Blog #16; What Makes Serious Fiction Writing?

 A long time ago, when I was first putting together my debut collection of short stories, I asked people I knew in the literary world for blurbs.  One colleague said, “I know Chris to be a serious writer.”  I asked myself, What exactly does that mean?  I can’t put that on the back of my book.

                But that question haunts me to this day.  Am I revising enough?  Refining the prose?  Fashioning a signature style?  It gave me heart that a writer I admired classified me as serious.  I suppose “serious” refers to a level of artistry in the prose style.  Depth of character.  Detailed imagery appealing to the five senses.  An internal landscape that is at least as rich as its physical setting.  And mastery of story.  And seriousness of intent.  A writer working with seriousness of intent wants his or her writing to last.

                An editor and writer friend once said, “The excellent becomes the permanent,” and I like to think of that quote as a motto and a road map to creating prose that lasts.  I hope and pray that people living in the 2100s will be reading my fiction and enjoying it.  But I no longer have the anxiety about literary permanence I once did.  As long as Amazon.com and other book outlets carry and sell books, I know mine will be available.

                And I’ve learned to take the long view on my legacy.  My faith tells me that I have a long and satisfying, joyful future to look forward to.  It tells me that ultimately I will spend eternity with my loved ones.  And that with following my faith today, I will “store up my riches in Heaven” for tomorrow.