Every Age has its masters in art and literature. William Shakespeare, lived from 1558 to 1603, during the Elizabethan period in London, England. To list just a few of his classic that have stood the test of time are Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, The Merchant of Venice, As You Like It, the Tempest and Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Why are these plays so important? They are satirical, literary and social creations, that have powerful characters, that leave an impact on the audience, through the ways in which they face and overcome obstacles in life. Almost every character does shine in his or her own unique way, that endears them or makes the audience hate them for being who they are and represent in society.
The greatest writers who have lived are now long gone. This age has its own literary greats, who have written wonderful masterpieces. Will their work stand the test of time, like William Shakespeare, and get translated into all living human languages know? I do not think that will happen, as most works, do not have universal appeal.
This is a call for the new writers of this decade, century and millennium, to write more, to write regularly and to create works that appeal to the global audience. Will that be enough? Once created, our writings need to be shared over social media, over the global blogosphere and then given to more readers who can appreciate the work. Will that be enough for us as writers, and will our work be looked at after a hundred years? No, there is a missing ingredient and that is the themes, the conflicts, the resolutions and the characters need to appeal to readers. Is that really sufficient? I guess not in the long term.
You as a writer need to make your work popular with your readers, so that they enjoy it and want to share it with others. That is the only way, for your written words, stories, novels and epics to endure the test of time, like the works of William Shakespeare.