Yarapon's "Unwavering Core Writing Theory Vol. 12: Clarifying Your Personal Core Through Theme Setting"

Hello, this is Yarapon🌈. We have finally reached the 12th installment of our series, "Writing Theory for Living with an Unwavering Core," or "Unwavering Core Writing Theory" for short. However, I must apologize for the long gap since the 11th installment.😓

Last time, I talked about how to capture the reader's heart using "perspective switching," but since I suspect most of you don't remember that article, I'll post the link here.

Checking the posting date of the 11th installment, I see it was over two months ago.
The gap might be so long that the series has lost its meaning, but I hope you will pull yourself together and read it to the end.

It's been a while, but this time I'm going to focus on the stage before talking about capturing the reader's heart with perspective switching, which is"What are you writing about in the first place?" = Theme Setting😊

If the theme isn't decided, no matter how much technique you have, your writing will be blurry. That is whytheme setting is the first step to conveying your personal core through writing!is what it is.

What is a theme? It's the "destination you take the reader to"

A theme is like thegoal of your writingwhere you invite the reader, saying, "Let's go together up to this point today!"

If this isn't fixed, the reader might get lost, wondering, "So, what are you trying to say?" so it's quite an important element.

For example, if you have a sentence like this:

Even if it's written like this, I kind of understand the feeling you want to convey, but it's a bit vague, isn't it?

But if the theme is set as "Living with your own identity and core,"

Like this, it becomes a clear, "communicative" piece of writing🌱

Themes come in "Hope-based" and "Fear-based" types!

There are two main directions for themes.

1 | Hope-based Theme

This is a theme that includes apositive messagelike "If you do this, it will be easier" or "This kind of future is waiting for you!"

・"If you have a personal core, you won't be hesitant in your choices"
・"Just by changing your daily language, your relationships will become easier"

Perfect for when you want to deliver excitement and peace of mind to your readers!

2 | Fear-Based Themes

These are themes that raise awareness or sound an alarm by saying things like, 'You might be in danger if you stay like this' or 'You might regret it if you leave it alone'.

・ 'If you don't have a personal core, you might end up living someone else's life without realizing it.'
・ 'If your theme is unfocused, your writing might not get read?'

However, if you stir up too much anxiety, readers might be put off, so use this approach gently and carefully ☺️

What are the three tips for theme setting?

Tip 1 | Decide on the 'change' you want to give the reader first

・ What kind of feelings do you want the reader to have?
・ What kind of actions do you want them to take?

If you think about this, the theme will naturally come into view.

→ If you want them to 'have a trigger to envision their future,' then the theme could be 'The Importance of Talking About the Future,' etc.

Tip 2 | Narrow the theme down to one!

I understand the urge to include this and that, but to give your writing consistency, one theme is enough!

🙅‍♂️ 'I will teach you how to strengthen your personal core, how to talk about the future, and how to write sentences.' → Too many themes will confuse the reader 💦

🙆‍♂️ 'How to strengthen your personal core'
→ By narrowing it down to one, neither the reader nor the writer will lose focus ✨

Tip 3 | Be conscious of whether it is a hope-based or fear-based theme

Depending on which direction you choose, the way you write and the atmosphere of the title will change.

😀 Hope-based: 'By talking about the future, you will gain confidence in your actions.'
😨Fear-based: 'If you don't have a personal core, you might keep being swayed by other people's values?'

Practice! Examples of hope-based and fear-based writing

😀 Hope-based

😨Fear-based

Both are correct. The important thing is to write with a tone that matches the 'message you want to convey'.

Summary: A theme is like a 'lighthouse'!

No matter how well you write, if the destination (theme) is not visible, the writing will get lost.

That is why—

Deciding on a theme before writing means setting up a 'lighthouse' so that neither the reader nor you get lost.

🔸Think about the change you want to give the reader
🔸Narrow the theme down to one
🔸Be conscious of whether it is hope-based or fear-based

Keep these in mind, and let's write your own 'unwavering' text.

Next time, I plan to finally share the '4 types focused on assertion'. Once your assertion is set, your words will carry persuasiveness and charm. I think it will be helpful, so please look forward to it.

So, this time it was
“Yarapon 'Unwavering Axis Writing Theory Vol. 12: Clarifying Your Personal Axis Through Theme Setting'”
, the first Yarapon-style Unwavering Axis Writing Theory article in a while. 😓*The illustration for the header image was borrowed from Maple Kaede-san.

See you!

Setting a theme, guiding the reader, and taking it easy 🌈

<Here is the article from my main account posted recently!>