Jan Fields is moderator of this interview/workshop, and Web Editor of the ICL Web Site. Green shows names or usernames of people and the questions they asked of our speaker.

Jan Fields: Welcome, Chris, thanks for coming to share with us.

Chris Eboch: I write fiction and nonfiction for children under the name Chris Eboch (http://www.chriseboch.com) and romantic suspense for adults under the name Kris Bock (http://www.krisbock.com). I've been teaching for the Institute for over 5 years and I also give workshops around the country and offer private critiques.

Chris Eboch: The more editing I do—through my professional editorial service and through critique groups—the more I have come to understand the importance of theme. Every story has a theme, of course. Yet many authors seem hardly aware of their theme, or else their intended theme does not come through clearly in the story.

Chris Eboch:• Denise writes a story about a bee who is ostracized because he can’t buzz. When jam is a stolen from the fair, the young bee silently tracks the thief, proving himself to the community. Denise wanted to write a story that showed that everyone has special qualities. Instead, her story could suggest that you must prove yourself through heroic action in order to be accepted.

Chris Eboch:• Jennifer is writing a historical novel about a girl sent to live with the father she has never met. After two drafts, the novel’s theme is still unclear. Upon contemplation, Jennifer realizes that her main character’s goal is to find a family, and the theme is that families are made through hard work and compromise.

Chris Eboch: Once these writers clarified their theme, they could revise their manuscripts to bring out the intended message.

Chris Eboch: Do you think about theme when you write? At what stage in the process (before you start, after you have a draft, etc.)? Have you struggled with theme -- or never paid much attention before?

Jan Fields:You know, I think I don't think a lot about theme as I write...but I often find that as I'm working the plot, a theme will begin to evolve and often I'm really teasing it out in revision. Now I have a question for you. I notice with students that what they put in the "theme" section of the later assignment outlines is almost always a plot synopsis. How do you explain the difference between "what happens in the story" and "the theme of the story."

Jan Fields:Can you give examples of some of the stories in the course anthology and what the "theme" section for one of those might say...and maybe the same thing with picture books or books the readers of this transcript are likely to be familiar with even if they haven't read the anthology?

Chris Eboch: I've noticed that too, Jan. Maybe some of the confusion comes from the "theme lists" that some magazines have, where the theme is "the Russian revolution" or "pets." I wish they would call those "topic lists" instead. Here are a couple of examples from Best of the Children's Market:

Chris Eboch:In "Windows of Gold," the main character believes the houses across the valley have golden windows so the people must be rich. She visits and finds out that it's just the sun glinting on glass, and they thought her windows were gold for the same reason. This has the basic theme of "the grass always looks greener on the other side."

Chris Eboch:"Danger on the Red Planet" deals with faith. The main character doesn't want to believe in things he can't see, until he realizes microscopic particles of sand were interfering with the way the space station worked. I would call the theme "Sometimes things are real even though we can't see them," or "Sometimes you have to believe even if you don't have proof."

Chris Eboch:If your theme sounds like a cliché, that's all right. In fact, it may be a good sign. You don't want to use clichés in your writing, but themes can often be expressed as one of those "old chestnuts."

Chris Eboch:The plot shows the theme -- it's a matter of Show, Don't Tell, letting your readers understand the message from the action -- but theme isn't just a summary of plot. It's the moral of the story.

Chris Eboch:Do an online search for "Aesop's fables" and you'll find sites with lists of those stories, moral conveniently tacked on the end. Read a story without looking at the moral and see if you can figure out the message. Then see if you're right. You may not have worded it exactly the same way, and that's fine. The wording isn't as important as the general idea.

Sharonda: My questions are: are theme and the lesson of a story two different things? Or are they alike? And if so, in what ways? Also, does it take away from a story's meaning if it lacks a theme? Will it make the story less of a story if a theme is not present?

Chris Eboch: The way we are using "theme" here, it does mean the lesson or message of a story. Back in the time of Aesop's fables, it was the Moral at the end of the story: Little friends can be great friends, or It is easy to despise what you cannot get. (An interesting theme exercise, which you can do with a writing group, is to take some Aesop's fable morals and write modern stories to show them.)

