" Identify Your Story’s General Themes Many writers scoot as far away as possible from the thematic significance of their stories. I believe, instead, that you should dive right in. That is what the search for meaning feels like—diving into a cool, dark, mysterious pool of water. Draw a large oval on an oversized piece of paper. Create smaller circles that connect to and radiate out from the oval. For now, leave the oval blank. Fill in the smaller “bubbles” with themes in your story. "

― Martha Alderson , The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master