Young Writers Society

Out of all the authors and books out there, who or what has inspired you and influenced your writing style or content the most? When did you discover that person or book and how did they impact you?

1. Twilight -- came out when I was 13, I read it for the first time when I was 13, and it hit me like a bus. Stephenie Meyer fascinated me, and this was the first time I connected that normal human beings write books, and that I could write a book. My first writer dream was to write something that made people feel the way I felt the first time I read Twilight.

2. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants -- I read this for the first time in high school and I think this started my love of YA contemporary. I was obSESSED with this series, and it informed a lot of my high school writing. One of my early novel attempts was basically just sisterhood fanfiction

3. Looking for Alaska -- I also read this for the first time in high school and it remains one of my favorite books of all time. Again, cemented my love of YA contemporary. But I also love how John Green writes and tells a story, and I will read anything that man writes.


The authors that inspire/influence the kinds of books I write now include: Rachel Lynn Solomon, Emma Lord, Kaitlyn Hill, Kara McDowell, & Ellen O'Clover.
I love how they write YA rom coms and YA romances, and I aspire to be like them!!

Ooh, that's a great question!

Personally, the author Shannon Hale inspired me the most. She wrote a graphic novel (Real Friends) talking about her struggles when she was young, and how she wanted to be a writer. I don't actually remember when I discovered her, but I'm glad I did!

What about you, @Elsinore? What authors and books have inspired you?

i remember being young, so young i didn't know what poetry was. i thought it was some pretentious old person thing, probably. it was the early 2010s and tumblr was all the rage. there were some poems floating around, notably from richard siken.

crush was the first book i'd ever bought with my own money, and it was probably some of the first poetry i've willingly digested. it had described all of the teen emotions i had been feeling at the time ~ love, angst, fear, love, angst, etc. as i've grown older, i've found more and more to relate to. that's art.

he helped me realize i had things to write down, which is why i'm here. we've interacted a few times on twitter and he is a beautiful soul.

Fabulous question!

I would say everything by Madeleine L'Engle, especially "The Small Rain" (A YA Novel) and "The Weather of the Heart" (A book of poems) - her novel "The Small Rain" was one of the first YA novels that I ever read where the ending didn't resolve everything in a tight little conclusion of hopeful happiness. It ends sadly, unresolved, and yet... strong. As a young reader I did not find myself resonating with much YA specifically because it either felt too optimistic / perfect, or too dark and removed from my reality. I like how she was able to balance the struggle of growing up / finding identity while battling loneliness, with the hopeful, and all in light of faith. I also like that her writing plays with faith and scripture and prayer in a way that is creative and playful without feeling heretical or sacrilegious. Her writing gave me permission to play with doubt, and faith a little more authentically in my own writing, without worrying that it might be perceived as impious. Her writing is, at least to me, clearly religious without being formal, stuffy, or always obvious in a way that reads as authentic and heartfelt, which is what I also strive to achieve in much of my writing and life.

Have also read a lot of Don Marquis and Robert Frost.

Oscar Wilde, weirdly. I ADORE The Picture of Dorian Gray, and even some of his poems inspired how i write and the imagery I use. If you're a big fan of Victorian literature and you haven't read the novel, I recommend it; my favourite element of the book is the supernatural twist that is relatively subtle, but pulled off amazingly.

This is a great question thread! It might be a little hard for me to say personally which writers and works have actually influenced my writing the most, because I will most likely lean towards mentioning the ones I like best or have read most lately. However, I think there are a couple that stand out for honorable mention, at the least:

1. Richard Paul Evans - and I say this because when my reading appetite was reawakened from a long slumber, it was primarily brought back because I picked up the Michael Vey series written by this author. While this series kind of walks the genre border between middle grade and young adult, it brought into my life an interest in reading, particularly fantasy/sci-fi, when I was in a really difficult place in life. I think Evans' voice for young adult characters and internal monologue has carried over a lot into how I write or how I aspire to write. Also, his writing in this series probably began to solidify in my mind the type or genre of material I'd like to write myself.

2. J.R.R. Tolkien - because, duh, The Lord of the Rings is absolutely epic! Tolkien's writing influences/impacts me because of being so beautifully old-fashioned and yet captivating, and the themes found in The Lord of the Rings series are so impactful and inspiring! Plus, what he's done in world-building and the fantasy genre is so amazing. I don't think I especially write *like* Tolkien, but again, his writing has given me much to aspire towards as a hopeful future author. Whether I actually pick up his voice in my writing or not, I feel like the themes in his works are ones that I want to carry over into real life, as well as into my writing.

The works of Tim Burton and his wonderfully weird world inspire me, because there’s a deeper story behind the cobwebs.

I’m also inspired by the singers “Satin Puppets” by their magic/ fae themes, and the idea of a beyond. Not only that, but I am a HUGE fan of Melanie Martinez and I love all of her songs! :>

I guess I’m just inspired by anything that has to do with magic, the weird, the fantastical, and the horror, because there are so many different stories you could tell with those genres, and at the heart of all my stories, there is love. There are people who care about each other despite all of the mayhem that occurs.

It’s also why I don’t always label my stories as “horror” even though there are horror themes. I’m not sure if you can even call my work “horror” because I don’t really follow a formula. I just write what I like lolz.

That’s why all of my plots are kind of absurd.