Good morning, my wonderful NaPiBoWriWee writers! I’m trying to think of a nickname for us. I remember calling us “PiBo’s” last year. I was thinking of “NaPiBoWriWee-ers” but that’s a mouthful! Can anyone think of a fun nickname? “NaPi’s?” LOL! 🙂

Anyway, nickname or not, welcome to Day Three of the 2011 National Picture Book Writing Week! By now, you should feel like a PRO at this! 🙂

I often teach a class called WRITING FOR CHILDREN at UCLA EXTENSION’s WRITERS PROGRAM. I have loved every single class in this program, where I too got my start. I highly recommend checking out there classes. All my students ROCKED. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. I am so proud of my students and I learned a lot from them, too!

If you are interested in UCLA’s Writers’ Program, go here: http://www2.uclaextension.edu/writers/

So I’ve noticed a pattern in my blogging already. I’m giving writing craft advice based on what I’ve learned in my own writing classes, both as a student and teacher. I know most of you already know this stuff, but I figured a refresher course can’t hurt, right? 🙂 Plus, there are a lot of newbie aspiring writers who are joining us at NaPiBoWriWee for the first time, so I figured they would be interested in these craft issues as well.

So on Day One, I talked about “vomit drafts” and used a lot of quotes from Ann Lamott’s famous BIRD BY BIRD book. Yesterday, I talked about PLOT. Today… we’re gonna talk about THEME.

(Keep reading after the jump for more on THEME…)

PREMISE/THEME/HERO’S JOURNEY

One of my favorite books to use when teaching Writing For Children at UCLA EXTENSION’s Writers Program is  The Writer’s Guide to Crafting Stories for Children by Nancy Lamb (Writers Digest Books ’01). I HIGHLY recommend this book. It’s chock full of the nuts and bolts that make up writing craft issues for children and teens.

Here’s what Lamb has to say about PREMISE and THEME…

PREMISE

P. 176: “The premise is what your book is about. Premise is not the plot. It is the underlying idea that supports the plot. Ideally, you should establish the premise of your story before you even begin writing. If you can do this, you will save yourself untold creative angst.”

(Paula’s note: Although Lamb makes a good point, I have to interject and say that I sometimes you need that “untold creative angst” to figure out your premise! LOL! 🙂 )

“Think of premise as the foundation of your plot, the essential truth you want to convey. Premise is the truth that gives shape to your story and meaning to the lives of your characters. Premise has a beginning – an idea – but it also has an ending – a conclusion. For example:

“Premise: A life of petty crime leads to a life in prison.

“Premise: Where there’s a will there’s a way.

“Premise: The first love you have is the last love you remember.

“Premise: When you betray a friend, you lose a friend.”

THEME

P. 177: “The theme of your book is the narrative concept behind your story, the idea explored within the context of what your book is about. The theme is not the premise. Nor is it the message or the moral. Lots of books have more than one theme. In Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson tells the tale of an unlikely bond forged between fourth grader Jess Aarons and his friend Leslie Burke. They form a deep and abiding friendship that binds them together forever. Although the friendship ends in tragedy, Jess is left with a new understanding of the depth of love and the importance of beauty and dreams.

“The premise of this book is when we honor imagination, we honor life.

“In contrast to the premise, the themes of this book are the transcendent might of friendship, the transforming power of love, the untapped courage to do what is right and the heroic struggle to reconcile the awful reality of death with the persistent demands of life. These themes are represented in the behavior of the characters and the elements of the plot.”

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So as you work on Picture Book No. 3 today (or if you are still struggling with Picture Book No. 1, that’s okay! Keep going! Don’t give up! :))… think about your book’s PREMISE and/or THEME. As you figure out who your characters are and what will happen to them in the plot, think about the bigger picture. What’s your book REALLY about? Sometimes thinking about the overall theme can help when you’re stumped on a plot point problem or are unsure of how your character should develop emotionally throughout the story.

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Our NaPiBoWriWee Day Three schedule:

9 AM (PST): Good Morning Blog posted. I hope you enjoyed reading it. I look forward to your comments!

12 PM (PST): Guest Author Blog will be posted. Today’s guest? Picture book author/illustrator KATIE DAVIS! So come back here at the end of your work day to hang out with the awesome Katie!

10:00 PM (PST): Bedtime Blog will be posted. Stay tuned and please post your progress report in the Bedtime Blog comments section. I look forward to hearing about your Day 3 adventures!

Okay, that’s it from me. Until the next blog posting… Happy Writing! WRITE LIKE YOU MEAN IT! 🙂