Books That Changed How I Write

Have you ever read a book that completely changed something? Maybe it was your standard for a good character, or the way you do something in your life. Maybe it gave you a good quote you can holler at the top of your lungs. (I have far too many of those)

I have been reading my whole life. I was practically born a reader. My house has a mini library in it. So when I started writing, there were a few particular books that shaped my writing style and taste. And now I have certain books that have changed how I write today. 

Personally, I believe that every book you’ll ever read has the potential to change how you write, even if you don’t realize it. I’ll go back to a scene and notice that it was written differently depending on what I’d been reading lately. Maybe it had a touch more flowery language to it because I’d just read a book that did that really well. Maybe my characters are feeling a little more snarky because that other character I read about had some awesome roasts.

This can be a really good thing! Using great literature to shape and improve your writing is one of the best ways to do so. And no, it’s not automatically suffocating your voice. You aren’t meant to be copying these books, but picking and choosing the best pieces and giving them your own spin. 

So without further ado, here are a few examples from my life! 

The Goose Girl, by Shannon Hale. I cannot talk about these books enough. They gave me such a unique perspective on writing magic and powers. Hale’s writing style isn’t something I’d really implement in my own work, because my taste is much less fable-like and a bit more practical. But her powers! Absolutely. She has a way of making it seem perfectly normal that I admire so much. Her powers fit the world she’s created so well and they aren’t something ditzy that shows up whenever they need it. I mean, yes they’re there when the characters need them, but it makes sense. And the way powers can “take over” someone isn’t cheesy either. 

It always annoys me when characters’ powers are “taking them over” but there’s not really a good reason for it aside from the character not being “strong enough” to stop it. I want there to be a reason on the author’s part and a well-thought out reaction on the character’s. I need it to make sense. That’s the big thing with powers –it has to make sense in the world the author has created. I need to believe that it’s normal. I also don’t like when authors just add powers willy-nilly or describe characters as having “untold depths of power that they don’t know how to use.” Shannon Hale’s series does a wonderful job describing the limits of the power, as well as the strengths and the need for balance. 

Ok, I wasn’t sure about this one, but I don’t think I could justifiably leave it out. Keeper of the Lost Cities, by Shannon Messenger. While my opinions on this series have changed a lot lately and I don’t recommend it anymore, it was one of the shaping books when I started writing. It is fantasy and adventure and a great middle grade starting point. To be honest, this series taught me a lot of the basics of an entertaining story. I learned how to start something (not so much how to finish it) and got to read intricate plots that brought up new twists all the time. Again, Shannon Messenger isn’t great at wrapping things up or ending them, but she definitely knows how to start something. 

Since this was one of the shaping books when I started writing, I learned a lot of what it means to write a story from it. How to make characters that were interesting and how to keep someone interested across a series, for example. 

Dust and Shadow, a duology by Kara Swanson. This duo taught me about colorful language. They showed me how words can have flavor, how you can paint a technicolor picture with black ink. Not only did it teach me about flowery prose, but about how to end something. She ties up her books wonderfully, leaving everything resolved exactly how it should be. You know when you read something and it’s over-resolved? Like, there’s too many things that turn out all right, or the protagonist just has layer after layer of closure over a death or something? I think that’s almost as bad as under-resolving something, but Swanson does neither. She wraps up a book so vibrant you can almost taste it with an ending that leaves you leaning back and sighing. And on top of both of those, after reading this, I gave myself permission to write heavily emotional books. Books that reach into your heart and rip it out. And since Swanson can hand your poor heart back to you hale and whole with her endings, you forgive her for the original tearing.  

I can see how much this pair changed my series Tiger Lily. It gave me the guts to write a book that was a rollercoaster of passionate emotions and pain. But it also showed me that I had better have a good ending, or all that suffering was for nothing. 

Jessica Day George. Enough said. I can’t trace it to one specific book or series, but she showed me that you can write distinct series with different characters that are all good. That it’s possible to create worlds that are separate from each other and have completely unrelated characters, but are equally good.

Five different worlds. That’s how many of her branches I’ve read. And out of four series and one standalone, every character is unique from the ones in the series before. Obviously she has an overarching style, but each character and book brings out a different theme and person. I wouldn’t confuse Creel and Celie, even though their names are freakishly similar and they both have special connections with fantasy animals. 

Her plots are distinct. Her similarities only strengthen her many works. 

I would be lying if I said Harry Potter didn’t help me out when I was starting writing. I grew up reading these books, and I know that even if it’s not abundantly clear to me, they have impacted me. Intricate plots that wrap up excellently, well-fleshed and especially real characters. Her characters are funny! They act like actual siblings! Their interactions feel natural and not stiff, like some books that have humor that falls flat. J. K. Rowling taught me the power of planning ahead and tying everything up in a bow. 

I know there are so many books that have guided and taught me along my writing journey. (Maybe I’ll do a part two ) I’ll go back to what I said at the beginning –Any book has the potential to influence you. Writing or otherwise. And writers are changed by what we read. There’s no way around it.