Name a favourite book that inspired you to write.

[Mantaspook 14]

Have you ever read a book and thought “I wish I’d wrote that.”

 

Name your favourites on this thread and the reasons why you enjoyed it so much.

 

I’ll start the ball rolling and recommend:

 

“Papillion” by Henri Charriere

 

In my opinion is one of the finest adventure books ever written, The author tells the story of how he was wrongly imprisoned for a crime he did not commit and sent to penal colony of French Guiana, he escaped & was recaptured after travelling over a thousand miles in an open boat and sent to the notorious Devils island. In the following 13 years he made another nine escapes and had more adventures in this time then most people would in a lifetime.

 

This is an extraordinary story of indomitable human spirit, it is beautifully and simply told, as though the author is speaking directly to you, the story is superbly paced and flows so well that’s its difficult to find a place to stop, when you turn the final page you actually feel sorrow that the experience is over.

 

The story is supposed to be a true one, it certainly has an authentic ring to it, although Charriere probably exaggerates some aspects of the story but that takes nothing away from the fine job he did of writing this book.

 

Incidentally The film “Papillion” starring Steve McQueen isn’t a patch on the book, but it would be almost impossible to capture the essence of this book in a film, it is almost as though you are inside the authors mind.

[seriessix 10]

I'm going to give this some thought and will get back to you.

[pattricia 574]

Anything by Allan Bennett.I would rather write like him than anyone else.

[Mr Goose 10]

"His Dark Materials" by Philip Pullman..

[Jabberwocky 46]

I like the diskworld books but my favourite book of all time, and the one that made me actually WANT to write is War of the worlds by H.G.Wells. Its simple yet has immense impact even by todays standards and for a 7 year old it had a long lasting effect on me.

 

Yes, it warped my mind.

[coyleys 10]

Such a simple question, but so hard to answer.

I'll have to think about that.

[Mr Goose 10]

but my favourite book of all time, and the one that made me actually WANT to write is War of the worlds by H.G.Wells. Its simple yet has immense impact even by todays standards and for a 7 year old it had a long lasting effect on me.

Yes, it warped my mind.

 

 

Good point - I instantly thought of Philip Pullman because he is such a technically good writer.. but I suppose "The City & the Stars" by A.C.Clarke had the biggest impact on me...

 

Its not very well written, there are no female characters in it (apart from 2d s.types). BUT as a 11 year old I said "Woooah" and "Coooooool" all the way through - and read it about 3 times in the space of a year..

[pattricia 574]

Good point - I instantly thought of Philip Pullman because he is such a technically good writer.. but I suppose "The City & the Stars" by A.C.Clarke had the biggest impact on me...

 

Its not very well written, there are no female characters in it (apart from 2d s.types). BUT as a 11 year old I said "Woooah" and "Coooooool" all the way through - and read it about 3 times in the space of a year..

 

 

Now, for someone to read a book 3 times is really something.!! Ive never done that with any book , not even Allan Bennetts.!

[Jabberwocky 46]

Now, for someone to read a book 3 times is really something.!! Ive never done that with any book , not even Allan Bennetts.!

At the moment Im reading The Hogfather by Terry Pratchett and this is something like the 12th time Ive read it.

I lost count of the times Ive read War of the worlds, but a good story is like a good piece of music. You get more from it each time its encountered.

[threecolours 10]

It doesnt inspire me to write as I just can't manage it but...

 

I'd like to be able to write simple, non-corny, laugh out loud humour with dry one liners/insights and a clever story.

 

Camberwell Beauty by Jenny Eclair (and Im not a fan of hers normally)

 

It's not great literature and won't win any awards but its simple yet clever and sad yet happy. A perfect beach book.

[seriessix 10]

I think that the books that inspired to write were actually crappy novels. I think many of us at some time have read something and thought ‘Even I could do better than that’. I do remember reading the Diceman though and being very pleasantly surprised by the premise of the story, it appealed to me a lot. Not the writing so much as the premise or ideas in the story. For the combination of ideas and great writing I would say Perfume and many of the stories of Edgar Allan Poe had an influence on me. I love Poe’s vocabulary. As I’m not based in the UK right now I like to read books that are based in England and set the scene for your imagination to latch on to.

[pattricia 574]

I think that the books that inspired to write were actually crappy novels. I think many of us at some time have read something and thought ‘Even I could do better than that’. I do remember reading the Diceman though and being very pleasantly surprised by the premise of the story, it appealed to me a lot. Not the writing so much as the premise or ideas in the story. For the combination of ideas and great writing I would say Perfume and many of the stories of Edgar Allan Poe had an influence on me. I love Poe’s vocabulary. As I’m not based in the UK right now I like to read books that are based in England and set the scene for your imagination to latch on to.

 

 

Yes, you can write better than a lot of authors that ive read.