“Novels are never about what they are about; that is, there is always deeper, or more general, significance. The author may not be aware of this till she is pretty far along with it. A novel’s whole pattern is rarely apparent at the outset of writing, or even at the end; that is when the writer finds out what a novel is about, and the job becomes one of understanding and deepening or sharpening what is already written. That is finding the theme.”–Diane Johnson
Very much agree with that. I don’t think many writers sit down to write about a particular theme and end up with a compelling story. Themes have to emerge naturally and with layers of complication.
(H/T Advice to Writers)
I think this could be true of most writing 🙂 I write to think, often… Writing allows significance to reveal itself more fully…
I think Lydia Davis said something like that as well (that she writes to think)
I found that was true with my writing. One day I realized that my entire trilogy parallels the history of the Jewish people back to an incident involving King Saul.
Which is rather bizarre considering I wasn’t a Jew when I wrote it.
Very true. I often find I’m writing with a theme and not knowing it until it emerges from the story. I love that. Makes me feel like I am doing something right–meaningful.