Chris Eboch: Today, of course, you don't want to end your story by stating the theme outright. The theme is shown by what happens in the story. For example, most mystery stories end with the bad guy being caught, suggesting a theme about the triumph of justice or "Crime doesn't pay." But if the villain escaped, it might suggest a theme along the lines of "Life isn't always fair" or, if the villain will be back in the sequel, "One battle doesn't win the war."

Chris Eboch: As for a story lacking a theme, I expect that almost never happens. The theme is there whether you put it there or not. As humans, we try to make sense of the world, so we find messages in everything. Recent news stories about the tornadoes have a theme about the power of nature -- and follow-up articles will hopefully share themes about the power of humans to overcome adversity, or the good that can be done when a community bands together. Even a simple poem about a tree has a message about the beauty of nature. Tall tales about Paul Bunyan may seem like simple, humorous nonsense stories, but they share the values of hard work.

Chris Eboch: That's why I think it's so important to identify your theme before you consider a story finished. You probably do have a theme, even if you don't know what it is. If you don't know what it is, you're not controlling it, and you may be saying something you don't really mean.

Chris Eboch: As one example, several years ago I read a student story about bullying. The main character lies to the principal to protect the bully, and the bully was so grateful that he became friendly. Besides the questionable reality of this story, I doubt the writer will ever sell a story that demonstrates a successful outcome from lying to an adult authority figure. I'm pretty sure the writer didn't intend a theme of "You should lie" or "It's good to protect the people who hurt you," but that's what the story seemed to say.

Chris Eboch: I just thought of another, subtler example. Some years ago I wrote a story about a father and child going out in their neighborhood at night to see all the frogs that came out after a hard rain. It was a sweet and educational story, but basically a "slice of life" and I couldn't sell it. After teaching this course for a while and telling my students that their stories needed conflict, I realized that was lacking in mine.

Chris Eboch: I opened the story with the child playing video games and not wanting to go outside in the rain. Dad persuades him to go out and he slowly gets drawn into the world of nature. At first he won't touch icky frogs, but by the end he's rescuing them from the street and he pets a salamander. It was a fairly mild conflict, but enough that I sold it to Highlights.

Chris Eboch: So what does this have to do with theme? The original story didn't have much of one, except maybe "Frogs are cool." The revised story with conflict brought out a stronger theme about the beauty and importance of experiencing nature firsthand.

Chris Eboch: Theme ties into character and conflict. If you have a strong enough conflict and a real, complex enough character, you will surely have theme. If you think your story has no theme, I would suspect you have one of two problems:

Chris Eboch: You have a theme but you haven't identified it yet, or You don't have a complete story, with a clear main character, conflict, and a beginning, middle and end.

Sharonda: Thank you Ms. Chris! I appreciate your answers! They were very informational. You've answered my question fully! I actually just asked that question for more input on how important a theme is in a story and a theme's role. I don't struggle with themes in my stories too much though.

Sharonda: But you've actually left me with another question! I haven't gotten a chance to look and see if this has already been asked, but, sometimes, I do have trouble identifing which theme I might have in my stories. There are so many out there! What things in a story are the most important things to look out for when identifing your theme? Plot? Conflict? Characters' personalities? And is it possible to have a story with more than one theme? Is that acceptable? Or should all stories just stick to just one theme?

Chris Eboch: I'm going to answer this by adapting some more excerpts from my article.

Chris Eboch: When trying to identify your theme, start big and then narrow your focus. Can you define your theme in one word? Is it about love, hope, courage, sacrifice? Once you’ve identified that word, try to state your theme as a single, clear sentence. What do you want to say about that word? For example, if your novel is about sacrifice, what about it? Is your character making sacrifices for her own future, for a loved one, for her country, for an ideal? What does she have to sacrifice? Narrowing in on the specifics can help you pinpoint your theme.

Chris Eboch: Once you’ve clarified your theme, work backward. Does your novel truly support it? Maybe you’ve decided that your theme is “The greater good is more important than the individual’s desire.” In that case, your main character should be giving up a desire in order to help a larger group. But perhaps you liked your character so much that you ended with her helping the group and getting what she wanted as well. That weakens your message, and suggests a different theme, “Good will be rewarded.” You might want to reconsider your ending.

