You've got to keep your eye on the ball. Look it all the way
in – to your arms to catch that pass, or to your mitt to catch that ball, or to
your bat to get that hit.
When a player misses a catch or swings and misses, watch the
replay. Watch his or her eyes. Most of the time, their eyes leave the ball
before it gets there. They are already thinking about what they are going to do
once they get the ball and their eyes betray that thought. They begin to take
that action, but… They don't actually have the ball yet. And so they drop the
ball, or don't catch it, or don't make contact. Consequently they never get to
make the move they had planned out in their head.
It's all about focus.
How do you fix it? Sometimes it's a great idea to go back to
basics. In fact, I don't think we get back to basics nearly often enough. If we
could remind ourselves of lessons learned in the past more often, we'd probably
do much better in the now.
All of this applies to writing. One of the best things I
learned about writing very early in my career in a writing class I took was
about "Thesis Statements." (Tweet that!) I don't hear much about thesis
statements any more. But they have not lost their importance, so let's talk
about a good thesis sentence.
It might be a common thought (I'm not sure. You can check me
on this one.) that thesis statements are most often thought of for nonfiction writing,
especially, for example, the essay. But I think writers who create a thesis
statement for whatever they are writing, whether it's for a nonfiction book, or
even if it's for fiction whether short stories, books, or screenplays, come out
with a much stronger piece of writing. (Tweet that!)
Because the term "thesis statement" often causes people's
eyes to glaze over, I sometimes call them "focus statements." More recently the
term "a one-sentence" has cropped up with the advent of "one-pages." (Tweet that!)
What is a Thesis Statement?
A thesis or focus statement is stating the single main idea
that you want to communicate through your nonfiction article, book, or
fictional story in one sentence.
It is a specific sentence, not a vague one. It is a complete
sentence, not a word or phrase.
Not: We should all create a thesis statement.
But: When writers created a thesis statement or focus sentence, their writing becomes more focused, better communicates what they set out to say, and leaves concrete thoughts for their audience.
A good thesis statement limits your content to communicating
only what is relevant in this piece of writing. A thesis statement not only
gives the idea of what you're going to write about, but also hints at your position
on the topic as well as your purpose in writing.
Nailing Down a Thesis Statement
For me, more often than not I have to write and rewrite and
brainstorm and toss out and re-do a thesis or focus statement before I find it.
This, for me, is pure agony. (Tweet that!) But when I finally find it, it's
that sweet feeling just like you get when you hit the ball with the sweet spot
on the bat and you know you just knocked it out of the park. (Tweet that!)
For some of you reading this I suspect you think that's
crazy. What do you mean you don't know what your thesis statement is? Don't you
know what you want to write about?!
I know. It sounds crazy to me too. Writing a thesis
statement has always been a bit of a mystery for me. (Tweet that!) I should
know what I want to write about, shouldn't I? I should know what I want to say.
I guess the way I'd try to explain it would be to say that ideas are vague.
They float around in the air and refuse to be captured. They are elusive. And
so I can't capture a solid idea until I nail it down. And I can't nail it down until
I get it on paper.
It's a struggle for me. So if this comes easy to you, you're
one of the lucky ones.
What To Do With a Thesis Statement
Thesis Statements for Nonfiction Writers
When I'm writing nonfiction, especially a short piece like
an article, most of the time the thesis statement will fit into the article
somewhere close to the beginning. It's part of introducing the idea of the
article.
It's possible for a thesis statement to come more toward the
end of an article, probably as part of the wrap-up, but that's rare. I can't
think of a time that worked for me.
For nonfiction book writers, the thesis of the book most
probably fits at the beginning of the book as the subject is introduced. But
the nonfiction book writer then has much more work to do, because there would
also be a thesis statement for each chapter in the book. That's one thesis
statement for the overall book and a separate thesis statement for each
chapter.
Even though I've been writing for over twenty-five years
now, I have to confess that to this day at times I still forget to write a
thesis statement. I blame part of this on the fact that it is not a natural
thing for me to do. That's because I still think I should know what I'm writing
about and what I want to say when I start writing, right? So for me to have to
stop and figure out what it is I really want to say or what I'm really trying
to say still feel crazy to me. But I can tell you this: If I will remember, and
stop, and go back to basics, and write a thesis statement, then my writing becomes
much easier! Then I know what I'm trying to say. I've nailed it down. And I can
say it. In words. On paper.
