I am drawn to books where the protagonist faces their personal demons and finds a hero within themselves. I love the story of someone who meets the unknown and finds the courage to do what they believe is morally right.

This is a literary theme and is known as the hero’s journey. But it is only the overarching theme. For that hero’s main character arc to work, they need subthemes.

Subthemes are personal. In a movie score, a particular musical motif plays whenever a specific character enters the scene, and we feel their emotional state. When you discover a character’s void, the thing they lack, you have found the subtheme you need to expand on.

Here are three of the many themes that can help you shape a character’s arc of change:

• Learning to live with grief.
• Overcoming a lack of self-worth.
• Moving beyond an unrequited romantic love.