"You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club." (Jack London)
day four: an author or novel that has inspired your writing style
These are all difficult questions, primarily because they seem to imply that there should be a single answer. But unfortunately, there isn't. I read and enjoy a number of authors and I daresay that they have all influenced my writing in one way or another, but there is no particular one who I can point to and say, "That person inspires me. That is what I want my writing to be like." If I had to pick one, however, it would have to be my sister
Jennifer Freitag
Jenny inspired me to start writing. For as long as I can remember she has been creating stories. Whenever we would play outside, she was the one who made up the stories we would act out (sometimes under duress; she often tried to foist it off on someone else, but that never worked). Then she got her awful hulk of a computer and would spend hours writing stories that I thought were works of genius. I would always contrive to read them, and I always adored them - with the exception of the time she killed off my favorite character and wouldn't bring him back to life no matter how hard I pleaded. I think I'm scarred for life.
Eventually I decided that I wanted to write, too. I wanted to have the same magical hold on words that she does. I wanted to be a creator, an artist, to be able to hold something up and say, "This is mine." It took me some time to be certain that I really was a writer, but I think that despite the wonderful books I have read since that time, it is still Jenny who inspires me most.
When I sat down to write this post I wasn't sure what answer I would give to the question, but there it is. The prize goes to Jenny.
Eventually I decided that I wanted to write, too. I wanted to have the same magical hold on words that she does. I wanted to be a creator, an artist, to be able to hold something up and say, "This is mine." It took me some time to be certain that I really was a writer, but I think that despite the wonderful books I have read since that time, it is still Jenny who inspires me most.
When I sat down to write this post I wasn't sure what answer I would give to the question, but there it is. The prize goes to Jenny.
I was going to say something silly like "Aww, sweet" but I think that would undermine the seriousness of the post. There is something special about older siblings. And while you could easily have picked one of a number of "famous authors", the truth is that it is real people, I mean the ones who we really come into contact with, that inspire and impact on us the most.
ReplyDeleteWow. You really have no idea what this means to me. Lately I've felt on the outside, rather cut off from everyone and everything as though I've been gone away inside my stories for so long that I'm now looking at the world from a distance, from the wrong end of a telescope. This brings me back in. My poor stories born under duress, my poor early works of genius... I hardly realized anyone appreciated those - I certainly didn't. Thank you, Abigail. You're the best, and so is your writing.
ReplyDeleteI think in many ways it is the same for me and my sister! Recently I have seemed to let my writing slip away, and focus on other things, but always her excitement and dedication to it brings me back.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the comment letting me know that I won the book! I'm super excited now!
I DIDN'T KNOW SHE WAS YOUR SISTER!! OH MY GOODNESS! *faints*
ReplyDeleteThis is so awesome =)
When I first started reading this post I was thinking, "Hmmm, I wonder which author she will choose." And then: Jenny. Of course, Jenny. How could it not be Jenny?
ReplyDelete^.^