Who's Your Favorite Author?

TheArticulate Level 1

August 24, 2017, 10:33 am

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We all draw inspiration from somewhere, and if we're avid writers, I feel like our inspiration often comes from other authors. So who's your favorite author? What about their work inspires your writing? Are they a published author, or a well-known blogger?

I used to read a lot of classic literature, which is where I feel my writing style really developed. I don't now if it's the vocabulary I developed, or the just the style that I write, but I don't feel like I could be an effective blogger (it's a good thing I'm not interested in that, anyway). When I write online, I tend to try and say what I need to say, and not necessarily let my personality shine through completely, which I think is opposite what bloggers tend to do.

However, author-wise, Kurt Vonnegut is still one of my favorites to this day. His dry wit and humor makes his novels a joy to read, and that much more entertaining, in my opinion. On the humor side of things, I enjoy anything by David Sedaris. His novels are composed of memoirs and his take on the world around him, and I find them hilarious. He has a unique way of perceiving things, and I love seeing the world through his "eyes" when I read his work. His work would inspire me to write exactly how I feel and see things if I ever went the route of memoirs, I suppose!

So tell us about who or what inspires you!

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Tronia

Tronia

I have many authors that I absolutely love to read - most of them write either mysteries, murder or horror books. But I guess my all time favorite would definitely have to be the legendary Stephen King. I mean, who doesn't know him? He makes the best horror books there are. He has completely revolutionized that genre and the way that people perceive it. When you read his books you get completely sucked in and you can't stop. I remember once when I was reading The Mist for the first time, I read it one sitting. I didn't stop because it was impossible to, haha.

“I am the literary equivalent of a Big Mac and fries.” - Stephen King

9 years ago

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DarthHazard

DarthHazard

There are so many authors that I love but I would have to say my absolute favourites would have to be either Roald Dahl or Rick Riordan (who is best known for writing the Percy Jackson series). I just love both their books. They are of course know mostly for their books that are targetted at kids but those are the books that I grew up with and enjoyed. I have to say, especially with Rock Riordan, every single one of his books is great and not one has ever disappointed me. And Roald Dahl is the author that inspired me to write mini-books when I was smaller. None of them were serious of course but it was nice to write a few books here and there for fun when I was small.

9 years ago

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Baburra

Baburra

I like Roald Dahl too particularly for doing something different with kids stories which is turning what is usually made as a cautionary tale for kids into a cautionary tale for adults and parents instead in his Willy Wonka story. I remember watching that movie as a kid and didn't really think much of it but as I got older and understood more of the underlying messages I started to appreciate it even more. I think the literary world can really use people like him who can bring different perspectives instead of just sticking to the formula.

9 years ago

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Authord

Authord

My favorite author is J.K.Rowling No doubt, she is the greatest writer of adventure books because of her talent. I admire her verbal skills and style of writing.
And Her book Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
The book is at the same time amazing and exciting. Rowling uses rather folk sentences and phrases, which are understandable.
Book explains life of young wizard Harry throughout his childhood. Harry is in his second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Little does he know that this year will be just as eventful as the last. with his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.
Her books in particularly have a deep impact on my mind, therefore, that is why she is my favorite author.

9 years ago

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Baburra

Baburra

My pick would be Hunter S. Thompson. I don't think I've ever seen any other writer with that same style and wrote about as many things that interested me as he did. There are a lot of famous writers that have a unique voice, but even among those authors, I think he was able to set himself apart a lot more. He carved his own path and didn't adhere to the rules set by his predecessors and it turned out great. I think that is an important lesson that writers should learn, whether they like Thompson or not.

9 years ago

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Painterly

Painterly

Hunter Thompson was one of those rare people who had a strangely dichotomic manner of phrasing. On the one hand, his sentences could be wildly verbose in the manner of a nineteenth-century British author. Unlike those stilted writers of old, Thompson's dense phrasing had a rhythmic nature to it that captured the imagination the way an oceanic current captures drift wood.

On the other hand, Hunter Thompson had a quality I've always admired in poets, like Bob Dylan, in that he can somehow load a brief phrase with more information than you realize you're getting at first glance. Writers like that will leave short sentences, even one or two word replies, absolutely pregnant with meaning to the extent you have to ponder what was said before moving on if you didn't want to be left behind.

