This is where you define your central theme — the beating heart of your story. It might be about freedom, loss, belonging, or the courage to change. Ask yourself: What moves me to tell this story? What do I want the reader (or myself) to understand in the end?
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Understanding why the main idea is important to you will allow your story to come from the heart. Here, you write down what matters most to you. What are your core values? Powerful stories are born from our values. Why is it important for you to write a story about this main idea?
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Give your values symbols—any object or thing that represents them.
If family is important, perhaps it could be a house, a tree with many branches, or a nest. If friendship matters, maybe it’s a village, a community place, or even a forest for animals or a shared cup.
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By exploring values and how they interact, you can create a deeper, more meaningful story with lots of layers and tension. Different characters might see the same value in totally different ways.
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What does the worst-case scenario of your main idea look like? What is the nightmare that can happen in the story? What does the best-case scenario of your main idea look like? What is the happy ending?
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