tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6138899669432819577.post399644757931173172..comments2024-02-08T11:06:34.532+00:00Comments on Tom Williams' blog: My themeTom Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07386940742165563364noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6138899669432819577.post-11327552154232548352012-02-14T13:42:32.677+00:002012-02-14T13:42:32.677+00:00Thanks for replying (and RTing) Danny.
It's ...Thanks for replying (and RTing) Danny. <br />It's a good question and my answer is that I'd like to think I can write about more than just one or two ideas (I have a couple to which I keep returning) but if we're getting really reductive then in reality I probably don't. If a story chimes or resonates with me, it's probably because it's hit one of my primary thematic arteries.<br />But, as you said, that's not to say that these central themes can't translate into hundreds of different stories, across many different genres, but the central conflict that seems to excite me usually runs along the same fault lines. <br />Your Spielberg example is instructive - so many different tales and genres but many of them coming back to a similar idea, the question of how much of our childhood we can / should retain into adulthood?<br />And as I said, I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing. If a theme has any weight at all it should hold up to being poked and prodded from a variety of different angles. <br />Interesting discussion, though. Look forward to that Guinness.Tom Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07386940742165563364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6138899669432819577.post-75284328193420454832012-02-14T11:22:33.144+00:002012-02-14T11:22:33.144+00:00Great post, Tom! But do writers have to have one t...Great post, Tom! But do writers have to have one theme? Is it a further push by the industry to pigeonhole us into the writers they think we are, as if there's only one type of story we can tell?<br /><br />Or can a writer or filmmaker know his theme (Spielberg basically does the same story, too), but transfer it into a multitude of story possibilities? I've noticed a regular theme emerge in my scripts. I think it's something useful to be aware of but should it become a badge of our writing profile? Or one left for critics to mull over while we get on with making great films? It's probably a discussion to have over a pint and Mozart...Danny Stackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06448455474341848304noreply@blogger.com