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James Kinsley's avatar

With my writing, sometimes the theme's there at the start, sometimes it actually reveals itself during the process - either's fine. I think if you're writing something that means something to you, there will always be important themes that come out, whether they're driving the narrative or not.

I do think story comes first, must do. Especially if you want readers to to take something from your writing, you need to give them a reason to read it. Hook them in, engage them first - if the theme's woven successfully into the narrative, let the reader find it. I do agree, though, fiction is often a far more useful tool to tackle these themes than non-fiction. We're a species of storytellers, it's how we communicate (for better or worse).

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Jodie Benveniste's avatar

A great unpack of the core themes in your book, thank you Simon! In my YA fiction, I take a common mental health issue (not disorder) and show how healing happens, wrapped up in a romance. Importantly, as you say, I focus on letting the story lead because then there’s room for the narrative to weave its magic and for the reader to bring their perspective. That’s a great combo!

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