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.
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.