Last month, someone on tumblr asked me to list 5 influences on my writing. Trying to narrow it down to five was a challenge, but I came up with this list:
- Stephen King for On Writing, the best guide I’ve read to being a writer
- Judy Blume for being honest about her characters with her readers
- e.e. cummings for showing me how to write poetry that flows without punctuation
- Dr. Seuss for reminding me that rhymes and cartoons can still be politically relevant
- Roger Ebert for giving as much care and attention to reviewing an awful movie as a great movie.
There are countless other influences, of course. I’ve been reading for most of my life, and before I could read, I was read to. I find influences everywhere, including peers and teachers I’ve known. Sometimes, books that jarred me provide a different kind of influence: a mental note to never write the same way. Everything pretty much goes in the hopper, though, and with any luck, my writing gets progressively better for it.