What published author has been most influential to your love of writing?

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   TToombs08posted 11 years ago

   What published author has been most influential to your love of writing?
   
   I have found that Dean Koontz and Terry Brooks have been very influential in both my writing style and my love of writing. After I read one of their books, I find myself more energized to get back to writing. What authors recharge and influence your writing?

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2. 79

   rcrumpleposted 11 years ago

   Kurt Vonnegut -  From "Slaughterhouse 5" to "Breakfast of Champions" I admired his ability to "talk to" the reader, instead of talking "at" the reader.  He could make you laugh and cry at the same time, while taking you through an episode of time travel or space voyage.  He was somewhat dry in his humor, but could be bold, also.  A master of situational quirks.  There was always intelligence behind the humor that some would overlook, but upon reading it a second time, would discover and cherish.  A great man and a great writer!

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      TToombs08posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      RC, Vonnegut sounds like a fascinating and very talented author. I may have to check him out. Thank you so much for your answer.

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3. 73

   pagesvoiceposted 11 years ago

   One author who continues to inspire my style of writing is James Patterson. First of all Patterson writes in the vernacular and leads the reader into a web of mystery and intrigue. Secondly, the chapters are kept short and never overwhelm a reader with too much verbiage. I loathe reading something where I am constantly googling what certain words mean. It's not that I have an aversion to learning new words, but that is not the way we speak in everyday language.

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      TToombs08posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I agree, pagesvoice, nothing more annoying that having to stop in the middle of a good read and having to look up some obscure word to figure out what the heck the author is saying.

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      Twilight Lawnsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Get a Kindle. If the writer is on Kindle and his/her words are unknown to you, you just press the word and the definition is there before you. I used to rely on contextual clues, but I was amazed at how often I use this Kindle facility now.

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   fpherj48posted 11 years ago

   Erma Bombeck.........Rest her soul......and allow her ability to create laughter in every corner of the world!......live on in many twisted minds...including my own....

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      TToombs08posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Effer, my mom had all of Bombeck's books, and I do remember stealing them and reading them. She was a great author and I loved her humor and style. Good answer...and I can see her humor in some of your writing!

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   chef-de-jourposted 11 years ago

   At school and college - between the ages of 17 - 28/30 ish I read Graham Greene, Hemingway, Lawrence, Monty Python, Vonnegut and Hunter S Thompson, Carver for short stories and a whole lot more.....a real mix! Not entirely sure which of these inspired my urge to write.
   I dropped the prose for poetry as I got older and I think this has influenced me in some mysterious way - which I haven't yet fathomed out!
   It would be interesting to look at the style of some Hub writers and compare and contrast them. I've noticed some differences between US and UK writers -  informality and a relaxed tone from you Americans - can I say journalistic? Whilst the UK writers tend to be more structured and formal on the whole. Chaos versus order? Is that too simplistic?

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   1. 78

      TToombs08posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Chef, that is a heck of a variety of authors. I tend to read whomever strikes my fancy and not really devoted to a particular author. Although, I did read Hemingway a lot when I was in high school.

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   Wesley Meachamposted 11 years ago

   I can tell you what authors got me interested in reading and writing in general. Mark Twain and Stephen King. Others came after but these were the firsts. Though the list changes from time to time they also remain among my top favorites, along with Hemingway, Stienbeck, Jack London, Anne Rice and a few others.

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   ThompsonPenposted 11 years ago

   Margret Mitch. While she is not my favorite author, she has written my favorite book, Gone with the Wind, which I have literally read 11 times. The power behind the book and the amount that it has moved so many people has lead me to read it over and over to unlock her formula of writing.
   Another on is Alice Hoffman. She writes some really depressing stuff, but what she does write is so beautifully descriptive through very basic and simple sentences. I love her simplistic style, and I try and capture that as well in my fictional writing.

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      ThompsonPenposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Margret Mitchell, my bad

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      Wesley Meachamposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I recently read Gone with the Wind. I hated the character of Scarlett  but still enjoyed the book.

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8. 63

   WritingPromptsposted 11 years ago

   I think C.S. Lewis and Laura Ingles Wilder - because those were my favorite books/authors when I first started writing my own stories and decided I wanted to be a writer when I grew up.

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9. 72

   lburmasterposted 11 years ago

   Jeaniene Frost and Kresley Cole. I adore Frost's characters and how they seem alive. No matter how many times I re-read her books, I never tire of them. Then Kresley Cole has a method of writing that involves psychology, philosophy, and a connection between the author and reader. It is perfection.

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    Twilight Lawnsposted 11 years ago

    I am not referring to style, as there are many writers whom I have read, and upon returning to them I see that I have been influenced, but I refer to a particular writer, who has encouraged me to write.
    That person is Hanifa Deen who attended my final year at High School (in West Australia, so "College" and High School/Secondary School" mean different things than in the USA) and also Teachers' College with me.
    She is a writer of some note and has published several important books on Women's Issues, Islamic Issues, Human Rights and is greatly respected in Australia for her work and written works in these fields.
    We attended Teachers’ College, as I said, and then when I came to the UK we kept in touch.  She is my “Oldest” friend on the planet, and has always encouraged me to write, maintaining that I “have a voice".
    Google search Hanifa Deen and you will be impresses. She writes with great insight, knowledge, humour and charm To go one with, try the following link.
    
    http://www.sultanasdream.com.au/

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11. 80

    WillStarrposted 11 years ago

    An easy one...Louis L'Amour.
    
