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Thursday, May 20, 2010

Back on the Blog Chain: Standing on the Shoulders of Other Authors

Wow, it's been a month since my last Blog Chain post. I started the last one, so I'm near the end this time. Christine started us off with the question:

“Which author or authors have most influenced your writing and how?”

Amanda posted before me, and Eric will share his thoughts tomorrow.

I think a couple of people mentioned earlier in this chain how they're influenced by every book and author they've ever read. I feel this way too. I started reading when I was three, so that's a lot of authors! I'll only mention a few of them here.

When I first started reading science fiction and fantasy, I read a lot of the really popular authors, such as Piers Anthony, Anne McCaffery, and Mercedes Lackey. Of the three, I would say Lackey made the longest-lasting impression, especially when it comes to interior monologue. My early novels had a lot of interior monologue, though I'm using less of it now. These days, one of my favorite authors is Patricia McKillip. I really admire her poetic style and her unique angle on story-telling, but to be honest, I don't feel my style is similar enough to hers to claim her as an influence.

These days, I read a fair amount of urban fantasy, and that's influenced the next project I have on my list, an urban fantasy about a pair of shapeshifting sisters. (Charles de Lint's work still defines the genre for me. Some of his novels have a pair of shapeshifting sisters too, though I intend to take my characters in a different direction.) While I read quite a few authors in this genre, I think the most influential one for me has been Carrie Vaughn. I like how her werewolf heroine and her mate still have to deal with mundane problems along with supernatural ones. They're ordinary people thrust into a supernatural world, and it makes them feel more real and easier to empathize with.

I'm sure there are plenty more authors who have influenced me, but that's all I can think of for now. Just as Newton said he saw farther by standing on the shoulders of giants (those who came before him), I stand on the shoulders of other authors. If what I write isn't the classic SF of the Golden Age, it's because the authors I mentioned above, along with many others, helped redefine the genre.

Tune in tomorrow when I answer questions from readers, as I promised in Monday's entry. There's still time to ask me something if you'd like, so please leave a comment in that blog post. Thanks!

9 comments:

  1. I also really like Charles de Lint. Oddly enough, I blogged about him today, too.... Hmm, must be something in the air. Maybe he's going to tour again soon. ^_^

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  2. Wow, your first two listed authors hit me big time, because I enjoyed them both so much when I was younger. Great post, guess I better get going on my own, ?

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  3. Great list! And some of my favorites as well.

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  4. I'm not familiar with some of the authors you mentioned - but I'm looking forward to checking them out!

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  5. I've enjoyed reading how everyone's influences have changed depending on where (or when) they are in life. Carrie Vaughn's protagonists sound interesting.

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  6. OOhhh I LOVE your list! Charles de Lint is so good!

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  7. Mercedes Lackey is a wonderful author. I read her during my teens. I have many of her "Valdemar" and "Vows and Honor" series.

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  8. Oh, yeah, Charles de Lint is on of my ALL TIME FAV's!!!

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  9. Oooh Anne McCaffrey - when I found here in my teens I was so excited and she had such a great backlist that it kept me reading for a long long time.

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