The way he interspersed these two approaches to phrasing comes off so naturally that I have never been sure if it was a product of tradecraft or a born-conversational gift.

9 years ago

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galegatling

galegatling

Thompson's dense phrasing had a rhythmic nature to it that captured the imagination the way an oceanic current captures drift wood.

You bet! He is a one of a kind writer. And like many others, he has his own ways of manipulating the words and phrases to the point where it would take you to a whole new level of realization.

9 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

He is amazing. I remember a time when I was younger and pretty much upset with him and the idea of Gonzo journalism. He was a true maverick. I am pretty sure I would not like him if I met him in person, and that is no qualification of a writer's worth, but I did live vicariously through his antics and the antics of his characters over the years. He has had his many imitators now, but I think he was a true American original, and I appreciated his contributions to American literature.

9 years ago

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LeJayJ

LeJayJ

I would have a hard time pinpointing just one favorite author simply because I don't have just one favorite reading niche. Each genre comes with its own masters and even then I would be hard pressed to name just one in several of my mainstay reading genres. But the author who's writing I most admire from a fellow writer's viewpoint, and who makes me proud of my Canadian heritage, is Alice Munro. Her gritty renditions of growing up in a small Ontario town in her novel made up of a series of short stories, "Who do you think you are?" strikes me as gruesomely realistic. She writes about childhood shame and coping with adult problems through a series of events, that while not my story, share the same sinister messages. Throughout it all, though, the writing is never preachy or moral; it stays as true to its subject as rain on a fall day on the Lower Mainland. While I have never wanted or tried to copy a particular author's style, I would hope that my own story, in the form of an autoethnography, will share Munro's gift for imagery when it comes to descriptions of the interior where I grew up.

9 years ago

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Tronia

Tronia

Ah, I actually love Munro as well. She is such a good Canadian writer when it comes to short stories. Have you ever read Wenlock Edge? That story is so good. The first time I read it I was just full of weird emotions. From creepy, weird, shocking and more.

I recommend you read it if you haven't yet. You can easily find it online. Also, one of my old teachers used to praise her in all the classes, haha Who

Who

9 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

This is a terribly complex and tough question to answer, and I am honestly having a hard time with it. That being said, if I had to just pick one who encompasses a lot of the human experience, I would have to say that, in terms of fiction, Dostoevsky is my favorite. This Russian master could write about any subject with power and precision. The Brothers Karamzov is a masterpiece, and I have read it several times over the years. I also thoroughly love Crime and Punishment. His themes of struggle, politics, psychology, love found and lost, class warfare, etc. really speak to what mankind is grappling with over the centuries.

9 years ago

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Barida

Barida

Thank you for the suggestion for I enjoy reading such books as well. I will definitely try to check it out.

9 years ago

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wiseagent

wiseagent

It's impossible for a writer not to be inspired by someone (whether or not another author, after all... the inspiration can come from any person or, from anywhere). All writers see in their inspirations as a way of searching for new ideas / news characters.

I have several authors that are part of my list of favorites (which, by the way, is a long list) and mentioning some of them, I can say that Stephen King, C.S. Lewis, Agatha Christie and Sidney Sheldon are in a very high position.

9 years ago

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Barida

Barida

I will try to check their books and get some inspiration as well. It is not easy to read some books and feel the inspiration, but some are of high quality and that's the reason I should check them out.

9 years ago

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SKMassey

SKMassey

My favorite author has changed a few times, and will probably change a few more times. For awhile now, I've been obsessed with H.P. Lovecraft. There are a surplus of horror and mythology writers out there, but possibly the most famous is Lovecraft. He has a ton of books out, and his stories range from necrotic science experiments to occult mysteries. What has always fascinated me, though, has been his Cthulu mythology. He has managed, just using his own creativity, to create an entire fictional society of fish-humans that live under the sea. An even better aspect of it, is that Lovecraft connects this mythology throughout many different short stories and books. In doing this, he has created an entire fictional universe that spans multiple books. I get a serious thrill by immersing myself in his stories, they are addictive. My favorite of his books is definitely The Shadow over Innsmouth.