Chris Eboch: As part of your revisions (or in the planning stage, if you are really organized), work on your character in order to set up your theme. Use her virtues and vices. How will her strengths help her? What weaknesses does she have to overcome? Make sure these tie into the theme. If your character must learn about honesty, make sure that it will be possible but difficult for her. Maybe she craves intimacy, but is afraid no one will like her if she shows her true self.

Chris Eboch: Don’t expect your readers to all pick out your theme exactly. If they do, you’re probably not being subtle enough. Just make sure they find a valuable message. In my Mayan historical adventure, The Well of Sacrifice, I knew my main theme: make your own decisions and stand on your own. My heroine, Eveningstar, learns that she can’t depend on her heroic older brother, her parents, the government or religion to solve the city’s problems. When they all fail her, she has to act by herself.

Chris Eboch: One young reader wrote me and said, “The book…helped me think to never give up, even in the worst of times, just like what happened to Eveningstar.” I’m happy to inspire a reader to “never give up,” even if that wasn’t my main theme. And perhaps readers will be subtly influenced by my primary message, even if they don’t recognize it while reading.

Chris Eboch: Multiple Themes --

Chris Eboch: For younger readers and short stories, you need to keep the theme simple. The longer the story or novel, and the older the reader, the more complex you can be. At first a book may appear to be a humorous romance, but as the story unfolds, it may reveal a theme about honesty in relationships. Your theme doesn’t have to be obvious from your first paragraph, and probably shouldn’t be. In fact, the theme may only be clear from the final twist in the story. The theme can be revealed through what the main character learns, how she changes, what she gains or loses.

Chris Eboch: For longer works, think about how you can use other characters or subplots to support or expand on your theme. Maybe your main character learns to be honest in her relationships, and so develops a loving connection with her boyfriend. In contrast, her friend might keep lying in order to make a good impression, and get dumped, or wind up with a shallow, dissatisfying relationship. A subplot with the main character’s divorced parents could explore the theme in yet another way.

Chris Eboch: Although you should be able to clearly identify a single main theme, you may have additional themes. Holly Cupala says, “The theme I seem to be writing is that you can’t find yourself in other people. It’s very much there in Tell Me a Secret as well as the novel I’m working on now. Then there are the peripheral themes—looking to the past for meaning versus looking to the future for purpose, wanting to be loved for who you are, trading blame for hope.”

Chris Eboch: Multiple themes can give a novel extra depth and power. However, don’t let your story get cluttered with too many themes, especially wildly different ones. If you try to share everything you believe about life in one story, it will just feel cluttered and confusing. Focus on one primary theme, and save the others for different works.

KatieC: Are there any themes that editor's might frown on? Or is anything, done well, acceptable?

Chris Eboch: I imagine there are lots of taboo themes, depending on the editor. This will be especially true with magazines. For example, American Girl focuses on friendship, family and school, so they probably wouldn't take any story with a romance theme. Religious magazines are obviously going to prefer religious themes, or at least themes that are in line with their religious views. Most children's magazines tend to be wholesome and happy, so they would avoid depressing themes such as "Sometimes nothing you can do will help" or "People often get away with crimes." Teen and adult magazines would be more flexible.

Chris Eboch: If you mean themes that are racist, sexist, etc., I still think it's going to depend on the publisher. A mainstream magazine would probably try to avoid offending anyone, but there are a lot of niche markets. In general, I would say that children's magazines and book publishers want themes that promote personal responsibility, positive action, and respect/tolerance for others.

Mikki: To be honest, I've never really thought much about having a theme when I write. When my story or novel is finished, I can go back through and see that yes, I do have one, and it's..., but it's not something I've deliberately or consciously thought about as I was writing. Until now.

Mikki: I've just finished an historical novel about a young boy in pre-Civil War Kentucky whose best friend is a younger crippled slave boy. Ben is almost 14, and has grown up the last 4 years torn between staying true to his family's belief in slavery and his own growing hatred of it. He finally goes against his family when he learns that his friend is being sold, and he leads him and his slave parents to the Ohio River. Before he leaves, he thinks seriously about what it will mean for him to do this, and almost decides against it, but then his friendship with Josiah and his hatred of slavery overcome his fears. Again, at almost the end of the journey, he is given the opportunity of leaving his friends to find the river by themselves so he can return home, but he remembers his promise to take them all the way to freedom, so he continues on until they come to the river and the man who will take the slaves across to a free state. I know there must be a theme there somewhere, but I'm not sure what it would be. Can you give me a suggestion without reading the manuscript?

