This title is slightly misleading as it may suggest that only ten books have ever had an affect on me, which is simply not true. Every book I read has some sort of affect on me whether it's annoyance, joy or terror.
The reason I bring this up is because I was nominated by a friend to post ten books on Facebook that have affected me at some point in my life. I don't usually do this sort of thing but I'ma huge advocate for sharing our opinions on books, getting people reading and, to be honest, I am actually quite interested to see what books have had an affect on other people! Like any avid reader, choosing ten books out of my entire life was difficult and I'm sure this list could change at any moment but when I wrote it earlier these were the ones that stuck out in my mind for one reason or another. So, in no particular order.... 1. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl Okay, so this one is always going to be number one for me because it was the first novel I ever read by myself. Without speaking out loud. This was a big achievement for my seven year old self (I think I was seven, maybe I was eight) and I instantly fell in love with Dahl's story telling. As soon as I finished the book I was desperate to get my hands on another, resulting in a life long love affair with books. 2. The Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling I dare you to find a child who has read these books who is completely ambivalent towards them. It's impossible. Just waiting for these books to be published was a time full of emotion as I, like millions of other children, couldn't handle the anticipation or excitement that came with the waiting. Rowling had created such an immersive and unique world that I'm pretty sure this is where my love of fantasy truly began. 3. The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins Admittedly, I was a little older than the target audience when I read these books but, despite being classed as YA novels, plenty of adults place them among their all time favourites. After finishing Mockingjay , I experienced a book hangover like no other. I truly didn't know what to do with myself. I tried reading other books in the same genre and they just didn't compete, which came as a huge surprise to me as, in all honesty, I wasn't expecting a great deal from the books. 4. 1984 by George Orwell Again, who could possibly read this book and not be affected by it?! Until I read this book, every story I had read until then had had a happy ending or at least a satisfying ending. But not with this one. The characters were truly trapped in a way I had never experienced before and by the time I finished it I just wanted to hide the book in a dark place and never read it again. 5. One Day by David Nicholls This may come as a surprise considering the books that seem to affect me most are either dystopias or those in the fantasy genre. However, I don't think I have ever related to a character as much as I have related to Emma in this book. I always find characters that I like in books but it's very rare that I actually feel like a writer has captured some part of me in his or her work and at some points I feel like Mr. Nicholls has momentarily popped inside my head and stolen a few of my thoughts and feelings without me knowing. 6. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini I had to read this as part of my AS Level English Literature course and this was the first time that I'd read anything with obvious political statements. I was still at that time where I was teetering between YA novels and dipping in to more grown up stories. In a similar way to 1984, I couldn't quite get my head around how difficult it was for these characters to break out of their situations and this terrified me. These events were set in recent times and I don't think a book had ever really forced me to think about political issues in the same way that this one did. 7. Station Eleven by Emily St. John MandelThis is one of the most recent books I've read (and you can see my views on it here) so I feel that it's quite a feat for it to end up on this list. Unlike other dystopian books I've read, this one feels the most real and likely to happen. The story shifts between days before civilization falls and twenty years later, highlighting just how much we're set to lose if we're not careful. I've always been a bit terrified about how much we rely on technology (especially myself, I always find myself on the verge of tears if it looks like my laptop has died) and this book has captured all of those fears within its pages and more. 8. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood I feel that as someone who wants to write I should always be looking for books with captivating sentences and carefully selected words but I always end up picking something with a story that appeals to me instead. I know I should be more in to literary fiction but I'm not. However, Atwood is a true master of both of these aspects of story telling and in this book she provides a unique story with cleverly manipulated words that implore you to read on. This book hit me from the start and even thinking about it now brings back the chills that the story initially gave me. 9. Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman I know I said that my first experience with real life politics was with A Thousand Splendid Suns but really it was with this book, it was just made a lot easier for teenage me to understand. So many ideas are packed in to this story and from start to finish I was an emotional wreck. I vividly remember finishing this book in the back of my parents' car on a sunny afternoon and having no idea what to do with myself. The whole family was trying to figure out how to get to this certain pub and all I wanted to do was scream "YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S JUST HAPPENED! HOW CAN YOU BE SO IGNORANT RIGHT NOW?!" 10. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger This was also one of the first 'grown up' books I read as a late teenager and I fell in love with it straight away. The relationships between all of the characters, not just Claire and Henry, were fascinating and heart breaking in equal measure and Niffenegger's incredible structure introduced me to a whole new way of story telling. I was completely entranced by these people and the idea that they knew that their lives were always going to be intertwined but they fully embraced it. I defy anyone with a heart not to love this book. So those are my ten (for now, it will no doubt change in a week or two) and I've found that it's been almost therapeutic to talk about them. But, then again, books are meant to push our emotions and question the world and so it's imperative that we talk about them. Therefore, I would love to hear what books you would put on your list (like I said, I' a bit nosey when it comes to people's book preferences!)
