Someone posted this question on one of my forums recently and by the time I finished my response I realized I’d written a short essay and what’s more – that these books and authors matter to me on a deeply personal level, so I thought I’d share.
These aren’t my list of the best books I’ve ever read (although some are) or of my all time favorite authors (although they do star alongside others like Tijan, Armentrout, Koch, Flanagan, Brooks who I truly enjoy reading and who all have really great series out that I absolutely love.)
But these were my firsts in a way that they forged the core fundamentals of what I look for in a book as a reader and what guides me as a writer –
Tales of Toyland & Mr. Meddle’s Mischief – Enid Blyton – for the magic and the laughter and sparking my imagination from a slugabed to a racehorse.
Agatha Christie and her so many mysteries that gave me this love for crafty plots in reading or writing and a commitment to my personal motto:
Never think two dimensionally – The only two dimensional part of writing should be the paper.
Lord of The Rings – Tolkien was amazing in the breadth and scope of his imagination. He didn’t give us a story he gave us a World. World Building on such a grand epic scale that the consequence has far outlived him.
The Tell-Tale Heart – Edgar Allan Poe and his lyrical ability to elicit complex emotions with his words – to make you trepidatious and contemplative with the turn of a phrase. The ability to create “The Feels” is what I took away from it all.
I’ve found it marks the difference between a good book and a great one and it is the crux of great storytelling – crafting an emotional connection with your reader…
Grand worlds, deeply crafted plots, magic, humor and emotion –
It’s the secret sauce I keep trying to perfect as a writer and seek out as a reader.
So, if you had to answer the question: “What books first inspired you?”, what would your answer be?
Deanaera writes... 