KatieC: It seems to me that it falls somewhere in the category of "standing up for what you believe in".

Chris Eboch: I agree with KatieC. You may even be able to further narrow and define it into something like, "You have to make decisions for yourself and that may sometimes mean going against your family." It depends on the specifics of the story. For example, are his parents going to know that he was the one who helped the slaves escape? Is he personally going to suffer? Did he make the final decision solely because of his promise, or because he still believed it was the right thing to do? There's no right or wrong answer to these questions, but the details help define your theme.

Chris Eboch:: I mentioned something like this in another thread here, but to go into a little more detail, in my Mayan drama, The Well of Sacrifice, my theme was "you must make your own decisions and stand by your beliefs, even if it means standing on your own." That meant I had to force my heroine, Eveningstar, to act by preventing anyone else from solving the problem. She would like to let her heroic older brother take care of everything, but he trusts the government and is killed for it. Her parents are constrained by the fact that their other daughter is being held hostage. The government can't solve the problem because the government IS the problem. This all leads Eveningstar to a point where she has to decide if she's going to keep fighting on her own or give up.

Chris Eboch: My latest historical fiction, The Eyes of Pharaoh, is a mystery novel set in ancient Egypt. The main character is a temple dancer who is focused on an upcoming contest, when her friend disappears. She has to choose whether her missing friend is more or less important than the contest which could bring her fame and fortune. For a strong theme, she couldn't get both. What she chooses to give up determines her feelings about priorities, and thus the theme.

Chris Eboch: So Mikki, to further identify your theme, think about the choice Ben makes at the end and how and why he makes it. What example does that set for the reader? That should be your theme. If it's not quite what you want, you may need to tweak the ending.

Mikki: Thanks, Chris, you've given me a lot to think about. Yes, his parents find out he is gone when they find out the slaves are also missing, but have no clue as to why he did what he did or where he is headed. He stays true to his beliefs, and even when he finally reaches home, he further defies the conventions of slavery by becoming a spy for the Union Army, and things get even more complicated when he falls in love with a Quaker girl who doesn't believe in slavery, but also doesn't believe in the war or the military...however, that is yet to be written

Chris Eboch: Sounds great, Mikki. You have a young character struggling with discovering his own beliefs in a family and society that he is starting to suspect might have things wrong. That's a recipe for lots of drama and strong theme(s)!

Jan Fields: Please just feel free to add anything other theme thoughts to the discussion, Chris -- no need to wait for a question.

Chris Eboch: Okay, we've been focusing on fiction so far, but you can use theme in nonfiction as well. I wouldn't say that all nonfiction has to have a theme -- for example a recipe or craft project usually wouldn't unless you want to stretch and say the theme is something like "cooking is fun." (Though I do remember a recipe for making frozen treats for your dog, with an intro that pointed out that the treats would give your dog a cooling snack on hot days -- that theme might be "Homemade treats like these help keep your pet healthy and happy.")

Chris Eboch: Anyway, the point is theme can often help you focus your nonfiction. For my fictionalized biography of Olympic runner Jesse Owens, I considered the various lessons of his life in order to focus the book. Because he overcame ill health, racism, poverty and a poor education to become one of the greatest athletes the world has known, a theme quickly presented itself: Suffering can make you stronger, if you face it with courage and determination.

Chris Eboch: With this in mind, I chose to open the book when Jesse was five, and his mother cut a growth from his chest with a knife. I ended the chapter with his father saying, “If he survived that pain, he’ll survive anything life has to offer. Pain won’t mean nothing to him now.” Jesse shows that spirit again and again throughout Jesse Owens: Young Record Breaker (written under the name M. M. Eboch). Identifying that theme helped me craft a dramatic story, and may even inspire kids to tackle their greatest challenges.

