Fiction that we can learn from

Right. Absolutely every writer I've met-- by person or on any of the dozens of writers forums that I contribute to I hear that the best advice is to read to best and see what makes them so good and incorporate them into your writing. I re-read plenty of my favorite books and study them. You learn so much. As a writer your time is limited so you have to make sure you're reading only best so I propose that we list all the fiction that we've read and found beneficial to writing. This needn't be just a list of the best books (like IMDB lists the best movies) this is about whether or not it's beneficial and you've learned from it. Also can you state what you've learned and what genre it's focused towards (don't worry if it overlaps list everything it fits into.)

Saga of Darren Shan-- Horror, thriller, fantasy-- how to write a strong, logic, entertaining, linear plot

The Demonata-- Horror, thriller, fantasy-- how to write exciting, short, choppy, scary, cagey scenes also how to write from three MC's POV and link their storylines into one huge complex tangle

The Inheritance Trilogy-- Fantasy-- How to get away with using suspiciously similar plotlines and ideas to other successful authors Only joking!

His Dark Materials: Fantasy-- How to create an ORIGINAL world with interesting characters and plot lines

Edge Chronicles: Fantasy-- How to fit fascinating creatures and botany into an equally interesting plot

Alex Rider series-- Action-- How to write a decent plot with direct to the point action

Keys to the kingdom-- Fantasy -- How to create an bizarre yet tasty world which leaves you hungry for more

Add yours!

And don't stray away from bad or common writing, either. I keep a lot of Lurlene McDaniel and other samples of teen angst, just to know what not to do.

adamr wrote:
The Inheritance Trilogy-- Fantasy-- How to get away with using suspiciously similar plotlines and ideas to other successful authors Only joking!

Joking or not, you have a point adamr. The inheritance trilogy is a good example of lack of originality, which is a big no-no.

Read something by Chris Wooding if you need a lesson on originality. Two of my favourite books by him are the Haunting of Alaizabel Cray and Storm Thief. He's very good at drawing the reader in and really identifying with the main characters.

harry potter- how to create good characters that the reader cares about.

Sapkowski's books about the Witcher (what a word!) Anyways, they are absolutely brilliant. He has elves, magic, itd. but it's not how you usually get it. Oh, read one of his books and you'll get what I mean xD The guy's on Wikipedia, I think. Lol.

-elein

How could I forget the Harry Potter series:oops: ?

As for Chris Wooding and Sapkowski I'll give 'em a go once I've finished...

{Wait, I'll add this to the list as well}

The Dark Tower-- horror, fantasy, science fiction-- How to get a characters back-storyeffectively across in small INTERESTING anecdotes

Sara Douglass Star Man books are really good, despite the title. She has these major twists in her stories that I love.
Robin Hobbs is also a good one. I got really attached to the main character in Assassin's Apprentice.

As for what NOT to do:
David Eddings, The Dreamers Books. All his characters sounded the same. I wrote similar things for my characters to say when I was ten.
Still. Take heart. If he can get published, so can you.

Well, I hate to point out the obvious, but...

Lord of the Rings by Tolkein-- fantasy-- How to create an epic story, character development, depth and themes in story, etc. Obviously, writing styles have changed since then, but I still hold to the belief that it's the greatest fantasy novel ever written.

Inheart and Inkspell by Cornelia Funke-- fantasy-- Plot, character developement, involving the reader in the story. Unfortunately, those elements have to work double-time to make up for the mediocre writing. These are both books worth analyzing.

And yes, I think that every fantasy writer should read Inheritance and analyze what made the books best-sellers. Certainly not originality. The writing's okay, but not great. So... what put these books above hundreds of others?

I'd add that His Dark Materials also shows a lot of innovative, extremely interesting magical creatures. Not the usual stock of dragons or centaurs--armored bears, daemons...

Also, Diana Wynne Jones' books have intricate plots, settings, and delightful characters.

So... what put these books above hundreds of others?

Aside from luck (his parents publishing his book, then it being found by another author who passed it on to Knopf)... I'm not sure if the average young reader is really all that interested in whether a story is original or not, and how well it's written. If one doesn't pay attention to those things, it's a decent book.

Diana Wynne Jones is brilliant.

I always liked Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland/Through The Looking-Glass, they were confusing at first but you get a lot of weird things happening.

And I also love Joan Aikens collection of short stories.