Explore Big Themes through Fiction
Explore Big Themes Through Fiction
By Julie Tollefson
Laurie L. Dove appreciates the role fiction can play in examining big themes, particularly those related to identity, belonging, and social justice. Her debut novel, Mask of the Deer Woman (Berkley/Penguin Random House), draws on her lived experience as well as extensive research to weave those themes into a powerful tale set against the backdrop of the continuing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women in this country.
Here, Laurie offers five tips for giving your characters free rein to explore weighty themes and, in the process, connecting with your readers.
1) Identify your anchor — Laurie knew she wanted to anchor the storyline of her debut novel to the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women, but as she delved into research, the scope of the problem shocked her.
“The reality of missing women is an undercurrent that runs throughout families and communities for generations,” she says. “Neither these statistics nor the individual cases of missing and murdered women receive the coverage or analysis that is warranted.”
Among the numbers she uncovered during her research: Murder is the third-leading cause of death for Indigenous women and girls, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The number of missing Indigenous women is difficult to pin down. Official estimates range wildly. The U.S. Department of Justice’s NamUs project estimates 261; the FBI’s National Crime Information Center puts the number at 5,500.
“My hope is that by writing the fictional stories of Indigenous women in peril—and pairing those stories with the factual exploitative and extractive realities that harm Indigenous women in real life—it will resonate with readers,” Laurie says. “My hope is that I’m telling the truth through fiction and that, in some small way, Mask of the Deer Woman will become a call to action.”
2) Ask big questions — “Writing fiction offers a compelling way to ask big questions, and I find this interrogation fascinating,” Laurie says. “I really appreciate the ability to explore themes of identity and belonging in fiction.”
Laurie asks many “what if?” questions of her characters as she crafts their stories. And sometimes, asking herself the same question serves up the perfect nugget of inspiration.
“I read Tommy Orange’s There There and discovered the experiences of his characters — who were, in some cases, grappling with a generational disconnection from a collective Indigenous past — and began thinking about how a reconnection would potentially play out in my own life, in part because I have Indigenous heritage and was adopted by a non-Indigenous family,” she says.
That thought experiment laid the basic groundwork for themes that run throughout Mask of the Deer Woman.
3) Let curiosity guide you — Laurie’s 30-year career as a journalist following topics she finds curious, compelling, or crucial has served her well as she turns her hand to fiction.
“I don’t think I realized how well my journalism background would factor into the fiction-writing process,” she says. “I found myself blending page-turning fictional scenarios with research and statistics, and that’s something I’ll continue to do. I want to write compelling novels that have the potential to make a real-world difference.”
No training in journalism? No problem. Start your journey with the basic "five Ws and an H" questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how? Interrogate your characters. Interview experts and sources in the areas you’re interested in. Be open to following where the answers lead, which often can be more questions.
4) Lend your own strong emotions to your characters — Create sympathetic connections among your characters and, by extension, with readers by getting real. Consider your deeply held fears or joys and find a way for your characters to experience them, too.
“People are so beautifully complex, and rendering them to a page can be an endless and joyful challenge,” Laurie says. “I’m so thrilled to have the opportunity to try!”
5) Borrow and experiment — Beyond focusing on your characters and their journeys, build a strong writing practice that incorporates the best and most useful ideas from others in the industry.
“I’m mildly obsessed with other writers’ routines and like to try those practices on for size,” she says. “I think it’s endlessly fascinating to experimentally approach routines built around the practice of writing.”