The other day, a Facebook post asked writers to name an author who had inspired them the most. To me, that was the wrong question. Just like asking someone ‘what is your favourite book?’ To both of these, my response is that there isn’t one answer. And that got me thinking.
When I read fiction, I’m always highlighting. Drives my husband crazy! Those highlights often represent something insightful, but more often they represent some aspect of the writing that inspires me to improve my skills.
Let me illustrate:
From The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan: “I nod, finishing with my chin jutting a little high. It is the posture I take when I lie, particularly with Maman, and most often my lofty chin is enough to shut her up.” The ‘jutting chin’ exposes character and emotion, ‘when I lie’ creates a surprise for the reader, ‘enough to shut her up’ illustrates the relationship between the two women. And all in one sentence.
From Circling the Sun by Paula McLain: “The rupee was plummeting like a grouse full of birdshot.” I still have trouble with metaphors but there was a time when I copied every good metaphor I found into a Word document for future inspiration. At another point in this novel, I wrote a note for myself which says ‘blah, blah, blah – too much of this interior monologue’. A bit harsh, you might say! Further thoughts on this terrific novel can be found here.
From A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles: I highlighted “when one is at another’s mercy one should plead for one’s life. Or remain proud and unbent”, and in the next paragraph, “the sadness is an emotion best shared. Or kept to oneself.” These sentences resonated more deeply because of their parallel structure.
From The Huntress by Kate Quinn: “Who are you? she thought for the thousandth time. In her mind’s eye she saw Ruth recoiling at her mother’s blood-smeared hand, and an answer whispered, full of conviction. Someone dangerous.” Tension!!!! Here’s an article about writing dual timelines that features Kate Quinn and Beatriz Williams.
From Button Man by Andrew Gross: “He controlled the union muscle, whether it was clothing or the docks. You didn’t join up, you got your head cracked or your warehouse torched.” Spare, tough language.
From Circe by Madeline Miller: “The still air crawled across my skin and shadows reached out their hands. I stared into the darkness, straining to hear past the beat of my own blood.” Two great sentences. I also admired the unexpected ‘beat of my own blood’ when most readers would expect the beat of a heart.
From Night Over Water by Ken Follett: “they were diplomats, chairmen of companies, judges or Conservative MPs. Stealing from them was like killing Nazis: a service to the public, not a crime.” Don’t you love the unexpected ending to this sentence and the insight it provides into the mind of the character. This post that features authors writing about WWI includes Ken Follett.
From The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick: “Alienor woke at dawn. The tall candle that had been left to burn all night was almost a stub, and even through the closed shutters she could hear the cockerels on roosts, walls and dung heaps, crowing the city of Poitiers awake.” From the opening paragraph, great scene setting which is so critical to transporting a reader in time and place. Here’s a further review I wrote of The Summer Queen.
From Precipice by Robert Harris: “he noticed the way his own side looked at him – some fawning, some envious, some hostile, not a true friend among them.” Love the surprise ending of this sentence.
I could go on, of course. My main point being that every novel can inspire an author to sharpen their skills and write more compellingly.
Whether primarily reader or writer, please share your thoughts on inspiration or favourite authors.
FOR MORE ON READING & WRITING HISTORICAL FICTION FOLLOW A WRITER OF HISTORY. There’s a SUBSCRIBE function on the right hand side of the page.
M.K. Tod writes historical fiction. Her latest novel THAT WAS THEN is a contemporary thriller. Mary’s other novels, THE ADMIRAL’S WIFE, PARIS IN RUINS, TIME AND REGRET, LIES TOLD IN SILENCE and UNRAVELLED are available from Amazon, Nook, Kobo, Google Play and iTunes. She can be contacted on Facebook or on her website www.mktod.com.
3 Responses
For me, Dorothy Dunnett has been the greatest inspiration throughout my writing life. If I’d never read her books, I’d still have been an author, but a different kind of author, I think. Vivid descriptions you can see with your mind’s eye, characters you can love or hate with equal passion, intricate plotting, a huge amount of research worn very lightly, a glorious pot pourri of sounds, smells, tastes, and a wonderful sense of humour, all crowded into her novels. There are other authors I admire and love – Patrick O’Brian, Rosemary Sutcliff, Mary Renault, Hilary Mantel – but Dunnett I absolutely adore. Someone said that she was the literary equivalent of the Velvet Underground – comparatively few people had read her books, but all of them had gone on to write novels themselves.
Dorothy Dunnett! I have to confess that I have not read her novels – must correct that problem!! Many thanks.
Gosh! Glories await you! Just remember that (a) she makes you work and makes no concessions, you have to go with the flow, (b) nothing is ever straightforward or as it seems, particularly not her heroes and (c) as a fellow fan said, her books are an acquired taste, but once you’ve acquired it, you have it for life. Oh, and persevere beyond page 64. Let me know when you’ve tried them!