Every writer - okay, every person, but we'll hold to writers for a minute - has a set of authors they truly admire. Whether they are their favorites to read or just killing it in the industry, those authors mold the way writers write.
So, today, I'd like to talk about some of my favorite authors and influences as a writer -
John Green
This should be no shock if you so much as read the title of this blog post, but I adore and truly admire John Green. His novels are not only evocative of the young adult spirit, but they are also pensive, heartbreaking, and hilarious.
Awkward Secret Alert: From theater to classic arias to short stories, I've always had the oh-so-cruel-sounding goal of making people cry. Why? If someone cries, you've made them feel, and at the end of the day, isn't that what artists crave? Maybe it is just me!
Nonetheless, John Green's fearless way of ripping out our hearts and leaving them on the floor has always appealed to me. I hope, in many ways, that my readers experience and resonate with my stories, and they bleed the emotions of my characters.
Not that this is John Green's goal - that man, I'm almost positive is a just genius.
Stephen Chbosky
When I was a junior in high school, Logan Lerman and Emma Watson starred in a movie, Imagine Dragons blew up, and I read The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Ever sense, I have credited the teeny green paperback as being my favorite book. Now, avid readers often avoid that question, citing difficulty, but after reading Perks, my heart was set.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower struck a chord within me. I saw myself in Charlie, and I felt less alone for reading it. An epistolary novel, the reader takes the form of a character in the story. How? Chbosky begins each 'chapter' with "Dear friend," drawing the reader more deeply into the storyline and inviting them to take part.
All of these qualities, these things that make Chbosky and Perks great, are things that I admire, but I'll be honest, I don't attempt to emulate. His and mine are very different styles - still, I hope his passion and honesty permeate to my writing.
JK Rowling
I would be remiss to leave JK Rowling's name on this list. The world she created astounds me every single day, upon every read, every picture of Drac-Tom Felton on Instagram, I bask at the glory of her empire. Yes, I know that is an extreme statement, but the world she created is vast and encompassing, and I live in awe.
That is not to say she influences my writing, but she and others - so many I cannot name them all - inspire[s] me.
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