Which book inspired you to become a writer? Or, was there a book you once read that made you think, “I can write like that”?
15 thoughts on “Reader Friday: Which Book Inspired You to Write?”
I can’t think of a single book that set me off writing thrillers actually. I’ve always had stories percolating in the back of my head and military thrillers came, and are still coming, somewhat naturally to me.
But I will say that there are three distinct voices that have indeed formed my latest book adventure in a totally new genre (for me at least), that being Comic Fantasy. I grew up with Douglas Adams in my eyes and ears as I watched, read and listened HHGTTH (Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy) which was an excellent companion to Monty Python the reruns I watched regularly from about ten years old. The Dirk Gently books (also Adams) are absolutely awesome, the Long Dark Teatime of the Soul being one of my favourite all time books. Much later, in my late thirties and early forties I discovered Terry Pratchett, how I missed him all those years I know not, but I am making up for lost time and have read/listened to nearly all of the discworld series now. And finally Neil Gaiman, wow. That’s about all I can say there.
Anyway, from those influences and my own twisted senses and experiences, my new series, THE BROTHERS FOUR, has blossomed. If anyone here would like to give a read of the first book, novella actually, about 20k words, and review it on Amazon I would be happier than dancing lawn gnome who just saved a ton of money on his hotel and car insurance combo. Oh…and that book, APPETIZERS OF THE GODS is free May 15 – 19, in hopes of getting massive amounts of amazing reviews and being propelled to stellar heights.
…or at least making enough sales later to get a nice pasta dinner for my wife since that quite effectively puts her in … you know … the mood.
Uh…..Mr. Basil?
Should you say stuff like that about the Missus?
Huh?
The mood stuff?
The mood for doing housework and ironing my shirts?
What’s wrong with that?
Uh…oh.
I thought you meant a different … uh…kind of…uh….
…I
You’d probably just stop talking now little brother.
Uh…yeah…probably should.
Why? What were thinking…..oh…wait a….
You weren’t thinking I meant…
Oh, well, not that that isn’t what I might of been thinking but, well, you know.
Cuz you know I still am quite capable of….oh crap…she just came in the room.
I’m outa here.
Basil, you and the Leprechauns are in rare form tonight, lol!
Tough act to follow, so I wontt~ act-up, that is…
🙂
There were two, I tgink~ A SEPARATE PEACE ~ had to read it in high school… Don’t know why, but something in that said I could/should write~ not necessarily that kind of book, but…
The other was my discovery of Richard Brautigan through some high school English class study of his poetry. I found A CONFEDERATE GENERAL FROM BIG SUR and thought I could write like THAT (tougher than you might think).
Don’t quite know what shifted my mind to historicals and thrillers ~ maybe I (heaven forbid) grew up.
g
I like to think of myself as a very observant person, so when I read Stephen King, I’m always amazed at the things he describes in his novels. I think to myself, yeah, he kind of sees things the way I do, how else could he describe things like that which don’t make me cringe, but rather go, “Yeah, he gets it.”
My list of authors who have inspired me is so long. The first to entirely capture my young imagination was Cinderella with its gorgeous illustrations. Then Black Beauty by Anna Sewell- I read it 10 times. The Black Stallion series by Walter Farley became my next obsession in a long succession. In highschool, I was very fond of Agatha Christie and Georgette Heyer. I read every word they both wrote as well as a series called the Whiteoaks Chronicles by Mazo de la Roche…isn’t the author’s name fantastic?! In my adult years, I became a little less obsessive about completing series in one go and spread myself around between ( to name only a few) Stephen King, James Patterson, Michael Connelly, Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich whose character Grandma Mazur makes me snort. I was introduced to and immediately loved Dick Francis and read 18 of his books on a two week vacation from university and full time shift work…a great escape, not much sleep. Someone mentioned Neil Gaiman…I was stunned when I finished his book. And hooked.
My head is so full of all my favourites, it is difficult to spill them out. I find new favourites nearly every time I open a cover page.
