A Bright Promise In The Last Chapter Of The Fire In Fiction (53)

It's odd to realize I'm at the final chapte of The Fire in Fiction by Donald Maass. It's almost bittersweet, having worked and laughed and struggled and groaned my way through the outlined exercises to reach these final pages.

"Insuring that your story is powerfully yours is the subject of this final chapter."

So I dig in and read on, no longer delusional enough to trust in my own assumptions when it comes to the wisdom Mr. Maass imparts.  I won't be so naive as to think chapter nine  might be some causal summary of all that's come before.

No, here I find we get down to the one detail that makes my writing different from that offered by everyone else.

Me.

Yes, it's another 'aha' moment and I admit it's one I frequently discount. Chalk it up to all those lessons my mother gave me on vanity. Yet Maass assures me true originality is only about one thing – the author – not the impossibly unique idea or setting.

Maass tells us what most of us already know, that bandwagon syndrome is real. We've all seen a successful book draw a slew of readers and almost as many imitating authors. Enough imitators, says Maass,  creates a trend.

Therefore "Originality is not a function of your novel; it is a quality in you."

Wow. More reinforcement of my aha moment! It's a simple fact that anyone writing any type of story whether it be mystery or paranormal romance or anything in between will not be the first person to deliver such a manuscript.

So what can you add to make your fresh take on the not-so-original premise shine?

You. "What gives any novel the impact of the new is something that does not come from plot or mileiu, but from a perspective: yours."

Throughout the entirety of The Fire in Fiction, Maass has pushed me to examine motive, character, and details that create more than description or a relating of fictional events to evoke feelings and reactions in the reader.

Now, in this last chapter, I can see he intends to challenge me, myself, and my internal editor.

To your best creative writing!
~Regan