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I don't know many writers and those that I do know are yet to be published or have their work widely known. However, I do know that we all have different approaches to writing and yet we all feel the unique and consuming pressure that writing brings. Even when you're not a world renowned author or even have the slightest inclination for other people to read your work, I can guarantee that if you enjoy writing you constantly feel pressure over the words you select and the story you choose to tell.
Whilst writing Enkindled I was constantly asking myself if a certain plot was the right way to go or if my character should look a certain way to represent a certain group of people or even if I should go against the grain entirely just for the sake of it. And don't even get me started on choosing characters' names! I have always known that I have had this tendency to question everything I do but when I began writing my latest book, an idea that I'd had for years and seemed unable to escape, I was shocked to learn that I could actually write instinctively. I only had the smallest of ideas to begin with, which is a scary thing in itself as there are so many avenues you can go down when you only have the bare bones of a concept, but as I began to think of characters, settings and plots I found that rather than questioning myself I just wrote what felt right. Of course, I still question plots and characters (especially their bloody names) but what writer with any worth doesn't do that? However, as the plot has grown and threatens to become its own, ever evolving monster, I have thoroughly enjoyed just going with whatever I think suits the story. The problem with fantasy is that it is such an established genre with its own rules and worlds that it's difficult to create a unique story that still appeals to those that like to get lost in that universe. I think the answer to this dilemma is to just forget about the people who might read it and focus on the person who is definitely going to read it: myself. I like the world I'm creating, the characters I'm falling in love with and a story that seems to be taking on its own life without much help from me. I'm excited to see where it goes and, even though I've planned the whole thing, as soon as I start typing away just a single line of dialogue or description can make me think about the entire plot in a new way. Writing instinctively may be risky in that I'm not sticking to a tried and tested formula or even a rigid plan but writing something that I'm not completely happy with (or at least mostly happy with, who is ever completely happy with their work?!) will be a reward in itself. I still like Enkindled but when an idea takes over and demands to be written what else can you do but just go with your gut? Things are quite exciting for me at the moment as I've managed to land myself a very nice job and so I have to move away from my childhood home once again. With this comes the inevitable task of packing, which always seems to coincide with me finally realising that I need to throw away a lot of things that for years I have convinced myself I still need. Yes, my name is Ellie Rees and I'm a hoarder. A book hoarder in particular.
Like most people who love books the idea of throwing them out feels like a crime and so the only other option I have is to either sell them or give them to charity. Either way, I have to part with them and its one of the toughest break ups you can go through. If I had my way I would have kept every single book I've ever owned in an underground library but it's very hard to find houses with that kind of special feature and my mum would only turn in to a lounge, anyway. However, I've been going through a lot of the books that I had as a teen today just to double check that I was certain about giving them away. I haven't read them for years but books like Louise Rennison's Georgia Nicholls series and numerous Jacqueline Wilson books were staples for me growing up and I re-read them numerous times. I understand how many people like me would want to hold on to them no matter what, convince themselves that they'll give them to their children one day or even read the books themselves. But I've realised that as much as I want a massive underground library one day, passing on a story is something very special and unique. It's not like giving someone a piece of jewelry; a book has the potential to change how someone thinks or views the world and, quite often, the reason we can't part with a book is because it has affected us so much. So I've given myself a rule; if I think about giving the book away and too many memories come flooding back or the idea truly upsets me, then I keep it BUT if I feel that I can give the book away, hoping that someone else will gain something from it, then I put it in the charity bag. Some books like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (the first novel I ever read) or Harry Potter (the book that affirmed my love of reading) or One Day (a book with a character that I identified with like no other) I know that I couldn't give away even though I could quite easily buy another copy. Your copy of a book that influenced you so much is always going to be tied up with those emotions unlike the crisp copies you'll see in Waterstones. And I think that's great, books are all about emotions, but if you can bring yourself to part with a good book, even if it's just to lend it to someone, who knows what you'll be sparking. Otherwise I suggest an e-reader, they're easier to store and no one will expect you to lend them your copy of a book. Every once in a while a book comes along and totally blows you away. This is that book.
