Who Is Your Favorite Author?

jorge said:

My favorite author has always been Leo Tolstoy. While I was writing King of the Bullies, my first eBook, I kept reading Tolstoy's crowning masterpiece several times a day, and I kept seeing my writing evolving slowly from poor to remarkably improved; it took over three years to complete. Have anyone used this technique for improving your writing?

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Reading -- in and beyond your comfort zone -- is an essential part of writing, I reckon.

Which work is Tolstoy's crowning masterpiece?

Stephen King and James Patterson.

Generally, it's Marilynne Robinson. She seems to be who I come back to, most often.

Anne Tyler, Jennifer Egan, Amy Tan and Michael Chabon are probably my favourites. Reading them (among many others) has definitely made me a better writer.

Ellis Clover said:

Anne Tyler, Jennifer Egan, Amy Tan and Michael Chabon are probably my favourites.

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If there was a fire and you could only save one of them, though...

There are writers I love to read, and writers I wish I was, which is not the same thing.

But maybe on balance mine is Helen Garner.

Anna Spargo-Ryan said:

There are writers I love to read, and writers I wish I was, which is not the same thing.

But maybe on balance mine is Helen Garner.

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She's certainly one of my fave ones

Mine is Patrick O'Brian - the Aubrey/Maturin series is one of my favourite works of fiction. I've read each book (20 of them) probably 4 times each in the ten years I've owned them and I still return to them.

Stephen King. Has been since I was in the 3rd grade or so

Never heard of Garner till this thread! But I looked her up and she seems like someone I should read. What would you suggest I start with?

Well, that says a lot about you, all good! I adored her first book, HOUSEKEEPING--gave it as gifts to more people than I can count. I admired her subsequent books more than loved them; but I do think she's one of our major writers whose work will endure.

I don't tend to have a favourite author just favourite books.

I loved the book "Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov but I struggled with his others books and didn't finish them
I loved "The Shining" and "Carrie" by Stephen King but found his other works to a slog.
Patricia Cornwell was a good writer but her character of Kay Scarpetta felt a bit flat and one dimensional to me. The plots were very fascinating and gripping but I soon gave up on the series because they got too silly.

Barbara R. said:

Well, that says a lot about you, all good! I adored her first book, HOUSEKEEPING--gave it as gifts to more people than I can count. I admired her subsequent books more than loved them; but I do think she's one of our major writers whose work will endure.

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HOUSEKEEPING is the hardest, I thought - I remembered you raving about it before, though, and went back and enjoyed it more. I adore the three others - they're on my list of Books To Be Buried With - and her essays are also wonderful.

My favorite has been Tolkien ever since I was fourteen.

However, I used a technique somewhat like you outlined above when I needed to improve my descriptions, although I did it with Hunger Games because I want my books paced a little quicker than JRRT.

When I need to just reconnect with why I wanted to write in the first place, though, I often reread LOTR. Or anything by McKillip or McKinley.

Lemony Snicket. Ever since I was in fifth grade. He just has this style/voice that makes you feel close and personal to the story. And such a unique voice at that!

mccardey said:

If there was a fire and you could only save one of them, though...

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That's what Kindle is for!

Why aren't we our own favorite authors?

indianroads said:

Why aren't we our own favorite authors?

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Because we are there for the rough drafts that hit walls, the outlines that fall apart, the either/or decisions that haunt us long after the fact, the rejections, the revisions, the false starts. We see the lumps under the rugs, the handwaved plot points, the lampshaded tropes, the influences we tried to emulate.

Whereas when we pick up a published book in the bookstore, we don't know what went into its making. We weren't there for the hours-long staredown with the blank page or the perfect scene that just had to go in the trash bin for the greater good of the story. We just see the polished, seemingly perfect end product.

indianroads said:

Why aren't we our own favorite authors?

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Because we don't want to stay in the circle of what we know - we want to reach outwards and learn and experience new, other things.

Also, the self-loathing.

indianroads said:

Why aren't we our own favorite authors?

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Because if we're honest, no matter how good we are, we have to admit that there are writers out there who are better than us. That's a good thing--gives us something to strive for. My way of admiring others' work generally takes the form of thinking "Damn, I wish I'd written that!

Even our favorite authors have other favorite authors than themselves

eta: Wow that's a clunky ass sentence. I need coffee.

indianroads said:

Why aren't we our own favorite authors?

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Heh. Good question. Brightdreamer has some good answers. But despite that, I am still the Perfect Reader for my WIP. That's who I write for, anyway: me.