I try to learn something from every author I choose, whether it is how they handle description, build characters, shape their action and then do my best to rise to the challenge to put those lessons into practice.
Stand By Me, Stephen King.
The very first full-lenth novel I read in the third grade was The Swiss Family Robinson. I think I probably pronounced it The “Swift Family Robinson” when I had to give my oral book report on it. Today, it seems as if it took me years to finish the book. I scrambled for time to read in my evenings because, in our class, we were also members of The Good Citizens Club. Every good citizen (1) brushed his or her teeth three times a day, before and after breakfast, and at bedtime, of course; (2) polished his or her shoes every night, (3) carried a handkerchief every day, and (4) something else I don’t remember. So being a good citizen seriously cut into my reading time after supper, especially since I was also a fan of Your Shiow of Shows, the Texaco Comedy Hour, The Colgate Comedy Hour, and Dragnet. So I had to find time to read, bathe, and be in bed by 8:30.
But the novel that really grabbed me when I was in high school was Harrison High by John Farris. By then, I was still practicing my good citizenship except for carrying a handkerchief every day. My bedtime was later, of course, and I went to school mainly because that’s where the girls and the sports were. (I do remember something about quadratic equations. I remember I didn’t like them. And, sum, es, est, sumus, estis, sunt.)
But Harrison High. It grabbed me. I decided right then and there that I dug genre fiction (translated “trash” by my elders–all my elders), and not literary fiction.
I still dig genre fiction. Forster, the E.M. one, not the oldest NFL rookie ever, may work for some. But give me Jim Trent bucking the line, bucked with the help of his best friend Buck May. I’ll take cute, petite Ricky Summers. And I think I went to school with lucious Anne Greger. However, I still grieve over what happened to Buddy McCalla–he didn’t have to do that. And there is one sentence that is still a mystery to me. You may have to be a pervert to understand it.
But Harrison High. It didn’t win the National Book Award. But it turned my heart to the fun and romance of genre fiction. And then, one day, I began to ask, “I wonder if I could write a novel.”
Which book inspired you to become a writer? Or, was there a book you once read that made you think, “I can write like that”?
I can’t think of a single book that set me off writing thrillers actually. I’ve always had stories percolating in the back of my head and military thrillers came, and are still coming, somewhat naturally to me.
But I will say that there are three distinct voices that have indeed formed my latest book adventure in a totally new genre (for me at least), that being Comic Fantasy. I grew up with Douglas Adams in my eyes and ears as I watched, read and listened HHGTTH (Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy) which was an excellent companion to Monty Python the reruns I watched regularly from about ten years old. The Dirk Gently books (also Adams) are absolutely awesome, the Long Dark Teatime of the Soul being one of my favourite all time books. Much later, in my late thirties and early forties I discovered Terry Pratchett, how I missed him all those years I know not, but I am making up for lost time and have read/listened to nearly all of the discworld series now. And finally Neil Gaiman, wow. That’s about all I can say there.
Anyway, from those influences and my own twisted senses and experiences, my new series, THE BROTHERS FOUR, has blossomed. If anyone here would like to give a read of the first book, novella actually, about 20k words, and review it on Amazon I would be happier than dancing lawn gnome who just saved a ton of money on his hotel and car insurance combo. Oh…and that book, APPETIZERS OF THE GODS is free May 15 – 19, in hopes of getting massive amounts of amazing reviews and being propelled to stellar heights.
…or at least making enough sales later to get a nice pasta dinner for my wife since that quite effectively puts her in … you know … the mood.
Uh…..Mr. Basil?
Should you say stuff like that about the Missus?
Huh?
The mood stuff?
The mood for doing housework and ironing my shirts?
What’s wrong with that?
Uh…oh.
I thought you meant a different … uh…kind of…uh….
…I
You’d probably just stop talking now little brother.
Uh…yeah…probably should.
Why? What were thinking…..oh…wait a….
You weren’t thinking I meant…
Oh, well, not that that isn’t what I might of been thinking but, well, you know.
