Standing on deep shale : the problem of originality

Hurley, UK

Abstract

Writers are often plagued by the apparent impossibility of saying something new, finding a unique voice; how to add something worthwhile to the almost infinite body of pre-existing literature? We stand at the edge of a vast uncharted sea – the unformed poems, stories or scripts that we may one day write. And what are we standing on, as we look out into this misty expanse? A vast beach of other people’s words, those who have gone before. We walk on the deep shale of other people's work, stretching back into prehistory.

• Publication Date: Mar 29, 2012
• Deposit Date: Mar 9, 2021
• Pages: 85-104
• Book Title: Beyond the Workshop
• ISBN: 9781899999521-(print)
• Publisher URL: https://kingstonpublishing.wordpress.com/