Thank you all for being so supportive, I’ll definitely have more next week on my submission journey. Until then, I wanted to share some of the books that made me want to be a writer.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis – This is one of the first chapter books I ever read. I actually ended up reading it once a week for my entire third grade year. I was so intrigued by that world, and actually also adored The Magician’s Nephew one of the more overlooked Narnia books that tells the story of Narnia’s creation. This book gave me my love of reading.
Sabriel by Garth Nix – Whenever I think about this book, I get goose bumps. The world and the characters are so vivid, it makes you think of them as real. The idea of different levels of death and someone being able to control spirits through bells…how did Nix think this up? This book made me realize what I could achieve with my overactive imagination.
The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm by Nancy Farmer – I made myself read this book a chapter a day, not wanting it to end. The pacing is perfect. There is such a sense of place, Farmer meshes modern day Africa with a futuristic world. This book made me think of putting old ideas with new ones, folklore with the future.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood – I read this book in fifth grade…a little young for the subject matter, but I fell immediately in love. Although I was just a girl, and didn’t understand all the gender issues at the time, it spoke to me. The world Atwood created was so bleak, so dark, but I could just imagine our country going that route. This book made me understand the importance of believability, even in dystopian fiction.
Those are a few of the books that made me want to write…what about you guys?
Excellent choices. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe turned me on to reading, but it was a much more recent book that made me want to write (I won't say the title for fear of mutiny...just think sparkly vampire). Of course, there are thousands more every day that make me rethink the whole writing thing because they're so good I know I'll never compete. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHey Jamie, don't worry about what book snobs think...if sparkly vampires made you want to write, that makes me like that whole series more!
ReplyDeleteI don't think anything first inspired me to write in general. I just always did. Reading and writing went hand in hand. The written word was always my friend.
ReplyDeleteBut it was The Lord of the Rings that made me realize that fantasy was what I had a passion for and the genre I wanted to write in.
Thanks for that, Demitria!
ReplyDeleteJamie - No problem...everyone loves different things...it bothers me when people look down on YA without even reading any YA!
ReplyDeleteSarah - Love LOTR, I've always been drawn to fantasy and sci-fi.
Love The Handmaid's Tale also, though I read it at the tender age of twenty-five ;)
ReplyDeleteA fellow blogger (Elle Strauss) posted a speech by Margaret Atwood this morning on the publishing industry...well worth watching.
Great Jennifer, I'll check that out.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in 4th grade, Where the Red Fern Grows made me want to write. Bad. Lovely post and can't wait to hear about the submissions!
ReplyDeleteI read A Wrinkle in Time for the first time when I was in fifth grade and from that point on I wanted to write.
ReplyDeleteLloyd Alexander's Prydain chronicles made me want to write. I loved the oracular pig and the three witches.
ReplyDeleteI read the first, at least one. Seems like a good choice of books though.
ReplyDeleteI'd say Harry Potter to be honest.
Nahno ∗ McLein ™
The two that come to mind for me are Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech and Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. I remember reading those books and thinking, "I want to write words and stories like that."
ReplyDeleteAnd Jamie your sparkly vampire inspiration is alright by me.
Probably the entire Sevenwaters Trilogy by Juliet Marillier, especially the first two books. And The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle made me love Fantasy from my infancy.
ReplyDeleteI remember Sabriel! It was pretty cool, though I haven't read it in years.
I've loved to read as long as I can remember, but I was a senior in high school before I thought about writing. I read "A Tale of Two Cities" for school, and fell in love with it.
ReplyDeleteI had an intense cry at the end (and I'm NOT a crier), and then spent more time than I care to admit trying to re-write the ending to suit me. But, the more time I spent with it and the more I studied it, I began to appreciate it for what it was - perfect. The gold-standard in how to end a novel. And THAT is how I started writing :).
I am going to have to think about what books inspired me the most before I decide...but I did want to say thanks for the referral to Sabriel! I read Shade's Children by Garth Nix, and I rate it as my favorite sci-fi right next to Ender's Game, which has a lot more attention. Nix is one great author. Can't wait to dig up this book.
ReplyDeleteI just finished rereading "Dragon's Milk" by Susan Fletcher. It was one of my favorites growing up, and definitely lit the writing spark in me. I have a few "Dragon's Milk" short story knock offs laying around somewhere.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your list. I've only read "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe", so I'll have to check out the other ones.
I think a combination of many books led to my writing journey. So many, I wouldn't know where to start. I haven't read all the books you listed, but now I want to. I love C.S. Lewis. Read everyone of them.
ReplyDelete*feels an impulse to hunt down Jamie for the sparkly vampire appreciation....*
ReplyDeleteNarnia's certainly one that would inspire many of us as writers.
May I add Stephen King's On Writing. Not so much "Made me want to be a writer" but "Showed me how to become a GOOD writer"
ReplyDeleteTeen authors may have been my biggest inspiration as a young writer. Flavia Bujor, Christopher Paolini, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes...I'm phasing out of the age where getting published would be that level of remarkable, but still...I totally dream(ed) of being those three!
Ooh, Shade's Children is my favorite by Garth Nix. That was one of the first sci-fis that really made me think.
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