How to Find Your Story's Theme in 3 Steps

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Understanding the True Meaning of Theme

If you are trying to write a story, you will hear the word theme over and over again. Advice online will tell you to write the theme of your story without actually explaining how to do it.

The theme is the main underlying message, lesson, or deeper meaning of your story. It is what you are really trying to tell your reader by telling your story.

Think of it this way. The plot is what happens, but the theme is why it matters.

For example, let's say your theme is about injustice and how innocent people fall victim to it. You could write a fantasy story where the villain is the system itself.

They would be the policemen who wear badges and the judges who hold the power. To make your point, you would let them get away with their crimes.

Without you needing to literally say it, the reader finishes your story and walks away understanding the deeper meaning.

The theme is not just one word like love or justice or freedom. It is your view as the author on that topic.

It is your personal argument or opinion. Your story will likely have multiple themes in it, but there is usually one big theme that ties everything together.

Every arc, every subplot, and every action that your characters take makes the theme clearer as the story goes on. If your theme was about perseverance, your character should face situations that test whether they will keep going or quit.

If your theme is about freedom, your character should be running into literal or figurative chains and choosing to break them.

Examples of Theme in Popular Anime

If you look at One Piece, Luffy and the Straw Hat crew travel the Grand Line freeing enslaved, downtrodden, or mistreated people. Every single major arc in One Piece follows the same pattern.

The Straw Hats show up, find people being crushed under some tyrant, and fight to free them. One Piece is a very political series in that its theme is tied to freedom and freeing people from injustice.

You could also argue that One Piece is about the pursuit of your dreams because Luffy constantly says he is going to be king of the pirates. That dream drives everything he does.

One Piece has layers where freedom is the big theme and the pursuit of dreams is another theme. The author reinforces both of these in every single arc.

If you study Black Clover, Asta's dream is to become the wizard king, but he lacks magic. In a world where everyone has magic, he has zero.

People laugh at him for it and tell him to give up. However, Asta frequently states throughout the entire series that his magic is never giving up.

No matter his obstacles or disadvantages, he never gives up and fights for his dream. You could say that the theme of Black Clover is perseverance.

The author writes that theme into everything. Every fight Asta wins, he wins because he refuses to quit.

Both of these authors did not just pick a theme and forget about it. They built their entire stories around it.

Step 1: Research Your Genre

The first step to figuring out your theme is to research your genre. Most genres have certain universal themes that they tend to fall into.

This is not a coincidence. It is because certain types of stories naturally explore certain types of ideas.

Before you stress about finding the perfect theme, start by doing some research. If you are not sure of your genre, ask yourself what existing stories your own story compares to.

If your story feels like a combination of Naruto and Attack on Titan, you are probably in the action or dark fantasy genre. Use similar stories to figure out your genre and look at what themes it usually explores.

Action stories explore things like survival, courage, and sacrifice. Romance stories explore friendship, love, human connection, intimacy, and what people are willing to do for those they care about.

Horror stories feature themes like survival and good versus evil, sharing overlap with action but focusing on feeling in danger rather than fighting it. Mystery and thriller stories have themes like deception, morality, and the gray area between right and wrong.

Fantasy and sci-fi stories explore power, identity, and what it means to be human. You do not have to pick a theme straight from this list, as these are just examples.

Ask yourself which themes you actually care about and which ones get you excited to write. The best themes come from something real that the author wants to say.

If you have experienced injustice, a story about injustice will come naturally to you. Do not pick a theme just because it sounds cool, pick one that means something to you.

Step 2: Work Backwards

Step two is to work backwards, which is probably the best approach out of all three steps. Instead of trying to start with your theme, write your story first and worry about your theme later.

A lot of newer writers get stuck before they even start because they try to nail down the perfect theme before writing a single word. They sit for weeks thinking about what the story is really about and never actually write anything.

Just write the story you want to write. Get your characters on the page, get your plot moving, and do not worry about the theme at first.

Most people do not realize that your theme is already in your story. Because the stories we want to tell come from who we are and what we have been through, your natural beliefs bleed into the work anyway.

You will start to see patterns, like a main character fighting authority or a villain getting away with things. Those patterns are your theme trying to come out on its own.

When you reread your work and start editing, look for those patterns. You can add extra scenes, change character actions, tweak dialogue, or build out subplots to sharpen the theme you discovered.

The main idea is that characters come first. Getting to know your characters and what they want presents options for your plot.

Your characters' desires and how they try to achieve them will naturally point you toward your theme. If your main character wants revenge, your theme might be about whether revenge actually brings peace.

If your main character wants to protect their family, your theme might be about sacrifice. The theme grows out of the character's desire.

Step 3: Write Your Theme Into Your Plot

Step number three is to write your theme into your plot. Whether you found it through genre research or natural writing, it is time to make that theme more obvious to the reader.

First, use your character choices. Ask yourself how your main cast reacts to the situations you put them in.

In One Piece, if the Straw Hats were forced to either fight to save others or run away, they would stay and fight every single time. Because the story is about freedom, running away would break the theme and feel wrong to the reader.

Think about what situations you can put your characters in that force a choice reflecting your theme. The harder the choice, the more powerful your theme becomes.

Next, use your world building to quietly reveal your theme. The way your society works, the history of your nations, and the rules of your magic system can all reinforce your message.

In Attack on Titan, the world is built around the theme of freedom. The people trapped behind walls live like caged animals in fear of the titans outside, making the walls both protection and a prison.

Make your setting work for your theme, not against it. If your theme is about inequality, ensure your world has a clear divide between the rich and the poor.

Lastly, use your villain or antagonist. Your villain is one of the best tools you have for reinforcing your theme because they represent the opposite of it.

If your theme is about never giving up, your villain should be someone who gave up and became bitter. The conflict between your hero and your villain becomes a physical representation of your theme.

Making Your Story Matter

If you want to write the theme of your story, follow these three steps. First, research your genre to find a starting point.

Second, work backwards by writing your story first to discover your theme naturally. Third, go back over your story and write your theme into your plot through character choices, world building, and your villain.

The theme is the reason your story matters. It is the thing that makes a reader close the book and sit there thinking about it for days.

Take these three steps, apply them to whatever story you are working on right now, and make your story mean something.