Chris Eboch: The theme for my second book for that series, Milton Hershey: Young Chocolatier, wasn't quite as obvious. But I considered the things I knew about Milton's young life -- he probably had ADHD, so maybe something about overcoming obstacles? His parents split up (in the mid-1800s, when that was Not Done), and his father was a dreamer whose poorly-thought-out big ideas destroyed everything he touched, including two of Milton's businesses. Milton Hersey finally succeeded when he stopped depending on his mother and listening to his father, and built a business from the bottom up on his own, so maybe a theme about independence and following your own beliefs?

Chris Eboch: He also lost two businesses to bankruptcy before he finally succeeded (incidentally, he started with carmel, not chocolate). In the end, I settled on his determination to succeed despite numerous setbacks -- including his own poor education, the abandonment of his mother's side of the family, and the destructive interference of his father -- as the focus of my theme, which basically became "If you work hard and refuse to give up no matter how many setbacks you suffer, you can succeed."

Chris Eboch: Shirley Raye Redmond gave another example in an interview, this one about a nonfiction picture book. “Before writing my first draft of Blind Tom: The Horse Who Helped Build the Great Railroad, I narrowed the focus of my story and identified my story theme by answering the following questions as thoroughly as possible: who, what, when, where, how and why? I then abbreviated my answers so they fit concisely on an index card. On the back of the card, I wrote my theme statement: With perseverance, ordinary people (and even a blind horse) can play important roles in shaping major historical events. I kept my ‘focus card’ where I could see it as I drafted—and later refined—my story.”

Ella: Thanks for sharing, Chris! I love creative nonfiction and I think one thing that really makes it stand out is a good theme cleverly woven throughout. I have a couple of projects in the works, and I will definitely be keeping this in mind...

Chris Eboch: I've given some of these ideas and examples in other threads, but I thought it might be helpful to have a clear exercise to help you focus in on your theme.

Chris Eboch: To identify your theme, ask yourself:
• What is this story really about?
• What does my main character long for?
• What is the desire that drives the story?

Chris Eboch: Start big and then narrow your focus.
• Can you define your theme in one word? Is it about love, hope, courage, sacrifice?
• What do you want to say about that word? For example, if your novel is about sacrifice, what about it? Is your character making sacrifices for her own future, for a loved one, for her country, for an ideal? What does she have to sacrifice? Narrowing in on the specifics can help you pinpoint your theme.

Chris Eboch: Write down your theme in a single, clear sentence.

Chris Eboch: Then ask yourself – How can I further clarify or explore this theme?
• What does the main character learn? How does she change? What does she gain or lose?
• How will her strengths help her? What weaknesses does she have to overcome? Make sure that it will be possible but difficult for her to learn the lesson.
• For longer works, how can you use other characters or subplots to support or expand on your theme?

Chris Eboch: Make sure your idea is specific and narrow, especially with short stories or articles. Focus on an individual person and situation, not a universal concept.

Chris Eboch: How the main character resolves the situation—whether she succeeds or fails, and what rewards or punishments she receives—will determine the theme.

ColoradoKate: You've mentioned using plot and character to support and expand on the theme. Are there other ways, too? I'm thinking of the kinds of things that might be added during revisions of a novel--maybe variations of images or figurative language that are repeated throughout? Symbols? Metaphors?

ColoradoKate: I know I'm being vague here, and I think that's because I'm not sure how it would work. Any ideas? Or other ways to support and communicate the theme(s)?

Chris Eboch: Interesting question. The short answer is yes, if you're good at that kind of thing. I'm not sure I did this intentionally at the time, but looking back, I can see some of those elements in my middle grade mystery, The Eyes of Pharaoh. There is a theme about the importance of looking after each other, and a lot of imagery about eyes, besides the fact that the main characters are spying and being spied upon.

Chris Eboch: The main character has dreams which she takes to be prophetic, and dreams are another way of seeing.
Her best friend wears an "Eye of Horus" amulet which he clutches in times of stress.
The head of Pharaoh's secret police is called The Eyes and Ears of Pharaoh (this is historically true)
When Pharaoh thanks the main character for her help uncovering a plot against Egypt, he tells her, "You have also been my eyes."
I struggled for a long time to come up with a good title, and finally chose The Eyes of Pharaoh for its reference to ancient Egypt, mystery, and thematic significance
The cover even has an eye design. (I can't figure out how to insert an image, but you can see the cover here:

Chris Eboch: http://www.amazon.com/Eyes-Pharaoh-Mystery-Ancient-Egypt/dp/1460959434/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_4

Chris Eboch: This symbolic thread is subtle enough most people wouldn't notice, which is probably best when it comes to symbolic imagery. You don't want to hit people over the head with it.

