The standard to which you aspire [Archive] - Absolute Write Water Cooler

scarletpeaches

08-08-2005, 08:51 AM

Here's something that just struck me...I was wondering which novel you wish you had written? Is there any book that you put down after reading the last page thinking, "I'll never write that well; I'm going to kill myself. Actually wait, I might give it a try after all?"

Also - which novel do you think taught you most about how to write, if this question would give a different answer to the previous one? I have read a few 'how to' books in my time but these are more about the tools of the trade, so which novel(s) do you feel taught you most about the art?

Jamesaritchie

08-08-2005, 09:08 AM

JayEss

08-08-2005, 10:06 AM

Charles Dickens' Great Expectations.

I read it and almost cried with delight -- in how wonderfully it was written (and in the story itself), but also in knowing that I'll never come close abilities-wise.

alaskamatt17

08-08-2005, 10:07 AM

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. I doubt I'll ever do characterization as well as him.

triceretops

08-08-2005, 10:37 AM

Well, I've never read a novel that was so good I wanted to kill myslef, but anything, novel or short story, by Ray Bradbury intimidates me. He's as good as they come, and no living writer uses language nearly as well as Bradbury.

I have to agree with the above statement and I'll add Poul Anderson to that list. They are so worldly and clever that it scares me sometimes.

Tri

scribbler1382

08-08-2005, 11:31 AM

Catcher in the Rye showed me what you could do in a novel. I also remember one summer where I read back to back Ross MacDonald/Robert Ludlum/Lawrence Sanders and always finished the books wishing they kept going, I liked the characters so much.

But I think the capper is anything by Steinbeck. The opening of East of Eden makes me want to break my keyboard and turn in my phrasing license everytime I read it.

jackie106

08-08-2005, 11:45 AM

I also remember one summer where I read back to back Ross MacDonald/Robert Ludlum/Lawrence Sanders and always finished the books wishing they kept going, I liked the characters so much.

I had a two week period in 1998 when I read all of Ross MacDonald's books. Very few mystery writers can create plots like he did. Some of Dennis Lehane and Harlan Coben's novels come close.

Jackie

maestrowork

08-08-2005, 11:52 AM

Toni Morrison. Her prose is like dreams. And her stories leave me spellbound for days, if not weeks or months.

And yes, if I could write like she does, I'd lie a happy man.

P.H.Delarran

08-08-2005, 12:07 PM

I'll have to ponder this one. I can think of books or authors with individual qualities and elements I'd like my writing to be associated with. It was Dean R. Koontz who first inspired me to explore more than one character's viewpoint. Agatha Christie fed my inner sleuth. The Nancy Drew series inspired me to think beyond gender stereotypes. Even Harlequin romances inspired me, (gag first, embrace human sentiment next, everybody has the potential for love:now find a way to gain readers' empathy).
Sometimes I wish I had a list of every book I've ever read. But then I'd get caught up in the research and not the writing..:flag: ok..that's another thread...

KTC

08-08-2005, 03:33 PM

Any of Michael Chabon's books stop my heart. Each one gave me the feeling, "I wish I wrote that!" As for a novel that taught me the most about writing, I would have to say Huckleberry Finn. Not that I think it's the best novel ever written...just that it showed me the potential of what could be done in the course of a novel. Its format seemed perfect to me, like if I could learn its recipe I could write a good novel myself.

aadams73

08-08-2005, 04:06 PM

"East of Eden" Brilliant book.

loquax

08-08-2005, 04:51 PM

Nothing made me want to write more than reading Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast trilogy. That was the first book to show me that you really can do anything with words.

La Reine

08-08-2005, 05:16 PM

After reading Arundhati Roy's "The God of Small Things" I knew

1) I could never write anything as good as that

2) I could write anything

Azure Skye

08-08-2005, 06:17 PM

As of right now, Agatha Christie.

blargh

08-08-2005, 06:52 PM

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole and Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (sp?). Any time I pick up either of these books, I want to burn everything I've ever written. I agree with the above posters about Bradbury. He's in a class all by himself.

AdamH

08-08-2005, 07:23 PM

"The Stand" By Stephen King. I read that for the first time when I was 12 and ever since then I've been trying to aspire to that level. I'm closer than I was then but there's still a long way to go.

RustyVanReeves

08-08-2005, 07:46 PM

KANE & ABEL - Jeffery Archer

PattiTheWicked

08-08-2005, 07:48 PM

Diana Gabaldon's Outlander was the one that made me stop and say, "Damn, wish I'd written that."

WannabeWriter

08-08-2005, 10:18 PM

My biggest inspiration for writing, and whom I still consider my favorite author, is crime thriller novelist Michael Connelly. Every book he's written, to me, ranges from pretty good to just plain awesome. He makes every single element of a novel work well.