Cuz you know I still am quite capable of….oh crap…she just came in the room.
I’m outa here.
Basil, you and the Leprechauns are in rare form tonight, lol!
Tough act to follow, so I wontt~ act-up, that is…
🙂
There were two, I tgink~ A SEPARATE PEACE ~ had to read it in high school… Don’t know why, but something in that said I could/should write~ not necessarily that kind of book, but…
The other was my discovery of Richard Brautigan through some high school English class study of his poetry. I found A CONFEDERATE GENERAL FROM BIG SUR and thought I could write like THAT (tougher than you might think).
Don’t quite know what shifted my mind to historicals and thrillers ~ maybe I (heaven forbid) grew up.
g
I like to think of myself as a very observant person, so when I read Stephen King, I’m always amazed at the things he describes in his novels. I think to myself, yeah, he kind of sees things the way I do, how else could he describe things like that which don’t make me cringe, but rather go, “Yeah, he gets it.”
My list of authors who have inspired me is so long. The first to entirely capture my young imagination was Cinderella with its gorgeous illustrations. Then Black Beauty by Anna Sewell- I read it 10 times. The Black Stallion series by Walter Farley became my next obsession in a long succession. In highschool, I was very fond of Agatha Christie and Georgette Heyer. I read every word they both wrote as well as a series called the Whiteoaks Chronicles by Mazo de la Roche…isn’t the author’s name fantastic?! In my adult years, I became a little less obsessive about completing series in one go and spread myself around between ( to name only a few) Stephen King, James Patterson, Michael Connelly, Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich whose character Grandma Mazur makes me snort. I was introduced to and immediately loved Dick Francis and read 18 of his books on a two week vacation from university and full time shift work…a great escape, not much sleep. Someone mentioned Neil Gaiman…I was stunned when I finished his book. And hooked.
My head is so full of all my favourites, it is difficult to spill them out. I find new favourites nearly every time I open a cover page.
I try to learn something from every author I choose, whether it is how they handle description, build characters, shape their action and then do my best to rise to the challenge to put those lessons into practice.
Stand By Me, Stephen King.
The very first full-lenth novel I read in the third grade was The Swiss Family Robinson. I think I probably pronounced it The “Swift Family Robinson” when I had to give my oral book report on it. Today, it seems as if it took me years to finish the book. I scrambled for time to read in my evenings because, in our class, we were also members of The Good Citizens Club. Every good citizen (1) brushed his or her teeth three times a day, before and after breakfast, and at bedtime, of course; (2) polished his or her shoes every night, (3) carried a handkerchief every day, and (4) something else I don’t remember. So being a good citizen seriously cut into my reading time after supper, especially since I was also a fan of Your Shiow of Shows, the Texaco Comedy Hour, The Colgate Comedy Hour, and Dragnet. So I had to find time to read, bathe, and be in bed by 8:30.
But the novel that really grabbed me when I was in high school was Harrison High by John Farris. By then, I was still practicing my good citizenship except for carrying a handkerchief every day. My bedtime was later, of course, and I went to school mainly because that’s where the girls and the sports were. (I do remember something about quadratic equations. I remember I didn’t like them. And, sum, es, est, sumus, estis, sunt.)
But Harrison High. It grabbed me. I decided right then and there that I dug genre fiction (translated “trash” by my elders–all my elders), and not literary fiction.
I still dig genre fiction. Forster, the E.M. one, not the oldest NFL rookie ever, may work for some. But give me Jim Trent bucking the line, bucked with the help of his best friend Buck May. I’ll take cute, petite Ricky Summers. And I think I went to school with lucious Anne Greger. However, I still grieve over what happened to Buddy McCalla–he didn’t have to do that. And there is one sentence that is still a mystery to me. You may have to be a pervert to understand it.
But Harrison High. It didn’t win the National Book Award. But it turned my heart to the fun and romance of genre fiction. And then, one day, I began to ask, “I wonder if I could write a novel.”