Chris Eboch: For most people, though, it's probably better to start with the basics.
a) Identify and focus your theme
b) Make sure nothing in your story is contradicting your theme
c) Use subplots and secondary characters to explore your theme

Chris Eboch: and finally, if you're confident in the rest of your story,
d) Consider symbolic elements relating to your theme

Jan Fields: Also, could you comment more on "themed magazines?" Sometimes what a magazine states as a given theme is something very different from what we mean when we say a story has a "theme" -- so could you talk about an example where a themed magazine might have one theme but a story in that magazine would have a "theme" of its own?

Chris Eboch: I kind of answer this in another thread, before I saw this question. I think "theme list" is a bad use of the term. They really mean "topic list." Let's say the theme (topic) list has Friendship as one issue's theme (topic). Stories in that issue may all reflect the topic of friendship, but they may make different messages about friendship.

Chris Eboch: One story may have a child moving to a new place, missing her friends terribly, but then making a new friend. The theme might be "New friends can be just as good as old friends" or "You can find friendship wherever you go."

Chris Eboch: Another story might show a girl befriending someone new in town, causing jealousy with her old friend. If she resolves the situation and they all become friends, the theme could be "You don't have to give up your old friends because you make new friends."

Chris Eboch: A third story might show a boy becoming friends with somebody he didn't think he could become friends with at first -- a girl, an elderly person, someone in a wheelchair. This theme could be "Anyone can be a friend" or "Friends don't have to look just like us."

Chris Eboch: It can be helpful to start thinking about your theme by figuring out your topic (whether you're using a "theme list" or not). But once you have that basic topic, ask yourself, What do I want to say about this? You share your specific worldview in your theme.

Ella: This is so helpful. I write a lot of nonfiction, and sometimes that occurs to me, but sometimes it doesn't. Looking back, I think that certain of my pieces lack a certain oompf because I didn't think about the underlying message. Thanks!

Chris Eboch: That sums it up well. Nonfiction works without a theme, but often lacks "oomph." Be sure to check out the thread on theme in nonfiction as well!

BethC: en you are writing, do you have a theme in mind before you start writing, or do you find a theme after you have completed your story?

Chris Eboch: I personally often start with a theme. I find it helps give me direction. But I have also become more of an outliner over the years. I no longer start a novel-length piece unless I have a solid outline that shows where I'm going and how I expect to get there (though things always change along the way). Since I'm going to figure out my plot and resolution before I start writing, I also consider theme. Since the theme is brought out most strongly by the way your story ends, if you know your ending you probably know your theme -- and vice versa.

Chris Eboch: But it's not necessary to know your theme before you start and many successful authors don't, or maybe they have a vague idea but aren't sure of the details.

Chris Eboch: I wrote an article on theme for Children's Writer. Here's an excerpt with quotes from a couple of other authors.

Chris Eboch: One of the first lessons children’s writers hear is “Don’t preach,” so by now you know better than to end your stories with obvious morals. However, many writers, even advanced ones, suffer from a different thematic challenge. The theme may be unclear, perhaps even to the writer herself.

Chris Eboch: Author Holly Cupala says, “Throughout the writing of A Light That Never Goes Out (HarperCollins, 2010), I would hit on something and think, This is the theme! Then a little later, No, this is the theme. It seems to be an evolving—or perhaps devolving—process, getting to the heart of the story, layer by layer. I even found an old blog of mine where I thought I’d hit on the theme and had the same experience—the chills, the thunderous weight of the moment you realize, ‘Wait, wait, wait. This is the theme.’ I think on some level I’ve been right every time, chipping away at the complex layers of what it means to write something as truthfully as possible.”

