Writing Influences

Recently my thoughts have wandered to the many writers who have influenced my writing. Many writers, more than I can list, have helped my writing grow and expanded my horizons of how and what I write.

As I was thinking about who has influenced my writing, I wondered who influenced these writers. After all, those who influenced them, also exert an influence on me.

I asked three writers (who influence me and my writing) about who influences their writing. Here are their responses.
I loved hearing what they had to say and hope you do too.

Uma Krishnaswami writes picture books (such as Monsoon) and middle grade novels (Naming Maya). She has a wonderful blog.

"I read Rumer Godden's novel, The River, when I was about 13. Before that, it had never once occurred to me that it was possible to write a story in English and set it in India. I'd never read anything like it. Harriet in the novel was nothing like me, but in some odd way I could recognize the spaces she inhabited. Beyond a doubt, Rumer Godden was the writer who gave me permission to write.

"I grew up reading Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Dickens, Hardy, George Eliot, P.G. Wodehouse. What a motley combination! Reading and rereading every book we had in the house. I think I was learning about the shape of story. Later on I read Indian novelist and short story writer R.K. Narayan, whose marvelous fictional town of Malgudi had a specific kind of resonance that I'm still trying to work out, and Ruskin Bond whose loving depiction of India's hill country is nothing short of inspirational.

"Throw Salman Rushdie into that mix--not his adult novels, but Haroun and the Sea of Stories, which is about as perfect a fantastic fable as I can think of. I'm delighted to hear that there is now going to be a sequel. Rushdie's essays have greatly informed how I think about my refusal to choose, my sense that one shouldn't have to make cultural choices in writing, but instead let all one's influences combine, even when the combinations seem odd ones."

Margaret Bechard writes middle grade and young adult fiction. (Her books include Hanging onto Max.)

“I think I would say, first of all, and kind of obviously, I've been influenced by every book and every story I've read. Or had read to me. We had a set of "classic" children's books when I was little . . . and my mom read those out loud to me when I was like five or six. So Black Beauty. Alice in Wonderland. Heidi. And then I read a lot myself. Good stuff: the Narnia books, Winnie the Pooh, Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Treasure Island, Alice in Wonderland . . . But a lot of not so great stuff, too: Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys and Enid Blyton's Adventure books--I loved those books--and all the Black Stallion books. And then of course all the stuff you read as you get older and become an English major.

"Another influence for me has been my critique group. I joined when I was just starting out. I hadn't published anything. I'd barely ever finished anything. But meeting with this group of wonderful writers--Susan Fletcher, Ellen Howard, David Gifaldi, Carmer Bernier Grand, Eric Kimmel, Eloise Jarvis McGraw, to name just a few of them--having them comment on my writing and listening to their stories, made me a better writer. They kept me honest. They gave me something to aspire to. They kept me writing.

"And I have to say that I really think another big influence has been my kids. Partly because they gave me story ideas--as Katharine Patterson says, they gave me something to write about. But also because I think in some ways I wrote for them. I wanted to capture a bit of them on the page, maybe? Before they grew up and slipped away? But also, I had their voices in the back of my head. I was trying to write something they might want to read.”

Rose Green writes young adult fantasy novels.

“I'd say that Madeleine L'Engle is a huge influence because interesting stuff happens to relatable characters, and at the same time, there's meat that means something. And, she wrote back to me when I was in 9th grade and had to write to someone who did what I wanted to do when I grew up. Just a few lines on the back of a brochure, but it meant a lot. Also, JK Rowling, even though I was an adult when her first book came out. She is the genius of all plot! And in a general sense, I'm very much influenced by the many mysteries I read as a kid. (Nancy Drew, Bobbsey Twins, Trixie Belden, and moving up to the adult Dorothy Sayers.) Not great literature (with the exception of Sayers, whose writing I love for many reasons), but they gave me a sense of structure. I find that my mind always wants to put a mystery in whatever I write, as well as dropping in magic somehow.”

Book Covers--which accurately depict the characters

I don’t think there is much I can add to the active conversation about book covers not accurately depicting the character on the inside of the book.

Reading in Color, Black-Eyed Susan's, and A Chair, A Fireplace and a Tea Cozy are a few of several bloggers who express their opinions. This article titled "Kids of Color and the New American Whitewashing" contains quotes from many well known authors. Justine Larbalestier recently dealt with this exact issue with her novel, Liar, and she also, in response to this latest cover controversy, posts on the topic.