Nateskate

08-08-2005, 10:42 PM

I've never read an entire work of fiction, and felt that way. Rather, I've seen glimpses within writing, ideas, bits and pieces that I wish I was talented enough to write. And I've read great ideas, such as Narnia, and Lord of the Rings, and yet, I never wanted to write like either Lewis or Tolkien, as far as style.

To be honest, my favorite books are life stories. And most of these I wouldn't have wanted to live through- concentration camp survivors...etc.

BlueTexas

08-08-2005, 11:00 PM

But I think the capper is anything by Steinbeck. The opening of East of Eden makes me want to break my keyboard and turn in my phrasing license everytime I read it.

Yeah. I feel that way, too. Eudora Welty's use of language makes me think I should go back to crayons and construction paper.

sassandgroove

08-08-2005, 11:28 PM

In elementary school through highschool, many Judy Blume books spring to mind, especially Starring Sally J. Freeman as Herself, and Tiger Eyes. In highschool, Marion Zimmer Bradley's Firebrand and Mists of Avalon, Carrie Fisher's Post Card's from the Edge and Surrender the Pink, in early twenties, I stayed up late to finish Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, and then read his introduction, at which point I was so jazzed I was up half the night writing the story I had only talked about writing. That was four years ago, and I finally have a draft written! YAY!!!

rowriter

08-08-2005, 11:28 PM

Toni Morrison is a big one for me-The Bluest Eye is a wonderful wonderful book, among others. I also really admire Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse, though I'm not sure I would appreciate it as much if I didn't fully dissect and analyze it for a Lit Class. I really had a love affair with this book for about two months--the way that woman could switch point of view is just mind-boggling. And for some reason that I can't pin down right now, John Irving's World According to Garp really impressed me.

I think the idea of someday being able to write like the people I admire is part of what keeps me writing. It's the "necessary delusion" of believing that you have it in you. Even if I'm never ever that good, I can still work towards it and that's what counts. ("It's not the destination, it's the journey that counts") But what I'm really aspiring to is not that author's writing ability, but that unique voice that makes a work so magical.

I don't think I could pick out one novel that taught me the most about writing...there's just too many!

Marcusthefish

08-09-2005, 12:21 AM

My inspirations are:

Hyperion, by Dan Simmons
Watership Down, by Richard Adams
Lonesome Dove and The Streets of Laredo by McMurtry

I'm also in awe of John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee books--somewhat dated in places, but still the most entertaining crime novels ever.

MTF

Saanen

08-09-2005, 01:22 AM

I will die happy if my writing ever gets compared favorably to Diana Wynne Jones's. I've been a fan of her writing since I was twelve and first read Dogsbody, and I've read everything I can by her in the intervening decades. I love her characters, her sense of humor, her easy style, her inventiveness, and her attention to detail. I know I've been heavily influenced by her writing, but I can't imagine a better role model.

None of her books have made me want to kill myself or anything so drastic, but many of her books have made me want to write until my hands fell off from typing. :)

scribbler1382

08-09-2005, 01:23 AM

My inspirations are:

I'm also in awe of John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee books--somewhat dated in places, but still the most entertaining crime novels ever.

MTF

Absolutely. I didn't mention him because I didn't really "find" him until years after I started writing. The McGee series is dated in places (I'm just finishing "The Quick Red Fox" as I write this), but I think that adds to its charm. Some of Travis' investigations wouldn't be nearly as interesting if he were sitting in front of a computer and surfing the web, or just staring at the call display readout instead of calling "his man at the phone company". :)

Jamesaritchie

08-09-2005, 04:05 AM

Ah, Travis McGee. My favorite series of all time. As Jimmy Buffet sings, "Travis McGee is still in Cedar Key," and it's easy to believe. John D. NacDonald may have died, but it's easy to picture Travis McGee still alive and well, and living on the Busted Flush.

triceretops

08-09-2005, 04:47 AM

I'm a nautical hound and how could I ever forget taking a few rides on the Busted Flush. A magazine editor admitted to me that he burst into tears upon hearing of the author's demise.

James Herriot (sp?) could really touch me with those animal stories.

Cops aren't supposed to be able to write but Joseph Wambaugh wasn't listening. Don't know about Mark Ferman.

Alan Dean Foster taught me how to world-build with Ice Rigger.

Poul Anderson got me lusting after science fiction dames. Oh, yeah..

Tri

Cabinscribe

08-09-2005, 05:46 AM

"To Kill a Mockingbird", by Harper Lee.

