My Common Writing Themes
I have all kinds of patterns in my life, and I thought it would be interesting to explore the common themes I like to include in my books. Two of my favorites are immortality and age reduction. My characters find themselves younger, healthier, and living abnormally long lives. The fictional concept I developed to explain long life is to eliminate parasites (bacteria) within our bodies. This works by allowing a character’s body to repair itself quickly, thereby remaining young and healthy.
I like this plot device because I certainly wish to be younger and live longer. As a result of this life extension, there would be much less pressure to succeed, I would have more energy, my body would not experience medical pain (like a cold), and my future would be bright. Oh. The big reason. I would not die. And yes, I am envious of my characters. Plus, there is a huge hook for readers, because I am sure they all wish they could have the same.
I often end a chapter with my characters falling asleep and begin the next chapter with them waking up. This plot separation device makes perfect sense because falling asleep is like hitting the reset button. In my mind, this works because I experience this every morning. Last night’s problems feel less important. This intuitive change is a natural stopping point for readers because they can safely put down the book, knowing nothing will happen during the night.
I like secret government operations. What truly goes on at Area 51? The people who know are certainly not talking. This is an excellent hook because any secret government story could be true, and it is nearly impossible to fact-check because those subjects are classified. As a writer, this is an exciting space to explore, but a little frightening. What would happen if I wrote an actual fictional story? This makes me wonder about conspiracy or UFO authors.
I like solid female characters, and it angers me when I encounter stories/movies with mistreated, objectified, or weak females. Such stories do not read/view realistically because every woman I meet in real life does not behave like the characters in these flawed works.
Plus, I think it is more fun to begin the writing process (plot) with a female character I know is up to the task. My stories read better when I throw a character with great qualities a curveball, and they succeed.
Alcohol is one of my favorite character weaknesses. In my own life, I have experienced being drunk and the resulting hangover. Plus, I have met severe alcoholics, people who get raging drunk, people who are in complete denial of their drinking problem, and observed the destructive aftermath. Thus, this flaw reads well to me, and I think readers will also relate.
Why are there so few massage scenes in movies/books? It seems so easy. Instead, unrealistic books/movies immediately transition from a pleasant hello to a lusty scene. In real life, people have apprehension and awkward moments. A lovely massage bridges the trust gap in a friendly yet personal way. Also, spicy massage scenes are fun to create. And really. How easy is it to go from an “innocent neck rub” to a hug?
My stories are always linear. I dislike multiple storylines, hard-to-follow interaction, out-of-order action, unexplained events, big side tangents, crazy surprises, and unexplained activities. Books should be enjoyable and not a challenge. “Three weeks earlier.” What the heck? How did we get here? Outlines, plot development, and editing are complex enough without jumping around. And a confused reader will always leave a critical review.
When I write, I concentrate the most on writing (grammar) errors rather than plot or character development. This is because I know my English skills are not the best, and require extensive work to uncover flaws. However, this focus on technical aspects creates problems. I miss big-picture issues, and my scene/character descriptions are often lacking. I end up spending lots of time in the editing process searching for these flaws.
I dislike leaving my characters in a happy state. IE, they cannot have a “happy year.” Without conflict, drama, or challenge, there is no plot. As a result, something bad always happens after the character’s life returns to normal. This pattern is probably too clear, and I need to use it less often.
What can we conclude from all my common themes? I have obvious patterns, which are probably the result of my logical nature. This conclusion is not all bad. My analytical nature also enables me to write about them.
PS, my computer is back up and happy. More on this mind-bending experience in a later blog.
You’re the best -Bill
June 30, 2021 Updated December 07, 2025
I like this plot device because I certainly wish to be younger and live longer. As a result of this life extension, there would be much less pressure to succeed, I would have more energy, my body would not experience medical pain (like a cold), and my future would be bright. Oh. The big reason. I would not die. And yes, I am envious of my characters. Plus, there is a huge hook for readers, because I am sure they all wish they could have the same.
I often end a chapter with my characters falling asleep and begin the next chapter with them waking up. This plot separation device makes perfect sense because falling asleep is like hitting the reset button. In my mind, this works because I experience this every morning. Last night’s problems feel less important. This intuitive change is a natural stopping point for readers because they can safely put down the book, knowing nothing will happen during the night.
I like secret government operations. What truly goes on at Area 51? The people who know are certainly not talking. This is an excellent hook because any secret government story could be true, and it is nearly impossible to fact-check because those subjects are classified. As a writer, this is an exciting space to explore, but a little frightening. What would happen if I wrote an actual fictional story? This makes me wonder about conspiracy or UFO authors.
I like solid female characters, and it angers me when I encounter stories/movies with mistreated, objectified, or weak females. Such stories do not read/view realistically because every woman I meet in real life does not behave like the characters in these flawed works.
Plus, I think it is more fun to begin the writing process (plot) with a female character I know is up to the task. My stories read better when I throw a character with great qualities a curveball, and they succeed.
Alcohol is one of my favorite character weaknesses. In my own life, I have experienced being drunk and the resulting hangover. Plus, I have met severe alcoholics, people who get raging drunk, people who are in complete denial of their drinking problem, and observed the destructive aftermath. Thus, this flaw reads well to me, and I think readers will also relate.
Why are there so few massage scenes in movies/books? It seems so easy. Instead, unrealistic books/movies immediately transition from a pleasant hello to a lusty scene. In real life, people have apprehension and awkward moments. A lovely massage bridges the trust gap in a friendly yet personal way. Also, spicy massage scenes are fun to create. And really. How easy is it to go from an “innocent neck rub” to a hug?
My stories are always linear. I dislike multiple storylines, hard-to-follow interaction, out-of-order action, unexplained events, big side tangents, crazy surprises, and unexplained activities. Books should be enjoyable and not a challenge. “Three weeks earlier.” What the heck? How did we get here? Outlines, plot development, and editing are complex enough without jumping around. And a confused reader will always leave a critical review.
When I write, I concentrate the most on writing (grammar) errors rather than plot or character development. This is because I know my English skills are not the best, and require extensive work to uncover flaws. However, this focus on technical aspects creates problems. I miss big-picture issues, and my scene/character descriptions are often lacking. I end up spending lots of time in the editing process searching for these flaws.
I dislike leaving my characters in a happy state. IE, they cannot have a “happy year.” Without conflict, drama, or challenge, there is no plot. As a result, something bad always happens after the character’s life returns to normal. This pattern is probably too clear, and I need to use it less often.
What can we conclude from all my common themes? I have obvious patterns, which are probably the result of my logical nature. This conclusion is not all bad. My analytical nature also enables me to write about them.
PS, my computer is back up and happy. More on this mind-bending experience in a later blog.
You’re the best -Bill
June 30, 2021 Updated December 07, 2025