Chris Eboch: As this successful novelist shows, you don’t always have to know your theme before you start. Sometimes, you may discover your message as you write the story. Or you may start with one idea in mind, and change it as you go. You may even realize that you don’t quite believe your original theme—writing the story may help you explore new aspects of that idea, uncovering complexities and contradictions. This can result in a deeper, more meaningful story, so let that process unfold.

Chris Eboch: Uma Krishnaswami says, “I did not know the theme of Naming Maya (Farrar Straus Giroux, 2004) until I was through the fifth draft. I never thought of it as theme, even then, because words like ‘theme’ that come from literary criticism rather than craft tend to shut me down. Instead I spent a lot of time asking myself, ‘What is this story really about? What does Maya long for?’ She thinks she wants her father back but that wasn’t the want that drove the book. I wrote myself fake jacket blurbs, trying to get at that elusive heart. By that time I was well into my sixth draft. The thematic through-line of identity emerged quite suddenly one day. Truthfully, I am not sure that we should be thinking too much, too soon, about theme. It’s a fragile concept, and we need to allow it to come out of the subconscious mind, which is where the best writing takes place. In my opinion, when themes are planted in place too intentionally, stories come across as heavy-handed and with the author’s stamp far too clearly imprinted.”

Chris Eboch: Focusing too much on a specific theme at the beginning can result in stiff characters, a clunky plot, and that dreaded preachiness. But you should definitely know your theme before you finish your final draft. That way you can edit to make sure your story best supports your theme.

Chris Eboch: FYI, Author Holly Cupala's book that was mentioned above was actually released with the title Tell Me a Secret. It changed between the article and the release date.

anita3: How many themes can you have for a middle grade novel?

Chris Eboch: There isn't any "correct" number. I would say minimum of one. Maximum... well, it depends how closely related they are. For example, you could have several messages about one topic, such as friendship (see the thread about theme in magazines for some examples).

Chris Eboch:You could even have themes that seem to be contradictory, but really explore different sides of the same topic. Let's say you have a story about three girls who have been friends since kindergarten and are now in middle grade. They are changing and starting to grow apart. The main character discovers that she can keep one girl's friendship and develop it into something new and better, but she's going to lose the other friend. So the theme with the first friend might be something like, "Friendship may change over time but that doesn't mean it has to fade." The theme with the other friend might be "Sometimes friends grow apart and it's best to let go." The two themes combine to a more complex statement -- Sometimes friends grow apart and it's best to let go, but if you work hard and compromise you may be able to keep a friendship.

Chris Eboch: If you're exploring different sides of the same issue, you might be able to have four or five "different" themes because they aren't really separate.

Chris Eboch: As another example, in my Egyptian middle grade mystery, The Eyes of Pharaoh, I have a theme about priorities -- friendship is more important than success. I also touch on another theme at the end. The main character says that she really shouldn't be rewarded, because she didn't act on Pharaoh's behalf, but rather to save her friend. Pharaoh says, “Every Egyptian is my child, and I am responsible for them all. By serving one of them, you serve me. If everyone acted with love and courage out of loyalty to their friends, I wouldn’t need soldiers or guards, tax collectors or spies. You, too, have been my eyes.”

Chris Eboch: You can also have two or three themes that are not so closely related. I would be more careful about having more than two or three themes about wildly different aspects of a subject. Remember that you will be writing a lot of manuscripts over time, so save some of your ideas for other stories or novels.

Chris Eboch: Note, though, that you may have a lot of little themes dotted throughout a manuscript. Almost everything starts turning into a theme if you look at it that way! Don't worry about these, unless you have too many that seem dominant.

texastigger: If you are writing fiction. Should you use made up names for your places. Example I am writing a book that is based in my home town and the hospital here. Should I use the real names or make some up.

Chris Eboch: The strict rule is "it depends." Many people write stories based in real places, and that's fine. But you may want to change the names if:

Chris Eboch: a) You want to change some details for the purpose of the story and don't want people to think you "got it wrong."

Chris Eboch: b) You are portraying places or the people who live/work there in an unflattering light, and the real people may be upset if they think a character was based on them.

Chris Eboch: My recent adult romantic suspense novel, Rattled, is based in New Mexico. The main character and her best friend live in a small town with a college focused on science and technology. That is basically Socorro, where I live and I even describe specific locations. But I changed the name of the town, school, and cowboy bar, because I wanted to have more flexibility with where I was putting things, and I didn't want to offend anyone at the college. People who live here will still recognize the place, but I can at least claim it's fictional.