After that agonizing exercise, I can then spend my time
writing and fleshing out and explaining to the reader why that statement is
important and relevant to them.
So what do you do with your thesis statement? After figuring
it out, after writing it down, then print it out and tape it to your computer
monitor so it is right there in front of you all the time. Keep your eye on
your thesis. This will help you focus. It will help you stay on track. You'll
instinctively know when you're headed down a rabbit trail and you can get back
on track. This will save you writing time, effort, and many unusable words. (Tweet that!)
When the time and place is appropriate, you can stick your
thesis statement into your writing so that your reader will know exactly what
you're saying, what you're doing, and where you're going. That's a great place
to be, and after that you'll most likely knock it out of the park!
Thesis Statements for Fiction Writers
Most of the time I've heard thesis statements discussed
(which is pretty rare, actually), the discussion has been for or about nonfiction
writers. But I believe this same principal applies to fictions writers also,
whether you're writing a short story, a novel, or a screenplay.
Every story has a thesis. (Or it should.) Even though it's
fiction, it's still going somewhere. It still has a message. A story without a
message is just a bunch of happenings with no meaning.
And if you try to put too much into your story, then you're
trying to cover too much and the true meaning of what you want to communicate
gets muddled and lost.
So if you're a fiction writer, I would still encourage you
to perform this exercise of writing a thesis or focus statement for your story.
(Unlike for nonfiction writers, I don't believe you need a separate thesis
statement for every chapter because your story is one cohesive whole, unlike a
nonfiction book where each chapter speaks to a different aspect of the whole.)
Here, I think we can take a lesson from screenwriters. When
writing a screenplay, screenwriters are often required to also write a "logline." In my mind, this is pretty much the same thing as a thesis or focus statement.
A logline is a one-sentence summary of the story. It's what
you see on your TV guide that describes the movie or episode.
It is a complete sentence. It doesn't need to name your
characters but it does need to give an idea of who the main character is, the
journey she is on, the story problem that needs solved, and hint at the
resolution. (That's probably not a comprehensive idea of how to write a
logline. But it's a start.) Here's my attempt at an example. See if you can
figure out what story it is for:
A lonely Kansas farm girl is whisked away by a twister to a fantasy land and must find her way back home.
Again, for you fiction writers, write your focus statement
out and tape it to your monitor as your work. Unlike nonfiction writers who
would include it in their written piece, your focus statement may never
actually appear in words. However it will keep you on track to tell your story.
It will keep you from chasing rabbits. It will help you focus on the story you're
trying to tell and will keep all other thoughts from creeping in and muddling
your main, focused idea. You'll come out with a much more cohesive story.
Thesis Statements are Different from Topics, Themes, and Tag Lines
To help define a thesis statement, it's helpful to know it
is not a "topic," a "theme," or a "tag line."
A topic and a theme are most often a single word or a simple
phrase.
These are topics:
- Homelessness
- Domestic Abuse
These are themes:
- Love conquers all.
- Hope never dies.
A tag line for screenwriters is not the same as a logline. A
logline is the term used for a one-sentence summary of the story that an
employee at a production company used to log in a script when it arrived in the
mail. (Not sure that's done much anymore because we don't mail scripts much
anymore, but that's where the term came from.) A "tag line" is what goes on the
movie poster.
This is a tag line:
- Every man dies. Not every man truly lives. (Braveheart)
Again, a thesis statement or a focus sentence, like a
logline, is always a complete sentence.
What To Do With Those Rabbit Trails
I know what you're thinking. You're thinking about all those
wonderful thoughts, ideas, story threads, characters, etc. that you discover
along the way of writing that don't fit within your thesis statement. What
about those? What should we do with those? Surely we don't just take all those
wonderful ideas and throw them away! No, of course not.
You are likely to have many "left overs" (post Thanksgiving
Day pun intended). Don't dismiss or throw those away. They are so wonderful and
useful. Just because they don't fit (according to your thesis statement) into
what you're currently writing doesn't mean you can't use them.
