When I was little my mum always read me Enid Blyton books, and
when I was little nothing sparked my imagination more. The idea that toys could
come to life, the characters of the Faraway Tree, characters of Little Golden
Books, just made my childhood magical. I've always known I needed to write,
nothing feels more right for me.
I read King Lear and the
Crucible in year High School and both these plays really stayed with me. I
guess I'm fascinated by human nature, and the brutal themes in these books made
me wonder what kind of people could do these things?
Especially because the crucible is based on a true story, which
make sit even more bizarre. Sometime truth really is stranger than fiction.
I always knew from a young age
I wanted to write. I remember seeing books with gold sticker on them and the
librarian telling us that that mean the author had won an award. I remember
saying to myself in my mind at only seven or so, that one day, I would win one
of those! I FELT it in my soul.
Haha we will see, but whatever
happens or how many people read my books, I just have a desire to tell
stories and I hope that they bring some pleasure to children and adults.
So, here's a list of books that
changed the way I thought about writing:
The Faraway Tree
I loved the characters Moon face and the pixie. I loved the old Dame
Washer women, and I loved that you never knew what was going to be at the top
of the tree when they got up there. I remember just being so enchanted and
excited by these books, it was like anything was possible.
Little Golden Books
I always loved the illustration, even now
as an adult I will sit down and admire the illustration of these books, mostly
the vintage ones. They have a quaintness and an innocence about them.
The Princess and the Goblin
The Princess and the Goblin
This book was the first gothic work of fiction I ever read. I’m
not sure if it would be classified as such, but I remember the way this book
made me feel. It was kind of gloomy and oppressive and strange and romantic all
at once, and this is the type of story I want to write.
Anne of Green Gables and The Story Girl
Who doesn’t love Anne’s fiery temper and over dramatic musings? Anne Shirly made me want to ne a writer and teacher.
The Story Girl to me was even better than Anne of Gren Gables. It was just sooo romatic and beautiful.
Huckleberry Finn
Huckleberry Finn
This is the first adult book I ever read and I was blown away by the beautiful language. I got to go along the Mississippi when I went to America, so it was a magical moment for me.
There’s just such a magic that some old
book possess, it’s the descriptive and beautiful words that just hit you in the
soul and you can’t quite explain why, but they just speak to you and move you.
King Lear
King Lear
Now this play is the best play ever! Forget Romeo and Juliet, I love the brutalness of this play. The savageness of it all. It’s dark and brutal and it just is a lot meatier than Romeo and Juliet and much more interesting. Cordelia is a pain, but we need her in there to create relief from the rest of the savage bunch.
Flowers in the Attic
I don't care what anyone says,
Virginia Andrews has a name for her trashy books, but I love every minute of
them. These were the most adult books I had ever read at fifteen and I was
shocked by the content, but it opened my eyes as to how messed up adult
relationships can be, and again the whole idea of revenge and what a motivator
that can be really inspired my own writing. We fall in love with Cathy as the protagonist
of the book, but as the story goes on we see how she becomes bitter and angry
with her mother, and the idea that someone can live their life, but underneath
this hatred can dwell, it makes for an interesting story.
The Hobbit
I read this book in year nine
and I feel in love with it. I knew that one day I would write a book like this.
I did feel a little overwhelmed when reading it as there was just sooo much happened
in in it. I guess I never really read such a fantastical book before. It definitely
inspired me and still does.
To Kill a Mocking Bird
As with the Crucible, this
story fascinated me, not only for the beautiful way it is written, and the
magic of the story being told through Scout's eyes, but the fact that it is
really a story of mass hysteria and human fear. As I 've grown up and seen
people react in ways that I don’t understand or comprehend, I've realised a lot
of the time it is fear based. Racism is fear based, hate crimes are feared
based, and I think it's basic human nature to want to protect ourselves from the
unknown. It's a survival mechanism, but obviously, it has been taken to far on
many occasions. If only in a moment of fear and hatred, if people could stop
and look at who and why they are hating, then there would be a lot less misery
in the world.
The Colour Purple
This book really shocked me
when we read it at school as it is full of 'colourful language' and the main
character has a lesbian relationship with Shug.... It really opened my eyes
though to how people can relate to each other and how these two characters
developed their relationship, and it wasn’t about being gay or straight, but
about how humans have a basic need for love.
The Crucible
This book changed my life, as I
have a fascination with psychology and I have always wondered what drives
people to do what they do. The story of Abigail Williams and how an entire town
became hysterical over witchcraft has always fascinated me since I read it and
saw the movie. It is so hard to believe that such a thing could occur. That
someone could not just say, this is madness? If anyone stands up to the status
quo, everyone else becomes scared and starts to attack that person to keep them
inline. You can witness the very same thing happening in this day and age on
Facebook. One person disagrees and you have five or six people jump on their
case...
Mob mentality. It is whatever is deemed to be right or wrong a the
time.
Gormenghast
All thought I have never
actually read the book, I watched the movie when I was a teenager and it just
blew my mind. I just knew I was on the right track writing fantasy,
there's just something about fantasy that sets my souls a light. I will
have to track down the book and read it.
So now that I have written out this list, I can actually see
why I write what I do. My favourite genre is Gothic Fantasy, and I LOVE to
explore the motivations behind why characters are the way they are. There must be
heart, otherwise you have nothing.
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