The moral of a story is not its quality.
A character is not a good character just because he is a good person within the fiction. Likewise, a villain is not a bad character because he is bad. A happy ending is not the happiness of the reader unless he is glad he read the story. A tragic ending is a good ending if wonderfully memorable.
The quality of a story can be measured by the INTEREST of its readers, not only in the short term but in the long term. If he is eager to read till the end then the fiction is good. If he remembers what he read long afterwards, then it is very good.
A classic is not always a classic at first.
Originality tends to be a problem because something unexpected cannot be what readers are already looking for. People are disappointed if they expected something else.
Something new may be rejected at first... yet is never forgotten. It is read again and eventually appreciated.
I write fiction. My work is original. Though the genres, archetypes and tropes are familiar... the familiarity is made strange. The aspects are not subverted. On the contrary: I respect convention. They are simply tempered.
My every story is a parable. The morality is not about right or wrong, however. The distinction is excellence or mediocrity. The heroes and villains alike are more important than anyone ordinary.
The superiority of the hero is not righteousness... but rather sincerity. Even if he doubts himself, he does not hesitate in his moment of truth.
The inferiority of the villain is insincerity. Even if he believes in himself, his confidence is pride. He falls short in his moment of truth, as the proud always do.
The quality of my work is not its message, insightful or not. My readers must read eager to continue to the end. The experience must stay with them long afterwards.
Are the stories I write good? They are original... but originality is not quality of itself. What few people read my work usually enjoy it. Most of them remember it long afterwards.
People claim to want something original, but they really desire more of the same in different packaging. That is why when you show them something truly different, they will tend to dismiss it. If the quality is high, then they will eventually be persuaded concerning its worth.
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