Mobile Menu

  • Home
  • About Martha
  • Books
    • Creativity
    • Writing
    • Fiction
  • Blog
  • Media
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Email Sign Up

Sign-up for Martha’s Newsletter

  • Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Before Header

Sign-up for Martha’s Newsletter

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Martha Alderson

Plot Consultant

  • Home
  • About Martha
  • Books
    • Creativity
    • Writing
    • Fiction
  • Blog
  • Media
  • Contact

Plot Consultations for Writers

February 3, 2009 By Martha Alderson

I always disguise the identity of the writer when I unwind here and reflect after a plot consultation. I keep my comments general in hopes of showing how universal most of the plots and the plights I encounter.

In my mind, I already see the writer successful and imagine how notes like these would shed a certain sense of historical perspective when the time of success truly arrives.

Today’s consultation was all about subplots and themes.

Every element in a memoir, novel, screenplay contributes to the greater thematic significance of a story. 
  • Every character functions like a mirror shining back to the protagonist the very elements of themselves they can see in others but not in themselves
  • Every subplot does the same thing to the overall plot of the story 
  • Every word contributes to the theme and mood and nuance

Nothing is extraneous or there simply because the language is beautiful, the action clever, the character quirky. Every element contributes to the deeper meaning of the piece.

Do you know the thematic significance of your story?
Can you condense the overall meaning of your story into one statement?
This Thematic Significance statement reflects the truth of your story. Not the necessarily a universal truth or truth for all time, but true for your story itself.
Previous Post: « A Tough Nut to Crack
Next Post: Creating a Sacred Writing Space »

Primary Sidebar

Search

Email Sign Up

Sign-up for Martha’s Newsletter


Shop for Books for Writers and Creatives

plot whisperer resources

Boundless Creativity Workbook

Faced with unprecedented challenges, now is a great time to escape 
into creativity and reconnect with your inner self

Follow Me!

Follow Me on FacebookFollow Me on YouTubeFollow Me on PinterestFollow Me on InstagramFollow Me on LinkedIn

Archives

Recent Posts

  • The Plot Whisperer Returns!
  • How to Create an Elegant Transition
  • Plot Planner as a Story Vision Board
  • 15 Tips to Create a Compelling Plot for Your Story

Footer

About Martha

Martha lives at the beach along the central coast of California and draws inspiration from the surrounding nature. When not at the beach, she writes women’s fiction and is exploring what it means to leave a lasting legacy. [Read More] about About Martha

Email Sign Up

Sign-up for Martha’s Newsletter


Follow Me!

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on InstagramFollow Us on PinterestFollow Us on YouTubeFollow Us on LinkedIn

The secret to having what you want in life is to view all challenges and obstacles through the Universal Story.

Copyright © 2026 Martha Alderson | · Log in | Website by-Askmepc