School of Philosophy for Writers

The element in fiction that makes the "Pen Mightier Than The Sword" is theme.

A theme is a statement about the nature of Reality -- of "G-d, the Universe, and Everything" -- a statement about "Matters of Ultimate Concern" made simple, "For Dummies" by casting the statement in fictional terms.

Academics who study fiction writers have found that among the most successful writers, the ones whose work communicates across generations, each writer seems to spend a lifetime or perhaps only a "period" of a lifetime, exploring the ramifactions of some particular, but large, theme.

A story without a theme usually strikes fiction consumers as incomprehensible.

In school, we learn to spot "the moral of the story." And a "moral of the story" is a theme. But not all themes are morals - or even have much to do with ethics.

Where do writers get themes? Why do writers focus their whole life's work around certain themes? How do you pick a theme to write about that will make your work popular, or make you a lot of money, or make it live for generations?

What do you have to say that anyone would want to listen to? If you don't know the answer to that, how do you find out the answer? Where does a writer begin to write? Where do you get ideas for stories?

You will never find "The" answer to all those questions. But you can find "Your" answer to them in the study of philosophy.

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