Because I can't add additional insights and realize that my grumbling likely won't do much good, I decided to share a few covers, from my nearest bookshelf, which DO accurately depict the character. (There are a couple books from that shelf which I’m not including, because I suspect that the skin color was lightened.)

I realize there aren't enough books available with POC (people of color), but each and every one us can do our part by buying (and encouraging other readers to buy) a wide range of books, which include characters of different colors. I'd also, since I live overseas, want to expand this effort to books which show the wide range of cultures throughout the world, including books published by foreign publishers.

Several of the books in this picture are picture books, which leads me to ask the question: Do picture books ever have the same problem as novels? Is the color of skin ever lightened for the covers, or does the publisher decide to go a “safe” way and use animal characters?

One book stands out to me: Ballet of the Elephants. The cover shows ballet dancers with different skin colors, yet this book isn't about the dancers, it is about elephants and the choreographer George Ballanchine and the composer Igo Stravinsky. Kudos to the illustrator, Robert Andrew Parker and Roaring Book Press for a great cover.

Here is a list of the titles, authors and publishers of the books in this photo.

Every Time a Rainbow Dies by Rita Williams-Garcia. (HarperCollins)

Children of the River by Linda Crew. (Dell) (The earliest on this shelf--1989)

The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County by Janice N. Harrington. Illustrated by Shelley Jackson. (Farrar Straus and Giroux)

The White Nights of Ramadan by Maha Addasi. Illustrated by Ned Gannon (Boyds Mill)

Jingwei Filling up the Sea by Yangguang Wang. Illustrated by Jun Yu. (Dolphin press in Beijing)

Ballet of the Elephants by Leda Shubert. (Roaring Book Press)

Books by Uma Krishnaswami include: Chachaji’s Cup (illus Soumya Sitaraman); The Closet Ghosts (illustrated by Shiraaz Bhahba) both published by Children’s Book Press; Bringing Asha Home (illustrated by Jamel Akib) published by Lee and Low. Krishnaswami's cover of Monsoon (not in picture) also has a good representation of the character inside.

I asked my teen daughters about this subject, and they felt that almost all the kids they know wouldn’t let the race of a character determine if they would read the book. They also seemed surprised that this is a question. The sad fact is they said, “almost,” which means that there are a couple kids they know that would let skin color affect their choices. My kids attend an international school (their 5^th international school) and each is a type of mini-United Nations so I realize their experience might not be normal.

My article published, news, links, and my next VCFA advisor

My article, "Turn the Page," which is about page turns in picture books, was published in the January/February 2010 SCBWI Bulletin.

Uma Krishnaswami’s picture book, Chachaji's Cup can now be enjoyed as a musical, presented by the Making Books Sing company! The show can be seen in New York City and Stanford, California. Here is a schedule and venues of the performances. I wish I could attend.

Congratulations to Carrie Jones, Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) alumna, whose new novel, Captivate, debuted on the New York Times bestseller list and to Kekla Magoon, another VCFA alumna, who won the ALA Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe Award for The Rock and the River.

Highlights from January 2010 Residency--Vermont College of Fine Arts

(a photo I took of College Hall after it snowed)

My next advisor, the faculty member I’ll work closely with during the next six months, is Kathi Appelt! She is the author of The Underneath and numerous other books. This is my critical thesis semester and I’m hard at work on my first draft. I’ll also work on novel revisions and a couple picture books.

I was in a great workshop with Cynthia Leitich Smith (Cynsations blog) and Sharon Darrow. VCFA workshops are like laboratories where we examine each student's submission and discuss craft techniques.

The faculty and graduating students always give excellent lectures. There are usually a few lectures each residency that really helpful to what I’m dealing with in my writing right at that time. The incredible lectures given by Martine Leavitt (theme) and Uma Krishnaswami (voice and point of view) are still swirling in my head.

This sign popped up one day on campus.

It says: "WRITE AT YOUR OWN RISK"

It reminds me that writing takes courage.

(Photo I took of the ice skating rink on the campus green. Someone changed the word "skate" to "write")

2010--Peace and Words

In 2010 I wish
for a more peaceful world.

I think peace and words are linked.
Peace can be destroyed by words.
Peace can be created with words.

Words are powerful.
Words said, words written, stories told can change the way people view the world.

As I write I try to remember that words can create reality.

I hope everyone finds some peace this year, at least in their own lives and perhaps as they escape into a book.