The main theme for this book (it's just occurred to me that looking ahead at the potential trilogy is going to be theme overload!) would be identity based in a 'coming of age' style story. There's also a good vs evil strand that's quite fundamental to Casey's consideration of her identity. If you were to look deeper though there are elements of love and loss, justice and injustice, class and society - I could probably go on all night to be honest!
You absolutely have a lot of themes and layers, and that’s a really good thing! The ‘coming of age’ angle is important…that’s the type of book it is, and that is one that publishers look for. I think you also have deep undertones to do with puberty (hear me out): how many of us who were born with female hormones and organs had to go through absolute mayhem learning our bodies as teenagers?! We become these vessels that bleed and ache and feel totally insane as our hormones start to flow. At times, we don’t know what we’re becoming, and people around us (the mothers and the aunts and mentors) often have to teach us how to manage and what to expect. I think that’s powerful.
1. Keep an open mind and accept the unknown - this has many connotations, especially in this dreadful world of increasing racism and hatred.
2. The second is to not be so stubborn and refuse the help of others. This is sort of always in the back of my mind. I was brought up to believe that asking for help is a sign of weakness. I've learnt that we need help and guidance throughout life, and the last 30 days are testament to that.
Number 2 is so lovely. Because community is a big part of your story…and the world right now needs to lean a bit more into community. (And actually, number 1 can spill into that as well.)
A major theme in my story is grief and how it can affect every part of your life. I do have a second that appears more as the story progresses and that is forgiveness. My two main characters will both experience grief in different ways and have to find ways to forgive. Themselves and others.
The main theme is transformation. The protagonist’s transformation from a shy, undicisive teeane girl to a young woman with independent mind and ambition, in the background of postwar Japan occidental by the Allied and independence by the withdrawal of the Allied. Also the importance of finding the direction through experiments of the west and the east.
Yes, tap in a bit more to the setting and the time that you’ve chosen. Because there will be a transformation, yes…but why is this transformation happening for these people at this time and in this political environment?
First, my atrocious spelling and autocorrections. Transformation is not the right word, probably. After the WWll, Japan was occupied by the Allied government, whose leader was General MacArthur. The officers brought their families as well, and thus Japanese government provided all the basic infrastructure and houses and schools and hospitals and entertainments. Several theatre gave regular shows, and they were only for the Allied. But all the performers were Japanese. And all the musicians and singers were very well paid. Many musicians and singers became major stars in Japan after the withdrawal of the Allied. I am wondering how I put this information indirectly.
I think there’s a theme of identity here. And probably confusion about that identity. I don’t know much historically or socially about Japan after the war, but I can imagine it was a very confusing and maybe scary time. The allies come in after having dropped the bombs, right? So there’s probably a layer of ‘friend…but you killed a lot of us?’ You have some really powerful things to play with here, and perhaps a perspective that many others don’t have or need to see from.
It begins to seem as though it's all about visibility: being seen for who you really are, and surviving. Everything feeds into the central notion of identity - image v reality, desire v safety, inheritance v choice. Jackson circles around "If you see the real me you'll leave, or I'll destroy you", Eliza believes "If I am fully seen, I will lose myself" and even the choice of DoP as narrator/POV makes it about visibility and who decides what the reader sees.
Mechs of Mars is about dangers of AI (very topical!), the environment, pollution, Corporate greed and exploitation, family, responsibility, and socialism vs tyranny (also topical).
I feel like a lot of Outis' curiosity keeps popping up. Even when his subconscious tells him to remain ignorant, not wanting the answers he has a feeling would arise, he pushes against it. Outis is definitely someone whose curiosity gets him in sticky spots, even mentally!
The main theme for this book (it's just occurred to me that looking ahead at the potential trilogy is going to be theme overload!) would be identity based in a 'coming of age' style story. There's also a good vs evil strand that's quite fundamental to Casey's consideration of her identity. If you were to look deeper though there are elements of love and loss, justice and injustice, class and society - I could probably go on all night to be honest!