9 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

I am also very fond of Lovecraft, and I recently contributed an essay about him to an anthology that's coming out this year. I recently re-read The Necronomicon, and I get something different out of it every time I do read it. I also recently heard a podcast about connections between him and Aleister Crowley, which was pretty interesting. I have always been fascinated with his and his stories, and he assuredly has a unique mind and could either see into or totally imagine a whole other supernatural world, one that is quite harrowing and disturbing.

9 years ago

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peachpurple

peachpurple

I love Enid Blyton books. She is a great author who writes simple, easy to understand sentences that I could read out to my kids. I also read her books myself when I am free. I am not a fan for fiction or non fiction books. I hate those small prints and long winded story. Short stories are the best.

9 years ago

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Pixie06

Pixie06

I love reading books based on science fiction, adventure, and fantasy. My favorite author has always been J.R.R Tolkien. I have actually read many of his books and my favorite is the 'Lord of the Rings'. I have to admit that I have never come across a book better than this one before. It's perfect. He was such a creative person.

9 years ago

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radiowaves

radiowaves

If I had to pick, I'd say that my favorites are Argentinean authors Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortazar. Borges didn't write a single novel, but his short stories have plenty of depth: brainy, with a philosophical and psychological edge; Borges' constant use of metafiction has heavily influenced in my own writing. Cortazar is relatively similar, but he wrote longer novels in addition to short stories. My favorite of his novels is Hopscotch, which breaks all sorts of conventions in how it presents itself as a game for the reader. Cortazar's stories might be slightly less brainy than Borges', but they have the same sort of edge. I'd say that the fact that they wrote fiction about fiction is what appeals to me the most about them; their works have complex narrative structures because they play around with traditional storytelling instead of being straightforward.

9 years ago

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rj02jogoy

rj02jogoy

My love for authors goes in waves. Right now I am on a Philip Kerr kick. He's without a doubt the best author I've read in years and I have read all these books. He started writing in the 1980s. His older books do not hold up at all but his "Bernie Gunther" series about a police detective who lives in Berlin during WW2 is without a doubt the best writing of this genre -- ever. Period. Full Stop. He combines the writing of Dashiell Hammett with the research of a scientist. He is a trained philosopher and his goal is to put you in the mind of the Germans during the war, what they felt, what they experienced, how monsters could walk amongst us like average people, their cruelty, and frailty. He pulls no punches at all. The character, Bernie Gunther, is like Sam Spade, caught up in events he can't control, hating himself, his life and his country and watching the whole thing blow up in his face. He walks a tightrope between being killed by the Nazis, Allied bombs, Russian soldiers and more. It's incredible writing.

9 years ago

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Barida

Barida

It's nice to read how you analyze the way that Philip Kerr kick writes and that has gotten my attention. I'll try to check him out and see how I can get inspired by reading his books at the end of the day.

9 years ago

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Emre12

Emre12

R.L Stine is my favorite. While it's true that Goosebumps is slightly more for children rather than teens like me, it's still something that makes me feel really magical I guess and of course is something that I've always loved in my childhood.

The idea of the unknown and mystery are quite special to me, because of how strong enough it can be at times to the point where it makes me feel like I'm somehow involved myself, within the stories that give me this kind of feeling. One book I especially liked was "Welcome to Dead House". As the other books, this one emits that mysterious vibe that I've always loved to feel, from beginning to end. Personally, books like the Goosebump books help for nostalgic purposes, so I guess you could say that's another reason why I love R.L Stine so much for making these interesting books.

9 years ago

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Judas2018

Judas2018

Stephen King. The guy has come up with some of the most terrifyingly creative horror novel stories of all time. There are other good writers of horror and thriller also. But King is, well imo - THE KING.

9 years ago

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Barida

Barida

Wow! It's cool to read about this writer and knowing that he wrote The King sounds amazing too. I'll try to see how good his other books are and get better by reading them.

9 years ago

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Barida

Barida

Two authors actually have given me the best when it comes to getting inspired to write. They are Robert Greene and Sam Adewumi and I have to say that they've done well in making me write and think better.

9 years ago

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Martinsx1

Martinsx1

The first time I heard anything about Robert Greene was when one of his quote was mentioned in a wrestling that I was watching and I was immediately captivated by how inspiring his words were and I made good efforts to read some of his books.

