Literary theory (or narrative theory) in all its many forms (feminism, postcolonial, queer, ecocriticsm etc.) can seem daunting to approach, especially from a creative perspective. But it can be very useful as a guide (or map) for your creative projects.

Below are a few introductory books. I would also encourage you to look at articles and chapters that apply those theories to various books to see what can be done with theory.