    With a definite O Henry influence.

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    1. 78

       TToombs08posted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Will, my dad adored Louis L'Amour. I think he read every one of them twice. I would, on occasion, pick one up, but boy, don't let dad catch me reading his book! He taught me not to share. Great memories.

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    carter06posted 11 years ago

    Hi TT just had to answer this one! Because I write YA fiction I have been most influenced by an Aussie YA writer Melina Marchetta...she has written several award winning books and is quite famous over here... I recently had the awesome experience of sitting in one of her writing classes and she encouraged me more than I can say...she is unbelievably inspiring and when I talked to her about my first manuscript it was like she knew my characters better than I did...words fail me to explain how I felt when she talked to me...I was truly blessed...great question btw...cheers

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    1. 78

       TToombs08posted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Wow, Carter! That is freakin' awesome! To meet your idol is one thing, but to actually have them give you instructions and feedback is outta this world. I am so jealous! Congrats on your experience and I can't wait to see the outcome of her tutoring

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       carter06posted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Sure was freakin' awesome TT...I still have to pinch myself when i think about it...but sorry to make you green my friend:)
       My hope would be to write in a similar way as she does ( not that I will ever be as good a writer)... cheers

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    kj forceposted 11 years ago

    Author..Dave Barry and Erma Bombeck...I love the way both of them" word" their perpesctive of the world in which live...both being humor writers, makes the world a better place when you take the negative and turn it upside down..
    By seeing humor in the most mondane of life, tends to make it easier to survive in the chaos of everyday life, whether it be dealing with society,significant other, spouse,family, co-workers or friends . This is just one of the reasons I choose to live outside the " box of life" and enjoy the ride !!

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       kj forceposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       perspective..of the world in which we live...corrected thespelling/ sentence..sorry fellow hubbers..I hit the ole button to quick....

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    Pauladance.co.ukposted 11 years ago

    As a child of about six I discovered the books of P.G. Wodehouse, he lived to a great age and wrote a huge number of books.  His work appeared simple and easily understood, and beautifully crafted - and funny, funny, funny!  A joy to a child.  Then as I grew I began to appreciate his astounding ability - his literary genius, and the same humour appealed to the adult mind!  I read them again and again, and could well have answered most questions about all his plots and characters - hundreds!  I think I knew them by heart.  And his literary style and humour were meticulous - I don't think anyone could fault them to this day!  I remember being stunned with joy to find that our birthdays were on the same date!  And I determined that if we had the same birthdate - despite some 60 or so years between, then there was a possibily that perhaps I too could write!  I wonder.....?

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       Docmoposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       I agree. discovering Wodehouse was the greatest gift to my vocabulary and writing skills. In his honour I named the Imp in my series P.G. Woodimp and no one has yet noticed it! ( Wodehouse's full name is Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse!)

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       TToombs08posted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Wodehouse sounds like a fascinating author, I will have to check out his works. Thank you!

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    Rebecca2904posted 11 years ago

    For me it would have to be J.K Rowling. When I was younger I was so inspired by Harry Potter that I started writing fanfiction for it. Though looking back on them now they were truly terrible, they showed me that I love writing and, with a little practice, I got a lot better at it (at least I hope so!) But without that initial inspiration I don't think I would have ever put pen to paper for the sheer pleasure of writing. I think it's the authors that inspire others to write who are truly great.

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    1. 78

       TToombs08posted 11 years agoin reply to this

       I agree, Rebecca. The authors that so move us that we find ourselves filled with the desire and drive to create our own works are truly the best. So many write, not so many inspire.

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16. 89

    Docmoposted 11 years ago

    There are so many - Stephen King is master of crafting suspenseful, emotional and immensely readable works. He can write in any genre and despite classifications I think he is an outstanding all- rounder. He always makes me want to write. I learnt crafting a mystery from Christie, cliffhangers from Dickens, literary callisthenics from Michael Chabon, humour from Wodehouse, romance from Austen and Brontes, genre hopping from Asimov, action from Fleming and Ludlum, plotting from John Dickson Carr, world creation from Tolkien and later from Rowling... The list is endless. From your list I remember reading Koontz at school - his Strangers, Whispers  and Phantoms are some of his best work... awesome question, TT. I also am learning how to be rib achingly funny from a Terrye Toombs.

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       TToombs08posted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Doc, you are so right about Stephen King. I have yet to read one of his books that wasn't good; way better than the movies. You have an excellent choice and variety of authors. Too hard to nail down just one. But, who is this Terrye Toombs?

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    daydreamer13posted 11 years ago

    I seem to relate to Sandra Brown stories, but I don't believe our writing styles are similar in any way. However I believe that if you can find something you love to read you will find a love of writing, and your own voice and style.

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