Reflections of True Literary Works of Art in Fiction

Please do not mistake this article for a book review. The purpose of this article is not to merely provide the reader with another book review. Oh, in certain parts of this article I may make reference to the book by Richard Adams titled, "Maia." I do this only as a comparison and to express certain points by using this book as an example.

This article deals with the art of writing and attributes which I believe a good writer should possess. This article is based on my own opinions grounded in my experience as a writer.

This is not an article about my own writing ability though I do use myself as an example at times throughout this article. I am not nothing in comparison to Richard Adams as a writer. I am merely a beginner by comparison to this great writer.

I am not an expert in writing nor will I ever profess to be one. I am merely a reader, writer, and an observer. I am merely offering a few opinions.

Readers do not have to agree with me. Just think about what is written and see if there is anything which does make sense to you. Maybe some new insight or idea will present itself to you which you had never thought about before now.

This article will present ideas about writers and true literary works based on my own ideas about these topics. Every reader and writer makes their own decisions about what they believe is a real literary work. What one person believes to be literature another views as junk.

There are many fundamental concepts which all may agree on, but we all know what we like and dislike. This is the basis we use to judge a good book or a good writer. Writers may extend this base a bit to include certain standards. These standards are the same standards we use in our own writings.

This article will look at both the writer and the written work. What to me makes a book a true literary work, and what makes an author great.

Writers vs. Readers

Writers and readers are actually interchangeable. Writers started out as readers and continue to be avid readers. Readers who are merely just readers have never realized there writing ability. They may absolutely have none or, at least, believe they have none. A reader can become a writer rather easily. Readers and writers are caught up in the written word. Readers get lost in what they read and writers get lost in what they write.
How many times have you gotten lost into a good book and lost all track of time? Writers do the same thing when they write. I have lost myself in something I am writing to discover several hours have gone by, and I have done the same thing while reading a good book.

The first time I read "Maia" by Richard Adams I could not put the book down. I am not sure what it is about the book that captivated me, but it certainly had me transfixed. It remains the one book which inspired me consider writing fiction.

This is often the case. Many writers were inspired to become writers or to change their direction of writing because of another writers work. It is not that we wish to copy them. It is truly the opposite. We want to create something which captivates others like we were captivated and to have it be our own work of art.

I have always written stuff which is real or deals with what I believe in or want to share. Fiction many times combines reality with fantasy or it has aspects which may find their roots in reality. If you read a fantasy, you may not find characters and places in reality, but many of the morals, or situations can be related to something in the reality of the writer.

How many books of pure fantasy have you read which you found some aspect which you could relate to in reality?

Even though I am a realist, fantasy provides something for me which may seem strange to most. We all fantasize. We may not get lost in fantasy so deeply that we escape reality or our responsibilities within reality, but we do need fantasy to break up the monotony of life. A realist tends to look for the reality in all situations. The comparison to fantasy and reality is not that big of a jump. Unless, you live in a constant state of fantasy, where reality does not exist, there will be some aspect of reality which you will see in the fantasy.

Readers may not evaluate what they read with the scrupulous eye of a writer, but they do know when they can relate to what they read. An avid reader will many times end up writing because they wish to share their own piece of themselves with their readers.

I was told in college that every good writer shares a piece of themselves with their readers no matter what they are writing. Readers will look for a piece of themselves in what they are reading. They look for something they can relate to; what will inspire them; or what will motivate them. They look for things within their own realm of experience. Many times they look to escape their dull world for one more exciting. Still their own ideas are a part of the process of determining if a certain book met that need.

Both the reader and the writer share in the magic of the written work. It is a joining of like minds through this written work. The bond between the reader and the writer is formed and strengthened with each turn of a page.

Great Authors Exist Because of Their Work

Well, of course the readership of a certain work helps. If no one reads a book or written work, how will anyone know if it is great. A great author can't be one whose written works have never been read.

The book or written work is a part of the author. It will determine the greatness of the author.

Great authors are subjective and a matter of choice. I may think Richard Adams is a great author, but you may disagree. I have even known people to say they thought William Shakespeare was a terrible writer. It is all a matter of the like and dislikes of the person making the observation or review of a certain written work.

I have seen people who liked less popular books from a certain author then one which was a best seller. We all choose which written works are great and which are not by what we like and dislike.

