Diane Magras (she/her)My husband (a fellow writer) and I often talk about the concept of familiar originality (it comes from Tom Stoppard): how to create work that is original, close to our hearts, fulfilling our interests, and being true to ourselves; yet that has that flavor of familiarity that makes it marketable. I'm convinced that this is at the core of most published books.
Carleigh Baker@dianemagras I used to have a post-it on my computer that said "art is a unique expression of a common experience." I wish I knew who to credit for that because I love it! I still use it with my students.
@carleighbaker That's a perfect way of saying it! And it's really beautiful.
@dianemagras I know, right? One day I'll find out who said it! 😀
Elizabeth
Andrew Crowther@dianemagras Alan Plater once quoted Samuel Johnson as saying: art is old delights presented in a new way or new delights presented in an old way. I haven't been able to track down whether Johnson ever did say that, but I like it anyway!
@andrewcrowther That's exactly it! I've sometimes mixed up Stoppard's phrase—original familiarity instead of familiar originality—which we both think works too (and really is in the same family of meaning). I love that Samuel Johnson came up with this as well. The concept seems very old, very wise, and consistently relevant.
@dianemagras As I say, I am not sure if Johnson actually did say this - Alan Plater could be a bit vague about his quotations! But, like Stoppard's version, it's incredibly useful to anyone trying to write, I think....
Stephen J Kimber@dianemagras
Stoppard is wise. I like the concept of familiar originality. Didn't Chekov say that all books are about 4 (or was it 5) things? Love, money, revenge, and if I could remember the other one (or two) I'd be a better writer.
Stoppard is wise. I like the concept of familiar originality. Didn't Chekov say that all books are about 4 (or was it 5) things? Love, money, revenge, and if I could remember the other one (or two) I'd be a better writer.
@InkstainedFingers Ah, was it Chekov? I think you're right. (I've heard other people paraphrase him too, making it a part of writing culture.) I think for every genre or type of story there are just that small number of plots, and if you've got one in your novel (the familiar frame), you can do a lot with it to be original and meet Stoppard's ideal.
LibbyScribblesThat's so interesting. Thank you for introducing me to the idea. So true.
@LibbyCutts It's certainly helped me as I go through ideas, pondering which one to spend time on (though I need to keep myself from thinking about it too much as I'm in the most creative, dreamy process). But it's an excellent revision tool: If you're really analytical, you can find those threads of familiarity in an original work, and emphasize them.
That sounds like fun! I really enjoy that sort of thing. Should be revising something soon and I'll keep it in mind.
Thanks!
Naomi Heartbreak@dianemagras I think a lot about what becomes popular is very random - something that just happens to catch someone's imagination and then others pile on to see what the fuss is about. I'd say it's mysterious and unexplainable, but then, I like things to be that way.
@paranoiapen Yes, what's popular to the market often seems random. But it's interesting to look for the connections. How is something familiar to people, or how does it repeat or comment on what's already been done? People have always said that there are only a handful of stories out there, and it's our telling of those stories that makes them different. I think that's largely true.
@dianemagras when you write a story, do you think to yourself, which story that's already been done should I choose to do again? I don't like to think about stories that way myself, but then, I have the luxury of being an amateur writer, so it really doesn't matter what other people think of my stories.
@paranoiapen I don't typically look for classic stories and try to write them as my own (though writers have done incredible work doing this with folk tales), but more when I notice stories and themes coming up in my work. This usually happens during revision when I'm going over a novel and trying to figure out what I'm really saying. And then those familiar stories—like the "finding yourself" plot that's common in my genre—become important supports to the idea I'm trying to convey.