Jenny

08-09-2005, 06:26 AM

I have to agree about Diana Wynne Jones. Maybe it sounds weird, but I'd quite like to write as a cross between Terry Pratchett and Mary Stewart - too weird? Some people were saying Agatha Christie. Sure her plots are terrific, but what about Sayers or Allingham from the Golden Age? There's no one I'd sell my soul to write like, but I do love prose which is vivid but unobtrusive. Showing off your vocabulary or reaching for weird metaphors turns me off.

storygirl

08-09-2005, 06:33 AM

"To Kill a Mockingbird", by Harper Lee.

Dang! You stole mine! That is the first book I read that left the characters alive inside me for years to come. (I think I was ten when I read it) Can you believe that is the ONLY book Harper ever wrote? Maybe it was so good, it even intimidated her. She wrote a few essays, but as far as I know, this was her one and only novel.

Mary Higgins Clark was my main mystery food as a teen, and I'll always love Sanctuary by Nora Roberts, and a few Koontz books as well. I'd better shut up now. For the sake of those reading this, I just deleted four other authors I had listed. I can't help it. I love to read and am continually inspired by other's work.

MystiAnne

08-10-2005, 07:25 PM

Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway for sheer bravado in punctuation, and incredible use of detail to convey complex concepts (those circles!).

Chabon's Kavalier and Clay for getting us all the way out of post-modernism. What a romantic! Those POV breaks hooked me because they were not show-offy like Franzen.

Hemingway's Farewell To Arms, the emotional straight-jacket is annoying but you sure learn what you don't have to write.

Joyce's Portrait of the Artist. Just read the first three pages for innovative POV stuff (moo cow etc.)

Next novel I expect to inspire me, the new translation of Don Quixote...

Oh, and don't give up on Flannery O'Connor until you've read Violent Bear It Away. Kicks the idea that religious conviction makes you better than your fellow man right where it deserves to be kicked!

David McAfee

08-10-2005, 09:18 PM

Truth is, I can't remember. I wrote a Tigger book as a little kid (age 6 or so, and drew the illustrations myself), and never really stopped wanting to write. It's been a dream of mine for so long that I can't even remember how it got started...

inexperiencedinker

08-11-2005, 01:42 AM

My mother owned a book store while I was a teen (i love my mom) and reading became a passion. I still remember though, the first book that made me cry. I don't know if I can say I decided to write that day, but I suddenly understood the power of books in society. Now, don't laugh!!
Moreta, Dragonlady of Pern - Anne McCaffrey
I was 10, so leave me alone! The other series I will always admire is Jean M. Auel, and her books of Ayla. I read them once a year (read: obsessive compulsive) and I am always amazed. It is a compelling story, great plot, and it has an amazing main character (if a bit on the superwoman side). Honestly, it made me look at the work involved in writing, and the rewards you could reap. Her research was outrageous, and she produced great books. (alright, so don't get me started on the last one)

TheIT

08-11-2005, 02:37 AM

Hi all, this is my first post.

Inexperiencedinker, I have to agree about Moreta. I grew up with the Pern books and still got misty eyed about the ending to Moreta even though I knew what was going to happen.

I have to add the Miles Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold to the list of aspirations. Miles has got to be one of the most intriguing heros out there since he has to charm his way out of rough spots rather than use violence. The writing style is also fun.

ChunkyC

08-11-2005, 02:57 AM

Wow, some wickedly good books in this thread! You could compile quite the 'must read' list.

Those that left an indelible mark on me (off the top of my head)....

Trinity by Leon Uris
The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
Dune by Frank Herbert
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
Nightfall by Isaac Asimov
Stranger In A Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein
Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
The World According to Garp by John Irving
Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King

Danger Jane

08-11-2005, 11:35 PM

A Great and Terrible Beauty (Libba Bray), Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen, duh), The Goose Girl, and Enna Burning (both by Shannon Hale). All books that make me suddenly really, really want to write something, and spark BETTER writing.

billz015

08-12-2005, 04:29 AM

ANNIE

08-12-2005, 05:18 AM

Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury.

"Bee Fried air" has to be one of the best descriptive phrases I've ever read.

TLOTR- Tolkien- He was my first love- been reading the trilogy since i was fifteen- yeah I CAN spell obssesive,(well maybe I can't)
That was the book that inspired me back when no one knew who Frodo was.

ChunkyC

08-12-2005, 05:33 AM

Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury.
Good choice, Annie. That is one helluva good book.

Summonere

08-12-2005, 08:54 AM

I'm not sure I've yet read a single book that I wish I had written. Instead, I think there are probably lots of them. I'm just as sure that there are a few that left their fingerprints all over my desire to write, perhaps a little more than others. Here are a few:

The Hobbit - When young, very young, this was the sine qua non that propelled me headlong into reading everything fantasy. Magic, wizards, elves, a dragon, some creepy crawlies, what else does a kid need? (Well, nowadays I suppose it's Harry Potter.)

