I’ve been writing a lot lately and, in doing so, I’ve started thinking about those writers who have been most influential in my developing my own idea of myself as a writer, and helping me discover what it means to recognize oneself as a writer in all its messy glory.
So here’s my shortlist of writers who make me want to be a better writer
Robin McKinley (writer of Beauty and dozens of other retellings and fantasies)
McKinley may be the writer who made me want to write. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always identified with writing, but it wasn’t until I read Beauty that I really started to think about what it would mean to tell my own stories.
Patricia C. Wrede (writer of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles and more)
Not only has her writing influenced my idea of YA writing in general, her blog is one of the best sources I have found for information on writing and publishing.
Kristin Cashore (writer of Graceling, Fire, and Bitterblue)
There is something about Cashore’s perseverance (just look at her travails with Bitterblue) that always inspires me and makes me realize that as long as I keep at it, I can make something good happen.
Gail Carriger (writer of the Soulless and Finishing School series), Eloisa James (writer of dozens of Regency romances), and Diana Gabaldon (writer of the Outlander and Lord John series)
I’ve lumped these three together because each of these women manages to make it work as a writer and an academic, and that’s something that I always need to remember.
When I read Tithe, I found something I wanted to try for myself. Her writing is one of my greatest inspirations for writing urban fantasy.
marginalia and such 