Some Books that Shaped My Writing

If you're a writer, then you must be a reader. To learn to write, you must learn to read, and you must consume stories. Ideas are not created in a vacuum. We build our stories off inspiration from life and the books we read, and that is perfectly fine.

I wanted to share with you some books that inspired me to read and become a writer. Let's take the time machine back to kindergarten...

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Christine Ross is one of the earliest books I remember reading. I'm sure my parents remember better, but I can recall reading this book to my kindergarten classmates. I recall loving the "spooky" nature of the story, and I think that lead to me liking "weird" books as an adult (looking at you, Clive Barker).

Another book that fascinated me as a kid was Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell. I love the font on the cover. I became fascinated by light survival stories like these, which also included The Boxcar Children series and the Dear America diary novels.

I LOVED Tamora Pierce as a kid and teenager. This series specifically, The Circle of Magic, was my favorite, though I read many of her books. I think I already loved fantasy at this point, but Tamora Pierce solidified my love.

Ah, Ursula Le Guin. My dad introduced me to Ursula when I was in my late 20s. At this point in my life, I had graduated from college with a degree in writing from Western Michigan University, and was trying to write books and not hate them. I struggled with my style because it felt parse and simplistic.

Then I read A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin. The book is 183 pages and tells a complete fantasy story (that's part of a series, of course). I'm a skimmer when I read, and I skimmed one page and realized I missed like 5 years of time within the story. Her ability to tell a story without over-embellishing was incredible, and I realized that my writing style was perfectly fine.

In the same vein as Ursula LeGuin, Isaac Asimov's Foundation is only 200 pages and tells an expansive science fiction story. His concise writing style was inspiring and validating, though I don't dare to hope that I could tell a story like Foundation.

I've read many books since reading Foundation and A Wizard of Earthsea, but I can't pinpoint any that had as much of an impact on my own writing. I pick up on new techniques or ideas from every book I read, trying things out to see what sticks.

But I wanted to make an honorable mention of a series that I didn't even read– but which helped me remove a self-imposed mental block.

Like I said, I didn't even read this book. I have listened to snippets while my boyfriend, Toby, was listening to the series. Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman reminded me that books can be fun, hilarious, and ridiculous. They don't have to take themselves so seriously. Authors don't need to take themselves so seriously.

This realization took a while, but I finally knocked the block out of my brain, and the words started flowing once more. And I am happy about that. Thanks Matt Dinniman.

Thanks for reading!