As a writer, I’ve been in many discussions about theme. Does a writer start with a theme – a main idea of the story? Or does the author write their story and a theme emerges? Does a writer’s body of work have a consistent theme? If it does, is it intentional? Or do writers have ideas that capture their imagination and find their way into their work? Whatever you decide, the theme is the main idea of a story. It’s what you mean when you say It’s a story about friendship.
Theme Examples
Friendship
Loss
Struggle
Childhood
Shooldays
Peer pressure
Self-discovery
Revenge
Justice
Relationships
Make It a Game
Make a list of books, movies, and video games you all know. Then, come up with a theme for each. Does everyone agree? If not, discuss the reason for the different answers. If everyone agrees, talk about what would need to change to make it a different theme.