Do other authors influence your work? Do you have certain phrases or characters or a particular flow of a storyline that you return to over and over for that little kick of inspiration because the author got it so right? Or maybe a book that made you take that first plunge into the strange and uncertain territory of writing fiction?
I’ve got an “influence” library on my bookshelves, on my Kindle, and in my head. When I’m getting ready to work on a scene, or if I’m struggling with a plot point — or if I just need to remember why I’m even doing this crazy author gig — I search out books that get me through.
Sometimes I know exactly where I need to go to “see how they handled it.” Like a Diana Gabaldon lovers’ quarrel, or a Charles Dickens creepy character with name to match, or a Susan Elizabeth Phillips heroine-screws-up-bigtime scene. I’m always cataloguing which authors write great examples of settings that come alive, snarky comebacks, world building, family strife, sex scenes, crimes scenes . . . And immersing myself into books where they’re done beautifully always jumpstarts my muse.
Of course there are times when I’m not sure what it is I’m looking for and I wind up reading a zillion books searching for something that I’m sure will point me in the right direction. A certain feel, a certain flavor and mood. I just read and read, telling myself I’ll know it when I see it.
Okay, so maybe there’s a little bit of avoidance while I escape into another author’s dream. But, hey, it’s like falling for the right guy, I guess.
What’s most important is when we find that literary nugget of gold it inspires us to get to work and create a shiny new one of our own.
So, tell me, do you have an “influence” library?
The Best of WG2E Authors Reading Authors Wishes to You — Alicia Street
Alicia Street is the author of Kiss Me, Dancer, Touch Me and Tango, Snow Dance and Aphrodisiac. Alicia is proud to be a part of the WG2E family. Connect with Alicia at her website and on Facebook.
I don’t have an influence library for fiction writing, but I tend to remember things I learnt about epublishing business. Two that I now go by are: Bob Mayer saying ‘your story is your product’ and ‘to be successful you need to get more books out there.’ And I go by Dean Wesley Smith and JA Konrath’s ebook pricing. Just read Dean’s latest article for 2013 pricing and will go with that for next year’s ebooks.
Hi, Julie. Yeah, Dean really stirred things up today with his post on ebook pricing. Lots of pros and cons on that. For epublishing authors, our own D.D. Scott has some pretty good quotes to remember in her 10 Years and 24 Hours to Epublishing Success.
Thanks bunches for the sweet shout-out, Alicia!
I definitely, like Julie, have a fabulous “influence library” when it comes to the business end of indie epublishing, relying on Mayer, Konrath, Smith, Nicholson, Eisler, and many more.
For Fiction, when I first started writing, I had a shelf with a few of my faves, and each part of writing craft I studied, I would take examples I’d marked in those books to see and re-read how those things worked…for example, I think Nora Roberts is one of the best when it comes to POV switches in the middle of a conversation. She’s just a master at that quick switch without losing the reader. She obviously knows the “rules” but is damn great at breaking ‘em!!!
I would imagine that all of the hundreds of novels I read in the forty years prior to writing one influenced me in some way. I hope, though, only in the way that a good read will in any event. In that is the magic of writing, of course; one has a chance to become part of another mind through words. Lovely cycle, isn’t it?
I agree, Dale. It’s like a cycle where we learn from others and give back in turn what we create.
Alicia, An influence library is what I hope to create with my blog. Nothing but links to stories/articles I think might inspire a new thought, a new idea or a new approach to an old idea. The point, as you say so well, is to get off dead center & read something that will jog the muse. Whether you know what you’re looking for or not, you must be pro-active in seeking out the little pearl that lies at the root of inspiration.
http://ruthharrisblog.blogspot.com/
PS: Have you figured out your plot kink from the other day?
Hi, Ruth! Your blog is definitely an influence library, as are your books. I consider you a source for inspiration and information and knowledge of craft. And, yes, I pushed through that plot kink we talked about the other day. Thanks for the joggling nudge.
Since I write Traditional Regencies, Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer are the points of reference for the genre. My first book, A Match for Lady Constance was a conscious salute to Emma. My second book, A Sensible Lady was a damsel in distress story, so I really looked to Georgette Heyer for matters of tone to maintain an aura of lightness to it. True Regencies should not descend into melodrama or sentimentality. I kept asking myself “How would Heyer handle this?” as my heroine became more and more desperate.
That’s exactly what I’m talking about, Judith. And how great to have masters like Austen and Heyer to look to for guiding reminders.
Two of my favorite authors. And two writers who were definitely my inspiration for writing Regencies. When life is going all haywire and wrong, I always return to Regencies, mostly reading, but also writing to make it through.
Me, too! Romantic comedies and Regencies are my favorite escapes.
When I’m stuck, I usually take a break and pick up one of the New Yorker magazines from my ever-accumulating stack. The New Yorker’s short fiction often inspires me with a clever phrase or innovative approach to storytelling. And sometimes it infuriates me. But that can be good too. When writing is self-consciously literary, self-indulgent and murky, it reminds me what I don’t want to do.
Hi, Anne! I hate self-consciously literary fiction, too. I confess, when I pick up the New Yorker I usually just read the dance and theater reviews.
I get very immersed in books that I like and definitely feel that I’m influenced by them. I majored in History in college, because of Dumas, Sabatini, and other historical writers, not because of the rather bored, disinterested teachers I had in high school. When I was in high school, I read a book on writing about how to start a book. One of the suggestions was to write down opening sentences or paragraphs that made you want to keep reading. After that, I collected a notebook full of opening paragraphs that got my attention, and after that paragraphs that I thought were effective endings. I always feel like I’ve learned and continue to learn from the writers I read.
That is a great technique that I may just have to start on myself!
I think that all the words that we read, everything we are and write about, is influenced by another’s work. That is the gift of a book for an author. It’s not just entertainment or immersion – it’s inspiration.
I totally agree, Natalie. Speaking of which, I just saw your wonderful post that was on RG2E last week. (I’m still catching up, as usual)
Definitely Nora Roberts. I spent about two years reading her backlist from the library or buying the books used. I made notes of books I liked, books I didn’t like, why didn’t I like them, what did she do well, what ticked me off. I noticed a pattern in the JD Robb books – 2 deaths, then the third was prevented, and then Eve solved the case. By the time I caught the pattern, she changed it up. Sometimes she starts a book with the ending, then starts over again with the beginning until you get back to the that point in the book. She has tried pretty much every type of story format I can think of and I never seem to get tired of them.
Since reading the Deep Editing lectures, I am catching things in other writers’ stories now. I like the twisted cliches and the beautiful descriptions. The Deep Editing lectures gave me permission to include more description in my writing. I think with blog posting today and instruction to “write tight” I have forgotten to include at least some description.