Sunday, February 6, 2011

10 (...or so...) Surprising Books I've Learned From

All---

If you're at all familiar with my philosophically-oriented brand of psychological suspense, you wouldn't be surprised to read Burke, Ludlum, Koontz, Camus, Chesteton, or Orwell among the list of authors whose books have influenced my writing.  On the other hand, here are ten books or authors you might be more surprised by:

(10) Jubal Sackett by Louis L'Amour.  One of L'Amour's more epic-scale westerns, Jubal Sackett is really the book that taught me that it's not adventure or action, mystery or wonder that really draw me personally into a book: it's the human struggle.  This became the center of virtually everything I've written since reading the book.

(9) Right Ho, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse.  This novel, among other comedies by Wodehouse,  really cemented for the important of strong, memorable characterization.

(8) As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner.  This book showed me that, when it's effective, voice and style and the narrative-as-such are more important than any rules or conventions.

(7) Dust Tracks on the Road by Zora Neal Hurston.  While the voice might be thick at points, this book really taught me the power of voice to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.

(6) Star Trek: The Motion Picture, novelization by Vonda McIntyre.  Turning what I've always found to be a painfully dull movie from a beloved franchise into something readable and enjoyable was quite a feat.  Because of it, I reached out to Ms. McIntyre as a teenage writer.  Thanks to CompuServe, I was able to exchange a couple of messages with her; her words were the foundation of my approach to writing as storytelling.

(5) Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis.  I'll admit it.  In all honesty, I cry every time I read the scene  where Eustace loses his scales and becomes freed from the dragon curse.  I'm almost crying just thinking about.  This reminds me of the overwhelming power of a redemption arc.

(4) The Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton.  This book more than any other reminds me that if the writing is good enough, any concept can get published.  "Hi, I've got a few techno-thrillers published.  How about my next book turns Beowulf into a historical account, complete with false scholarly footnotes and everything?"  "You've got it, Mr. Crichton."

(3) Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis.  Also, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  From these books I learned that it is possible for a writer to to engage and explore complex philosophical issues in an entertaining way -- and that, more importantly, it is not important that all readers understand what's going on in order for the explorations to be a success.

(2) The Dirty Dozen by E. M. Nathanson.  I was a huge fan of The Dirty Dozen movie and its made-for-TV sequels.  When I was a teenager, I even programmed a Dirty Dozen role-playing game in BASIC.  When I finally picked up the book, I learned something very important: some things, especially dark things,  play out quite differently on the big screen than they do in print.  What flashes by in a moment on the screen, tempered by sensory stimuli, takes longer on the page, and offers the reader to distractions.  There is no choice but to face the darkness.  In all honesty, I could not even finish The Dirty Dozen novel.  Nothing against the book or the writing; it was simply too psychologically brutal for me to handle and offered little charm to pull me through.  This is something that weighs heavily on my mind when I write.

(1) Jack Higgins.  While his cynical humanism has at times been drenched in nihilism and at times sprinkled with a jaded sense of hope, Higgins has always been the master of the anti-hero.  Whether writing about WWII, the Troubles, or spy thriller fare, Higgins' hero is often dark, rarely more than grey.  Where Lewis taught me about the power of redemption, Higgins taught me how to get readers hoping for the redemption of a character who is beyond hope, beyond help, and beneath contempt.  When you start with an unlikeable character, who suddenly seems to be showing the potential for goodness, the reader is hooked.  When the world becomes a game that breaks that character down, the reader starts rooting.  When it comes down to the wire, and the character faces fate, the reader is squarely hoping to see redemption.  And Higgins taught me that, as an author, sometimes you deliver that redemption, but sometimes you let the game win, rather than the players.

So, there you go!  Anything on my list definitely surprise you?  How about you?  If you're a writer, are there some books that have influenced you we might be surprised by?  If you're a reader, are there some favorite books that have special meaning for you, even if they're not what you usually read?

Love to hear from everyone on this!

.Nevets.

13 comments:

  1. (Darn! I had a good, long comment and Blogger swallowed it up. Here we go again. :P)

    I'll have to look into The Eaters of the Dead--I've been reading a translation of the original Beowulf and other takes on the story.

    But as for books that have influenced my writing: one of them would be The Dragon Never Sleeps by Glen Cook, particularly in my current WIP.

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  2. Your #5 (Voyage of the Dawn Treader) really jumped out at me because I felt exactly the same way I read that book. It was very, very moving.

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  3. @G'Eagle - I hate when Blogger does that. I've taking to hitting Ctrl+A to select my entire comment and then Ctrl+C to copy it before I click on submit anymore. haha

    If you've been reading Beowulf material, I highly recommend Eaters of the Dead. It's brilliantly executed.

    I remember seeing The Dragon Never Sleeps at my library but I never picked it up. I think I'll plan on doing so!

    @Jennifer - Cool! Glad I'm not the only one writing dark suspenseful stuff that has Dawn Treader on their list. haha

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  4. Dawn Treader is like my template for an episodic adventure. It just does it so very well.

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  5. I only read the Dawn Treader once and now I must reread because I don't remember that scene. Which means, I must not have REALLY read it. Great list!

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  6. Faulkner has always been helpful to me in the same way. I never expect to learn as much as I do from him. He balances out my Tolstoy obsession. By the way, Tolstoy is not on your list. He should be on your list. I suggest you put him on your list. So that he will be on your list.

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  7. @Loren - That's a great point! I'm not sure I've ever thought of it explicitly, but now that you mention it feels like it has probably influenced me in that way, too. Of course, I haven't written an episodic adventure for over a decade.

    @Lydia - I never promise a certain experience to other readers, but I do hope you re-read the book and find out if you feel the same way!

    @Domey - There are definitely a host of authors and books that have influenced me that I opted not to include on this list for one reason or another. And there will probably be a sequel list sometime. But Tolstoy will probably not appear on that one either. lol Dostoyevsky, sure. Tolstoy . . . Hmm. I will admit, though, that your own Tolstoy obsession intrigues me enough that I have considered revisiting.

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  8. Nevets, You should read the novella Kreutzer Sonata by Tolstoy.

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  9. great list! I adored CS Lewis when I was growing up, too... As for books that influenced me? Tons. And I'm even inspired by the "not so great" writers. Maybe in sort of a "if they can make it" kind of what, but so? ;p Thanks, C~

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  10. @Leigh - Yeah, this is definitely not an exhaustive list. haha And I love your not-so-great writers motivation. lol!

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  11. Ludlum, Scott Woods, Michael Connely, Steven Hunter, Ken Follet, and, yes Higgins ... there are many more but always number one is Louis L'Amour.
    Dave
    www.dmmcgowan.blogspot.com

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  12. @Dave - I learned a ton from Louis L'Amour, too. I only talked a little about him in this list, but I also learned how to write action, how to enable quiet characters to communicate, how to pace a story, and so much more. He was a master!

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