Over the new year I got asked what writers inspire and/or influence my writing.
I would have to say my three biggest influences are Orson Scott Card (for his plot writing and twists), Stephen King (for his PHENOMENAL character development), and Anne McCaffrey (for her intricate world-creating descriptions).
What writers do you find you are most interested in? Do you like the way they write love scenes? The way they write a description of a sunset? Or just how they keep you on the edge of your seat? Let me know what authors you like and why!
Yes, another shout out for Wodehouse! I don’t think he could be any funnier.
I very much appreciate Jane Goodall’s sense of storytelling – how to weave together all these little pieces to make a coherent narrative – to make something so compelling that fact reads like a novel. I refer more to her scientific and popular writing about chimpanzees than about her more recent environmental work.
I also am in awe of JRR Tolkien – his sheer power of creation. All those languages and poems and alphabets and maps and different kinds of beings! Now that is making something. So much fantasy comes with dwarves and elves and maps and stuff that I think we can forget what a pioneer he was. Looking at all those genealogies from the Eldar Days always humbles me.
My favorite mystery writer is Mabel Seely who wrote in the late 30 and early 40’s. The language is suspense is just great. She is from MN.
This might sound strange but my biggest influences are Haruki Murakami for his seamless flow, Raymond Carver for his subtlety and his dialogue, and the relatively recent Jesse Ball for his poetic prose and otherworldliness. 🙂
As I kid, I loved Bruce Coville. He’s a GREAT storyteller. Whether it was about aliens, goblins or what have you, even as a second grader, my attention was entirely captured.
And then as I got older, I really grew to appreciate Shakespeare’s body of work.
When younger, I enjoyed Edgar Rice Burroughs, Ray Bradbury, James Michner and more recently Stephen King. Many others as well but these four are ones that each have quite a body of work that generally holds up over time.
some of my favorite writers are british. LeCarre, Wodehouse, and, of course, Rowlings. i like the way the british use the english language LeCarre writes exceptionally intelligent and challenging spy stories, Wodehouse uses gentle humor to take us out of our everyday lives, and Rowlings…well, Rowlings made magic, one of my favorite things.
one of my other favorite writers is Christa herself. her sense of creativity and storytelling keeps me wanting to read to the end to find out what happens. thanks to all of you for making my life a better place to live.