9 years ago

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mar06

mar06

One of my favorite author exist in this world is none other than Stephen King. He are know on his horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, science fiction, and fantasy stories/novels. I really loved his books and I have little collection about it such as "The Shining", "It", and also " Carrie". That's all I have about his books.

9 years ago

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TheArticulate

TheArticulate

The man definitely knows how to write. The Green Mile is personally one of my favorites by him, which you should check out if you haven't read it!

If you're a fan of Stephen King, have you read any Dean Koontz? I've always considered him a "watered-down King", but I've found his writing to be really exceptional as well, and his book Velocity was a real ride for me.

9 years ago

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Martinsx1

Martinsx1

Novels are my favorite piece of writing, so I'm quite attached to good writers. So therefore, having said that, my favorite authors are William Shakespeare, Robert Frost, Achebe etc. I really enjoyed reading the works of these men because they have something reasonable to offer.

9 years ago

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edencaga

edencaga

I like Paulo Coehlo's books. It really inspires me and gave lessons. I am very entertained of his works. I haven't thought about his life at first but knowing his story really inspires me to dream. He may have frustrations from the life he used to live, he still pursue dreaming about being a writer knowing that his parents was against his plan and just wanted to follow their traditional path led by his parents still he escaped from his parents.

8 years ago

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treecko142

treecko142

I love most of Stephen King's books, so he's probably my favorite author, but Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books are my favorite so he's certainly up there as well.

8 years ago

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Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

Neil Gaiman of Coralline, American Gods, Sandman, and Marvel 1602 fame is one of my all time favorite authors. I'm a Marvel Comic fan and this book is a very great read, it's about an alternate reality in which it takes a look at Marvel Superheroes in the 17th century.

8 years ago

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jennyfermanuel

jennyfermanuel

Nicholas Sparks. I do love reading romance books, and his books are all inspiring.
"The Notebook" and "A Walk To Remember" are the two of my most favorite books he has ever written.
I could read his books over again and I won't get bored. Same thing as watching these movies over again without getting bored Who

Who

8 years ago

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Aeolos

Aeolos

My all time favorite author is Sidney Sheldon. His books are always page turning that leaves you want to know what will happen next. His work are like a movie ready piece that you could visualize every scene he wrote. You can get thrilled and get excited to the adventures his character take. My favorite work of his is The Sands of Time.

8 years ago

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stbrians

stbrians

Alistair Macklean is an author who inspired me a lot. He is a great writer. I do not know if be still lives but he wrote bestsellers. I adored that writer.

8 years ago

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focusedwriter10

focusedwriter10

Robert Kiyosaki, the author of " RichDadPoorDad". I have learned so much from the author. Up to date, I still read his books and his daily life teachings.

I would recommend anyone who wants to grow his wealth to read this book or other copies from the author. They are eye-opening, and at the same time motivating.

8 years ago

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sonnyisabeast

sonnyisabeast

The first novel I ever read was a Stephen King novel, he was my first love and the reason I wanted to pursue writing as a profession. Grwoing up, I played around the following authors, too: John Grisham, Sidney Sheldon, Erich Segal, and more recently George RR Martin and Malcolm Gladwell. But I only ever bought a book about writing from, of course, Stephen King. His book "On Writing" is his best work, for me.

8 years ago

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YoloBoy

YoloBoy

I would have to say Stephen King. He has made great books and especially knowing a person like me, I would always love to watch or read a good horror story. All of his stories are all so real and disturbing at times that just imagining the scene playing in your head would make you feel bad inside. All of his books are amazing and I recommend people to read each one especially if you are a horror fan like me.

8 years ago

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mhingnhormz

mhingnhormz

:Who's your favorite author:The one who wrote the book, "The Diamond Girls. No other than Jacqueline Wilson. It was a pleasure to be a reader of of this kind of book.

8 years ago

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JBeleren

JBeleren

My favorite author would be Dennis Lehane. Several of his works has been adapted into a film you may know about like Shutter Island, Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone among others. One of my favorite stories of his would be "Running out of Dogs", a short story that is part of his book titled Coronado. He is best known as a crime fiction author and have multiple awards. He has also written for TV and film. Reading his works inspire me each and every time to work on my craft more.

8 years ago

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