Watership Down - Geez was I sorry, so very sorry, to see this story end. Musta been twelve when I read that one. And all about rabbits, no less, and I had a hard time putting it down.

Heart of Darkness - Such depth and such effective prose in such a little book/novella amazed me. This one seemed to me the very thing Mark Twain was talking about when he mentioned the difference between the right word and the almost right word. Not a one here seems wrong.

Books of Blood - The oddball thing here is that I didn't care for the stories that much the first time I read them, but I really liked the way Barker used his prose.

Gravity's Rainbow - My every attempt to evoke the ineffable can be blamed on this giant, weird book.

There are also authors whose work I consistently admire for different reasons and in different ways. Harlan Ellison's (most of the time) committment to having something to say that's worth saying makes me want to be just as incisive. Philip K Dick's work makes me want to be just as inventive. William Gibson's wants me to sound just as distinctive. And so on. And so on...

aruna

08-12-2005, 11:41 AM

I've had books inspire me before, but I've never put down a book and said, "I wish I could right that, but I can't so I'm gonna go kill myself." Or something to that extent, but the books that have inspired me are:

"The Damnation Game" by Barker
"Talisman" by King
"For whom the bell Tolls" by Hemingway
"Of men and mice" by Steinbeck
"To kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
"Catcher in Rye" by Salinger

I have two of yours: For whom the Bell Tolls and To Kill a Mockingbird.
Add to those:

Jane Eyre
My Friend Flicka
Winnie the Pooh
A Fine Balance (Rohinton Misty)
Family Matters (ditto)
A House for Mr Biswas (V S Naipaul)
The Book of Mirdad (Michail Naimy)

also:
Penmarric by Susan Howatch
The Rich are Different (ditto)
Sins of the Fathers (ditto)
The Far Pavillions (M M Kaye)

Titus Raylake

08-12-2005, 03:04 PM

Okay, I have a personal story that you are going to enjoy hearing:

I started writing with fantasy. After reading a few science fiction novels, I said to myself, "I would never be able to write this."

But I was given a suggestion from my editor that I take a shot at science fiction because... well, my fantasy novels weren't selling very well.

Now, I write only science fiction. The strange thing is that I absolutely love writing science fiction :Hail:.

triceretops

08-12-2005, 03:42 PM

So do I Titus, and sci-fi is where I'm going to stay. My agent once told me I'm a better action/adventure writer. Poppycock, said I.

Tri

Darin C. Bradley

08-12-2005, 08:49 PM

Nothing made me want to write more than reading Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast trilogy. That was the first book to show me that you really can do anything with words.

Ditto, Loquax. I'll add to this that Roger Zelazny makes me feel like a ham-fisted child.

aspiringwriter

08-17-2005, 09:23 PM

I wish I had of written THE GODFATHER...don't know why, but that book is just so powerful...

triceretops

08-17-2005, 09:35 PM

Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth inspired me to write Cave Island.

Well's The Time Machine introduced me to time travel.

But I was completely bowled over by Nolan's Logan's Run. If ever there was a story that fit my writing personalty it would have to be Logan's Run--hands down.

Tri

Nakhlasmoke

08-17-2005, 10:25 PM

And it took someone mentioning Dogsbody to draw me out of lurkerdom....

I want to write; and I want to write well.

When I see writers whose style moves me, and yet I know I will never be abke to emulate them, I do get depressed. And then I move on, and try harder.

But, back OT:

Ghormenghast (Steerpike, anyone...gah)
Setting free the bears, A prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
Crash - JG Ballard
Carnevale - MR Lowrie
Kill the poor - Joel rose

triceretops

08-17-2005, 10:29 PM

Congrats on de-cloaking Nakhlsmoke. Welcome home.

Tri

MarkPettus

08-20-2005, 03:33 AM

I think that John Irving's Cider House Rules is a phenomenal novel, Dickensian in scale, one I wish I could emulate. John Updike has a gift for language that makes me feel like Salieri to his Mozart...

"...a mailbox stands leaning in twilight on its concrete post. Tall two-petaled street sign, the cleat-gouged trunk of the telephone pole holding its insulators against the sky, fire hydrant like a golden bush: a grove."

"Little plump women, toy dogs in the street, candy houses in lemon sunshine."

from Rabbit Run

I hate horror stories, but Stephen King makes me care about the people. The horrors they face must be real, because they are happening to real people. I fear for them.

My aspiration is to tell a a story that traverses time and distance, about characters that are real enough for you to love... and hate, using language that can make you cry... and laugh... and leave you with a sense of loss and longing that will cause you to reopen the book every few years and read again...

Am I aiming too high?