Here are some ideas of what you can do with what doesn't fit:
For nonfiction writers:
- Use them for a sidebar to accompany your main article.
- Use them for an additional article.
- Possibly make a series of related articles.
For fiction writers:
- Use those ideas for a sequel* or a prequel.*
- Use them for another story in a series.*
- Or use them in another story all together. As I was developing one story I want to write, I had one scene in my head that I loved but it just didn't seem to fit. I lifted that scene out of my story and guess what? I built a completely different, unrelated story out of that scene.
*A sequel follows a story. A prequel predates a story. A
series is the same related story with the same characters but doesn't require
following the first story; stories in a series can be read in any order.
More Help
If you're able to write what you believe is your thesis
statement right off the bat, that's great. But don't be afraid to work with it,
massage it, refine it. You might come out with a deeper thesis that takes your
writing to another level.
If you're like me and struggle to nail down that thesis
statement, then understand that often it emerges with the writing, thinking,
and brainstorming. This means I might be constantly rewriting and refining my
thesis statement well into the writing process. Still, I push to nail my thesis
as early as possible because having that statement clearly expressed in
concrete terms guides everything else. So having my statement nailed down can
save me a lot of wasted work of writing what is not on target.
As with your larger writing of articles, chapters, books,
and screenplays, when it comes to your thesis statement: Rewrite. Revise.
Repeat.
When you finally hit that thesis statement that is what you're
really trying to say, you'll know it when you nail it.
Now, if I could just remember to write a thesis statement or
focus sentence every time I begin developing an article, book, or story. I'd
rather forget about it and avoid it, because for me it's such hard work. But
when I do it, everything after is so much easier. I guess I need to type out "Write
a Thesis Statement!" and tape that to my monitor. Or perhaps tattoo it on my
forehead.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:
Another Helpful Back-To-Basics Technique
I'm very excited to let you know that
I have a new e-book coming out on Kindle! It is titled Cutting the Passive Voice: How to Convert Passive Voice to Active Voice to Improve and Add Power to Your Writing.
 |
| Book 2 in the "Getting Published" series |
If you remember my article “Cutting
the Passive Voice,” which was originally published in 1996 and was reprinted
several times and that I used as a handout in some of my workshops, that is the
basis for this little e-book. I added to it and fleshed it about a bit more. I
added a few more exercises.
I wanted to make this information
accessible to many more people, so I'm making it into a small e-book that costs
only $ .99. I can reach a much larger audience and get this helpful information
to many more writers with an e-book on platforms like Amazon.com. However I'm
keeping it inexpensive so there will be absolutely no barrier for anyone who
needs it to get it.
As we're talking about "back to basics," this is a great
technique to use as you edit, revise, and refine your writing (both fiction and
nonfiction). I go through my manuscripts searching out the passive voice as one
of my final revisions. I can't tell you how much this will improve your
writing.
Using passive voice is a natural way most writers write. I
see it over and over again in beginning and advanced writers. If you don't
recognize passive voice, you won't know how to change it. But I can testify
from personal experience that if you cut most of the passive voice in your
writing, people will notice! They won't know what you have done, but they will
notice your writing is more lively, fun, and exciting.
Cutting the Passive Voice e-book is not for English majors
who already know what passive voice is and what to do about it. This is a guide
for the rest of us.
This little e-book not only explains in easy-to-understand
layman's terms what passive voice is, it gives you several easy ways to change
it into active voice that brings your writing alive.
Trust me. This will be the best .99
cents you every spent on your writing.
Cutting the Passive Voice is
scheduled to release on December 17, 2014, but you can pre-order it right now.
It will then be delivered to your Kindle device (or computer with the free
Kindle reader) as soon as it releases. So order now! And please invite your
writing friends to check it out as well. (Tweet that!)
"Getting Published" series:
- How to Get Published by Magazines & Book Publishers: Find Markets, Submit Your Manuscripts, and More (Getting Published 1)
- Cutting the Passive Voice: How to Convert Passive Voice to Active Voice to Improve and Add Power to Your Writing (Getting Published Book 2)
