Watch and track your favorite playlist.
Curated by: Abbie Emmons (794 videos)
Why is it that some stories stay with us forever? We might not even remember the specific plot details, but we remember how it made us FEEL. That feeling doesn't happen by accident, and it's definitely not because a writer stopped mid-scene to explain the moral of the story. In this video, we're breaking down how theme actually works — and why the most powerful example might be a movie where the main character doesn't even win the final battle. If you've ever been told "your story needs a theme" without anyone explaining HOW to actually build one that doesn't feel preachy, cringy, or too on-the-nose, this one's for you. Standard covered: RL.9-10.2 — How a Theme Emerges and Is Refined by Specific Details Grab the free handout here 👉 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QwMf6OAALJmIGlg9FJ8-7aTvhK69PKhq/view?usp=sharing ________________________________ ✨ TIMESTAMPS: ✨ 00:00 How a theme emerges from a story 01:54 Where most writers go wrong 03:32 The 3 layers of character purpose 05:14 Finding your character's false belief 06:37 Theme is what your character lets go of 08:29 Story case study: Rocky (1976) 12:41 Lesson recap 13:35 Learn more at Story University ________________________________ *My NEW book, Make Your Story Matter, is now available!* 👉 https://abbieemmonsauthor.com/make-your-story-matter ✨ V A L U A B L E R E S O U R C E S✨ 🏛️JOIN ABBIE’S STORY UNIVERSITY: https://abbiesstoryuniversity.com/ ❤️GET BONUS CONTENT + SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL: https://www.patreon.com/abbieemmons 📚READ MY BOOKS: https://amzn.to/3Ivk0Gr 🖥️TAKE MY SCRIVENER MASTERCLASS: https://makeyourstorymatter.teachable.com/p/teachmescrivener ✏️TAKE MY EDITING MASTERCLASS: https://www.learnfromabbie.com/p/edit-your-book-like-a-pro 💬TAKE MY BOOK BLURB MASTERCLASS: https://www.learnfromabbie.com/p/how-to-craft-a-bestseller-book-blurb 📓GET MY FREE WRITING TEMPLATES: https://abbieemmons.ck.page/make-your-story-matter 💵GET 20% OFF SCRIVENER - USE CODE "ABBIE" → https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener-affiliate.html?fpr=abbie26 🎤LISTEN TO MY PODCAST WITH MY SISTER: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kate-and-abbie-show 🎥 MY GEAR + WRITING TOOLS: https://abbieemmonsauthor.com/my-gear 🎵 I GET ALL MY MUSIC FROM EPIDEMIC SOUND… CLAIM YOUR 60-DAY FREE TRIAL HERE: https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/v02bl3/ ✨F O L L O W ✨ blog: https://bit.ly/2Kl21m8 facebook: https://bit.ly/2FS2Ikh instagram: http://bit.ly/2Xr5hUI tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@makeyourstorymatter x/twitter: https://x.com/abbieemmonsx patreon: https://www.patreon.com/abbieemmons Business inquiries: abbie@abbieemmonsauthor.com Questions and support: help@abbieemmonsauthor.com ✨ A B O U T ✨ My name is Abbie Emmons I teach writers how to make their stories matter by harnessing the psychology of storytelling and transform their ideas into a masterpiece. Story isn’t about “what happens” — it’s about how what happens affects and transforms the characters. I believe that there is an exact science (a recipe, if you will) behind a perfect story. And if you know what ingredients you need, you can create your own perfect story with ease and confidence. That’s what we talk about every week on this channel – and if it’s something you’re into, be sure to subscribe and join this community!