Below is a list of five authors who have been influential to me and my personal life and creative journey. This is by no means a definitive list, and I won’t say I think everyone should or needs to read these authors, but they have helped shape me. Between the books they’ve written and the wisdom they’ve conveyed through articles or interviews, these are writers who not just gave me joy but also guidance, even if I didn't know it at the time. As one of my heroes and the first author on this list says, “You have to read a lot and write a lot,” and that’s so true.
Stephen King: It may be a cliché to have King on a list like this, but I agree with the millions of people and generations after generations who find him to be one of the best writers in America who is still alive and writing. Many people just see the outer horror genre shell of King’s stories, but when you dig deep and read his works more in depth, you see that King is one of the best character writers and it’s that ability that makes so many things work in his stories. King proves the principle that when readers care about what happens to the people that the bad thing is happening to, they will have more fun reading. King melds fun crazy storytelling with metaphors and allegories for times in his and our lives. He is focused on his work and still writes six pages a day to hone his craft, which makes him a steady producer with a book a year. He will always be a hero to me and many other writers.
George R.R. Martin: This is not a huge surprise for anyone who knows me, but Martin and his works have been SUPER influential to me. Growing up, I loved the Lord of the Rings movies and different kinds of fantasy, but there were also a lot of “must read” fantasy books which I felt didn’t work for me. I gave up on reading fantasy until I heard about Martin and his series, A Song of Ice and Fire. I picked up the first book, and still consider it a favorite and one of the best things I have ever read. Since delving more and more into fantasy, the books in A Song of Ice and Fire series are still supremely written. Once the show premiered on HBO, it became a regular Sunday viewing. Reading the associated lore, short stories, and anything else I could find from Martin helped steer me towards what I want to do now, which is to write sci fi and fantasy and comics professionally. Reading other works from Martin has solidified him as an influence for me - I love his dark and real but still imaginative takes on everything (dragons, spaceships, vampires on boats. . .it’s all awesome).
Neil Gaiman: This author is probably not another shocker on this list, but I came to Mr. Gaiman’s work from my lifelong love of comics. When I grew up and was able to go to comic shops and pick up my own stuff, along with seminal graphic novels like Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns, I grabbed Neil Gaiman’s Sandman. It blew my mind in my first reading as a young teenager, and I didn’t get all of it but came back year after year to that great comic work. I’ve also loved his novels (American Gods is my favorite), and am inspired by his laid back and open minded attitude towards being an author. Mr. Gaiman is someone I look up to immensely and I find his style of writing inspiring.
Philip K. Dick: One of the masters of science fiction and mind bending writing, since I saw the film Blade Runner and read the book it was based on (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep), I became a fan and sought out his short stories and other books, like Man in the High Castle. I am still making my way through his works, but reading his numerous biographies, they tell the tale of his humanity and skill as a writer. He was a great writer for the ages and his work is still aspirational to this day. His writing is not for everyone, and some may not like the themes and stories that unfold, but as a young writer I find the intensity and the imagination something to behold.
John Scalzi: I have had the pleasure to meet Scalzi in person a few times, and have read pretty much everything he has written. Since picking up Old Man’s War, he’s been one of my favorites. Scalzi writes with such a pure voice and comedic style that it’s always a great ride through one of his stories. After a few years reading his work, I began to look more in depth into his work and found it always enlightening and consistent in quality. Scalzi is an influence for my love of reading and inspiring to anyone like me who wants to write fun, poignant, and interesting characters and novels. I think you can give anyone a Scalzi novel, and if they want to enjoy the story he is telling, they will have a great time. After meeting him a few times as well, he was so fun and real with me, both as a fan and as someone who wants to write professionally. I highly recommend his works for anyone looking for an entertaining read.
I hope you have enjoyed this list and maybe someone will check out a work by one of these writers – and a writer listed will find a new fan. Who knows!