The main reason that I believe Richard Adams to be a great author is because of the book "Maia." I have read his other books and like them as well, but not like, "Maia." Maia is my favorite book because I can relate to it. If we can relate with the main character it increases the pleasure of a fiction novel. Even though it is fiction, we want to relate to it and feel a part of it.

Richard Adams has proven himself to be a great writer. His books are passing the test of time. They are still being sold and people are still reading his work. I believe, the life of a writers work will determine the greatness of a author. People will not forget the author whose work continues to be read by many.

What Makes a Fiction Book a Literary Work of Art?

Books are great. They are a special part of my life and something which we all have had to deal with at one time or another. Even people who are not fond of them, had to read them in school. Text books and literature were a part of our schooling. They were the tools which the teachers used to teach. School and college would not exist without them.

Even in this modern age of technology, they are still thriving. There are certain attributes I look at when deciding if a book is a true literary work of art. The book I now use to make this decision and which to me reflects a true work of art in written form is, "Maia".
Of course, this is only my own opinion.

Below are a few of the main attributes which a book must possess for me to view them as true literary works of art. (Any similarities to other written material about writing skills or attributes is coincidental. These are my own ideas. Maia, is the example used to show these attributes in actual form.)

1. A creative and captivating story line. (Maia, kept me captivated from the beginning to the end. It is a rather large book, but this did not deter me at all.)

2. The story brings you in to it with descriptions so clear you can picture what is happening in the story. You can see the characters and places within you own mind. (Richard Adams does a great job of doing this with Maia. The reader goes with Maia on her many journeys.)

3. It is clear the author has no problem taking risks. It is unique because of the author's ability to make points or statements others would not dare to make. (Richard Adams uses some risky situations at a few points in the book. He does this with style and flair. Even though it may seem a bit graphic, it is something which happens also in reality. He changes words to avoid using blatant swearing. He adds some grace to a part of the book where grace may not belong, but it works.)

4. Even though it may be a fantasy, there is a relationship to reality. The reader is able to relate to the book and find that many of these same situations could happen in reality. (In Main, the places are fictional, but situations which Maia finds herself and the struggles she endures could very well relate to reality. Her struggles represent the struggles of many people who are poor, brought into fame, and then find the simpler life better. She goes through many changes which many people go through. Richard Adams does a great job relating the story to reality.)

5. One chapter does not a masterpiece make, the book can only be seen as a work of art when viewed as a whole. (Any artwork would not be considered art if you only considered one piece of a painting. So it is with books. Maia read only in part is not a literary work of art. One has to read the entire book to see its true artistic value in written form.)

6. The book can be read over and over with out seeming to bore the reader. There is always something to be learned each time it is read. (I have read Maia many times. Each time is a new experience, and it seems I find new things which I can relate to or which amaze me all over again.)

Our Own Writing Skills and Abilities

As writers we must continue to be students of writing. We must never assume to know all there is to know about writing. We must never assume we are the best. Thinking we know it all and we are the best does not allow us any room to grow or improve.

We continue to learn and grow as we continue to write. We must never stop practicing. We must never close our minds to new ideas. Writers are unique in that they can find ideas and subjects to write about in strange places. Sometimes we go into our own imaginations. This is how fiction novels are born. Everyone has an imagination.

I am a realist, but I have an imagination. I have heard many say a realist could never write a fiction novel. Well, you may be surprised by the number of fiction novels written by realists. Like I said before a realist has fantasies, but we just don't loose our sense of reality when we fantasize. We know how to separate the two. One thing is for sure, you will be able to find the relationship to reality within our fiction novels.

We are all unique and our writing should reflect this. We should be able to present ideas in a different manner even when writing about something which many people has written about.

We should never close our minds to writing in a different form or type of media. Meaning, if you write articles, don't close your mind to writing a book. If you write non-fiction don't close your mind to writing fiction. Your writing should always be wide open. You never know where your own mind and ideas will take you.

I have written one novel which started out being a true story. I am now working on a fantasy novel. My writing is diverse, and I never close the door on writing opportunities which seem worthy of my current skill level. Those above my current level, become goals to shoot for, and I will one day reach them.

You have to watch out for scams, but actual writing opportunities are few. When one of substance comes your way, do not close the door on it because you never know when another will come your way.

I started writing seriously late in life It just goes to show that we can pursue our dreams at any age.