn your statement into a question and make it specific to your character, and thus, to
the reader.

Does love end at death, or is it possible to follow the “body” of your loved one,
unknown to you, by a sort of cosmic fate? (Return to Me) OR – can we fall in love
forever?

Is it possible to know someone through outside analysis, enough to predict their
movements and decision? (Hunt for Red October) OR – can we truly understand
one another, even if we live in different countries, come from different cultures?
Or
The answer to these questions will be portrayed through the drama and the plot of your
story. Your characters shouldn’t have to explain your story at the end. They should be
showing the answer.
Every author should identify their Story Question at some point in their story, and
definitely before they pitch to an editor. Sometimes I don’t discover my Story Question
until halfway through writing the story, and then I have to go back and adjust
everything. So I definitely encourage you to find your Story Question before you get too
far into your manuscript. Print your Story Question out and post it on your computer. It
will be essential when you develop your synopsis and query letter, so fix your Story
Question firmly in your mind.
Exercise Lesson 4: Story Question
What are some of your favorite movies? Can you define their Story Question?
Name three (and submit them to the forum for this lesson!)
1.
2.
3.
Develop your novel’s Story Question:
 What is your subject matter?
 What are you saying about your subject?
Turn your subject or theme into a Story Question.
Spark your Story: Develop your story question for your novel.