Chris Eboch: When the friends go out into the desert on their treasure hunting expedition, I was vague about where exactly they are going. That also allowed me to change the landscape to suit the story. For example, I didn't have to worry about what was public versus private land. There's a "ghost town" involved, which in reality has a couple hundred people living there, but for my story I wanted it to be empty.

Chris Eboch: In general, if the specific places aren't well known and don't really matter, I'd probably use a fictional name. But if you're setting a story someplace well known and popular, like New York City, the recognizability could be a positive factor.

KatieC: I saw on your website that you have a pen name for some of your books. Can you expound on why an author might want a pen name, and how you go about establishing one?

Chris Eboch: I recently started writing romantic suspense for adults. I decided to go with the pen name Kris Bock because romantic suspense often includes sex. In Rattled, there is one sex scene that isn't too explicit but is "on the page." For future books, it will depend on what's right for the story. But I didn't want a parent buying Rattled for her 13-year-old who liked my other books, and then being offended. It just seemed safer. Plus, romance authors sometimes have trouble with stalker fans so additional privacy is recommended. I haven't heard this problem among people who write for children, though.

Chris Eboch: I also used the pen name M. M. Eboch for a couple of fictionalized biographies I wrote for Simon & Schuster's Childhood of Famous Americans series (Milton Hershey: Young Chocolatier and Jesse Owens: Young Record Breaker). I started to feel that writing in a lot of different voices when I did work for hire would mean that no one would recognize the "Chris Eboch" style. I know some authors have different names for different genres -- they might write YA paranormal romance under one name and humorous middle grade under another. It helps readers know what they are going to get.

Chris Eboch: The disadvantage is that you have to market both names. That means setting up a new account on Good Reads, Library Thing, etc., or else linking the names. I even have to decide which name I'm going to use when I register for social networking sites. I built a second website (www.krisbock.com) for the adult books, but I really wouldn't want to divide my chriseboch.com website between children and adult work anyway. Also, fans that might like both styles won't necessarily be able to find them. I've even had people tell me they couldn't find Rattled online, and it turned out they were spelling my pen name wrong.

Chris Eboch: You don't need to do anything special to get a pen name, other than letting your publisher know what you want on the book. Your contract and checks will still be under your legal name.

anita3: Thank you, Chris for all of your wonderful advice and knowledge. All of my questions about theme were answered.

Chris Eboch: Glad to hear it. It looks like things are winding down, so I'll take this chance to wrap up and say goodbye. Thanks to everyone who offered interesting questions, and to those who just stopped by. Visit my blog to learn more about the craft of writing. Right now I'm doing a series of first page critiques (posting a sample on Thursday and my critique on Friday), but you can look up a variety of topics if you scroll down to the list on the right: http://chriseboch.blogspot.com/

Chris Eboch: I hope you'll also check out my books if they sound of interest -- you can read the first chapter of The Eyes of Pharaoh either on my website (http://www.chriseboch.com) or on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Chris-Eboch/e/B001JS25VE/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1). The book, for ages nine and up, is $6.99 paperback, $2.99 e-book.

Chris Eboch: My first novel for adults, Rattled, written under the name Kris Bock, brings romantic suspense to the dramatic and deadly southwestern desert. It's currently $7.99 for the paperback, but it's going up to $9.99 at the end of the week, so order now if you're interested! The e-book is $2.99. You can read the first three chapters at www.krisbock.com or the first chapter on Amazon (http://tinyurl.com/3hvdxyy). Here's the blurb:

Chris Eboch: Erin isn’t used to adventures-except those in books. But when she uncovers a clue to one of the greatest lost treasures ever, she and her best friend Camie head for the New Mexico desert to search for a secret cave. They’re not the only ones interested in the treasure, however, and they’ll face more dangers than Erin ever imagined, from wild animals, wilder humans, and the wilderness itself. Fortunately Erin and Camie have help, in the form of one sexy helicopter pilot and a surprising orange cat.

Chris Eboch: Thanks again to everyone who participated! Best wishes for your theme-filled writing.