What is an essential step in closely reading fiction? identifying the writing style of the author keeping a journal of your interpretations listing all of the characters and settings making notes about specific parts of the text looking up the origins of unfamiliar words

The correct option is LOOKING UP THE ORIGIN OF UNFAMILIAR WORDS.
Close reading is the act of reading closely to determine what the text is saying explicitly and to make logical inference form it. To do this, one has to uncover layers of meaning that leads to deep comprehension. This will thus necessitate that one looks up the meaning of new words  and analyze how specific words impact on the meaning of the information that is been passed across in the text.