What Books Made You A Writer?
By Brad
R. Cook
Everyone
has a top ten list of favorite books. For some it may only be a top three, but
for writers and voracious readers, a top ten list of beloved books is a window
into the soul. A glimpse at the weave of our universe. This
isn’t a top ten list of the year, or even of my favorite novels – I don’t know
if I could have only ten, maybe a top 100 – no, I’m talking about the
books that inspired you to be a writer.
This
post was inspired by an article on the Top Ten Science Fiction Books that
people pretend they’ve read. I had read several, but it got me thinking about how
books influence us. Some of the books mentioned were fundamental to me becoming
a writer. What we read when we are young directly
affects how we write, what we write, and is part of the source of our passion
for writing.
Here’s
the article – how many have you read?
10
Science Fiction Novels You Pretend to Have Read (And Why You Should Actually
Read Them) by Charlie Jane Anders for io9.com
Today
what I am focused on are the books that moved you, help mold the person you are,
and made you the writer you are today.
10 books… that molded my life and inspired
me to write!
Lord of
the Rings Trilogy by JRR Tolkien
– Don’t even try to create elvish,
it’s been done, but I will never forget when Eowyn rips off her helmet and says, “I am no man.” Best twist ever.
The
Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
– Love language and slang. Give an
English teacher something to talk about.
Dune by
Frank Herbert
– Epic is good, very epic is
awesome!
The
Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
– Good stories are timeless.
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Encyclopedia
Brown by Donald J. Sobol
– My first Sherlock. Remember to
slip in a few hidden clues.
The
Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
– Kenders teach us that Wanderlust
is a good.
Their
Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hursten
– Books can move you, fundamentally changing
who you are after reading them. Words
can paint.
20,000
Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
– Steampunk has always been cool,
and the best stories merge imagination and fact.
Le
Morte D’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory
– Books are timeless, and some of the
best fantasy was written over 500 years ago.
The
Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
– Follow your dreams.
I would be remiss if I didn’t include plays; it’s where I got my start.
Top 3 Plays or Musicals
Macbeth
by William Shakespeare
– Several could be here like,
Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, or the Tempest but Macbeth is my favorite.
Man of
La Mancha (based on the book Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra)
– I think I like the musical better
than the book… did I say that out loud?
Noises
Off by Michael Frayn
– Comedy comes in many forms,
slapstick, one liners, and more.
And
since we are talking about books that formed who we are today, here are a few
blasts from my past.
Top 3 Kids Books
The
Giant Jam Sandwich by John Vernon Lord
– Think outside the box, or the
sandwich as it were.
Chitty-Chitty
Bang Bang by Ian Fleming
– Bond, middle grade Bond.
The Choose
Your Own Adventure Books
– I would reread them out-of-order making up
my own stories. They are probably directly responsible
for me becoming a writer.
Think
about the books that inspired you to write. Knowing where you come from and why you are standing where you are
today can be invaluable in helping you move forward. Ten might be too much, so…
What three novels inspired you to be a
writer?
List
them in the comment section below.
Brad R. Cook is a historical fantasy
author and President of St. Louis Writers Guild. Please visit www.bradrcook.com , follow me on Twitter @bradrcook https://twitter.com/bradrcook , or my
tumblr page Thoughts from Midnight http://bradrcook.tumblr.com/
St.
Louis Reflections http://www.stlbooks.com/B009271-1211-51/Review.aspx
oo fun! books that inspired me to write,
ReplyDeleteEnder's Game and The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel
and I'd also add Harry Potter because it led to me reading more which is ultimately what made me want to write.
Oh, you reminded me of The Secrets of NIMH, great book that totally inspired me! I'm seeing a trend, almost all my books have swords. Hmmmm...
DeleteOnly three? Hmm...The Wheel of Time...The Dark Tower...The Vampire Lestat, Watership Down, Narnia, X-Men Comics, Star Wars extended universe, Dr Seuss-I can't do it-I can't choose. Sorry. Oh yeah, them choose your own adventures used to get me, and I learned my history from the Time Machine ones. But what really got me world building and storytelling was the universe I created that incorporated all my GI Joes, Star Wars, He-Man, and Transformers action figures. I still remember some of those story lines.
ReplyDeleteI went with three to make it easy, but I like the list! SOOO true about those action figures, and if I mentioned cartoons that inspired me, I'd need another top 100!
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