A good writer knows that the one of the best ways to write better is to read more. Exposing yourself to good and bad writing helps you to recognize what does and doesn’t work in a novel. Here are few key authors who have helped me become a better writer:

S. E. Hinton– everyone who knows me well is probably rolling their eyes right now. “Shut up about The Outsiders already, Ali!” I can’t. I just can’t help but include this wonderful woman and her amazing books whenever the topic of “favorite authors” comes up. I read The Outsiders when I was about 15 or so and that book has forever changed how I write. She’s a character-driven, dialogue writer -sound familiar from my last post about borrowed techniques?- and she conveys a powerful story in about a 120 pages. Not an easy task. Her characters are so well-developed in just a few lines that, while I may forget the exact details of her stories, I never forget the characters. Though I love every book she has written, the other two I would recommend after The Outsiders is Some of Tim’s Stories and Hawkes Harbor. Be forewarned though, Hawkes Harbor is completely different from her other books…but it’s well worth reading to see how she continues to use her techniques in a totally different way.

Fyodor Dostoevsky – Crime and Punishment is my favorite classical literature book. The first time I read that book in school, I thought, “Wow! I never thought I’d find an author who could create such a compelling/almost sympathetic sociopath.” Though I never dream that I could ever match Dostoevsky’s philosophical ponderings and psychological excursions, he taught me how to delve deep into a character and find out what motivates them to act. What dreams do they have? What struggles can they not overcome? What makes them lash out? What makes them want to change?- thank you, Dostoevsky, for teaching me to dig deep.

Erich Maria Remarque – if I could ever write a paragraph as beautifully descriptive as Remarque writes his entire novels, I would die a happy woman. I mean, just look at this paragraph: “I did not want to think so much about her. I wanted to take her as an unexpected, delightful gift, that had come and would go again — nothing more. I meant not to give room to the thought that it could ever be more. I knew too well that all love has the desire for eternity and that therein lies its eternal torment. Nothing lasts. Nothing” (Three Comrades). And his books are full to the brim of these gorgeous, moving passages. His words are heavy, hitting the core of who we are as humans and individuals, painting vivid pictures of struggle, temptation, love, and loss. He will forever be one of my writing heroes.

A couple of honorable mentions: Ted Dekker and his Circle trilogy taught me that it is possible to write about faith in a compelling/non-corny way, Rick Riordan is my sarcasm soulmate, Charlotte Bronte‘s Jane Eyre taught me how to write strong female characters who don’t emasculate men, C.S. Lewis how to delight in the magical, J.R.R. Tolkein how to capture the beauty of the world, G.K. Chesterton showed me it’s okay to be silly, and Charles Williams let me embrace the stranger parts of the world.

This list is by no means exhaustive and I have, in no way, mastered any of the elements that these artists have taught me along the way. But they have helped me see that there is more than one way to capture a story and it’s ok to explore different avenues. Be brave, explore, experiment, and read voraciously!