You absolutely have a lot of themes and layers, and that’s a really good thing! The ‘coming of age’ angle is important…that’s the type of book it is, and that is one that publishers look for. I think you also have deep undertones to do with puberty (hear me out): how many of us who were born with female hormones and organs had to go through absolute mayhem learning our bodies as teenagers?! We become these vessels that bleed and ache and feel totally insane as our hormones start to flow. At times, we don’t know what we’re becoming, and people around us (the mothers and the aunts and mentors) often have to teach us how to manage and what to expect. I think that’s powerful.
I believe that the themes in my story are:
1. Keep an open mind and accept the unknown - this has many connotations, especially in this dreadful world of increasing racism and hatred.
2. The second is to not be so stubborn and refuse the help of others. This is sort of always in the back of my mind. I was brought up to believe that asking for help is a sign of weakness. I've learnt that we need help and guidance throughout life, and the last 30 days are testament to that.
Number 2 is so lovely. Because community is a big part of your story…and the world right now needs to lean a bit more into community. (And actually, number 1 can spill into that as well.)
My main theme is that we can always choose to change, but we have to make that choice. Change comes from within.
I really like this…AND, I think that you have some other themes in there might emerge more heavily than this one once you’re in there writing it!
A major theme in my story is grief and how it can affect every part of your life. I do have a second that appears more as the story progresses and that is forgiveness. My two main characters will both experience grief in different ways and have to find ways to forgive. Themselves and others.
Yes, I think that you’re right! Transformation through grief, building new lives, letting people in, etc. That’s all there.
The main theme is transformation. The protagonist’s transformation from a shy, undicisive teeane girl to a young woman with independent mind and ambition, in the background of postwar Japan occidental by the Allied and independence by the withdrawal of the Allied. Also the importance of finding the direction through experiments of the west and the east.
Yes, tap in a bit more to the setting and the time that you’ve chosen. Because there will be a transformation, yes…but why is this transformation happening for these people at this time and in this political environment?
First, my atrocious spelling and autocorrections. Transformation is not the right word, probably. After the WWll, Japan was occupied by the Allied government, whose leader was General MacArthur. The officers brought their families as well, and thus Japanese government provided all the basic infrastructure and houses and schools and hospitals and entertainments. Several theatre gave regular shows, and they were only for the Allied. But all the performers were Japanese. And all the musicians and singers were very well paid. Many musicians and singers became major stars in Japan after the withdrawal of the Allied. I am wondering how I put this information indirectly.
I think there’s a theme of identity here. And probably confusion about that identity. I don’t know much historically or socially about Japan after the war, but I can imagine it was a very confusing and maybe scary time. The allies come in after having dropped the bombs, right? So there’s probably a layer of ‘friend…but you killed a lot of us?’ You have some really powerful things to play with here, and perhaps a perspective that many others don’t have or need to see from.
It begins to seem as though it's all about visibility: being seen for who you really are, and surviving. Everything feeds into the central notion of identity - image v reality, desire v safety, inheritance v choice. Jackson circles around "If you see the real me you'll leave, or I'll destroy you", Eliza believes "If I am fully seen, I will lose myself" and even the choice of DoP as narrator/POV makes it about visibility and who decides what the reader sees.
Oh yes, I love this. You can play a lot, then, with darkness and things that visually blocked, etc.
Mechs of Mars is about dangers of AI (very topical!), the environment, pollution, Corporate greed and exploitation, family, responsibility, and socialism vs tyranny (also topical).
Very topical at the moment, which is good. You always want to tap into the zeitgeist with books!
In my story the feeling of being trapped is one of the major themes that I see.
I think the tensions that show up most often are the choices to help other people and what choice gets made
Usually I would catch up from where I left off but unfortunately I have developed an ear infection and will need to take a break.
I’ll be working through the other posts in my own time once I’m feeling better
Thank you for showing me this structure and for your feedback Shelly
Hope the academy goes well
Oh no! Sorry about your ear infection! Yes, the videos will be up for a while, so get back to it when you’re ready!
I feel like a lot of Outis' curiosity keeps popping up. Even when his subconscious tells him to remain ignorant, not wanting the answers he has a feeling would arise, he pushes against it. Outis is definitely someone whose curiosity gets him in sticky spots, even mentally!