This is K.M. Wyland and you're listening to the 200, of the Helping Writers Become Authors podcast.

Well I'm pleased to say that out of the three massive piles of research books I accumulated for my historical superhero work in progress

wayfarer, I'm now down to a sum total of half a pile. My goal is to whiz

through these last few books and be completely finished with my research by January.

I absolutely can't wait to get back to writing again.

And now I hope you enjoyed this week's podcast. to get back to writing again.

And now I hope you enjoyed this week's podcast entitled

What's the Difference Between Your Story's Theme

and its Message? One of the common myths about a story. message.

One of the common myths about a story's theme

is that it must also be the story's moral or message.

Because theme always deals with fundamental truths that inevitably affect human morality,

it's easy to assume a story's theme must always be specific and applicable to the readers.

This isn't necessarily a false assumption, as we've discussed in previous posts.

Theme is about raising questions and suggesting answers that make people think about how to live

their lives more honestly and even morally. However, there is a major problem with the assumption that theme is a didactic message

designed to teach people how to specifically enact the thematic principle in their own lives.

So why is that?

Think about it this way.

If we create stories that tell people

how to put the theme to work in their own very individual lives, then we're going to have to be writing story situations that apply to the vast majority of humans.

Right away you can see how such a story must become

...