Station Eleven isn't out until September but I was lucky enough to get a copy due to a work placement I had with Pan Macmillan a month ago. However, I couldn't wait until then to talk about it and think that everyone who reads this blog should pre-order it right now! The plot of the book focuses on several characters and their relationships before and after a deadly disease called the Georgia Flu wipes out 99% of the human population. I know that dystopian novels aren't exactly hard to come by these days but I promise you that this is in a different league. That's not to say that I don't love those kind of stories (Hunger Games fangirls represent) but I like the approach that Mandel has taken with this book in that it focuses on a set of people rather than the problem at large, which is that civilization has collapsed and there's no way of rebuilding it. The concept is terrifying; there is no electricity, no phones, no cars and very few people to try and fix the problem. The only thing that these characters can do is live and try not to kill or be killed along the way. A common phrase used throughout the book is a quote from Star Trek: "Survival is inefficient," which leads us on to the Travelling Symphony. The Symphony are a group of people that travel through a deserted North America performing Shakespeare plays to anyone who is happy to welcome them in to their so called town. Considering that most of the population now live in disused fast food restaurants, the word "town" is probably an exaggeration. These characters are the crux of the book and it is through them that we see what life has now become for those that have survived. There seems to be nothing to live for but their audiences relish their visits and Mandel elegantly points out that if and when the end of the world does happen what is it that we're going to cling to? Our "stuff" or the people around us? There's also a rather questionable character called the prophet who is the perfect creepy character but I'm not going to say anymore about him because he's too important to the book and I don't want to ruin it for you! Much like Margret Atwood, Mandel has left the dramatics and fight for civilization to other authors and the big Hollywood blockbusters, which are often referenced in the book in the hope of making the characters feel better but this seldom works. She has examined what it means to survive in a world where technology and the ease that it brings to our lives is so natural that even the idea of being without it terrifies us. Every sentence in this book is gripping and thought provoking and even if you're not a sci-fi loving, dystopian genre addicted reader you will still thoroughly enjoy it and, hopefully, be desperate to pass it on! If any of you have ever Googled writing tips for aspiring authors you will probably read on every list that pops up that you should write, no matter for how short a period of time, every day.
I'm not saying this is bad advice at all, it's brilliant. Athletes, dancers, footballers, bodybuilders and so much more usually train six days a week as minimum in order to perfect their technique and writers can definitely do the same if they want to improve on their command of language. However, does every aspiring author have the time for this? I've been feeling quite guilty lately as I've been doing a lot of shifts in the hotel where I work and a few of them have involved five am starts, which means that by the time I finish at three o'clock I can just about drive home and lie down on the sofa. Therefore, not only am I physically exhausted but after a full day of being nice to customers and catering to their every need my brain just needs to shut down and chill, it's not really in the mood to develop characters and plot lines. I'm sure that there are a lot of would-be writers in the same position as me; we'd love to spend our time writing and writing but we need to earn money or put the washing on or anything else that daily life throws at you. Finding the time to sit down without any distractions and let your imagination run wild can be difficult and when you do find that time it can often feel very contrived and pressurised if you've waited so long for it. Therefore, you're not exactly at your optimum creativity level. That being said, I can see the argument by those people who think that if you're determined to become a writer, like those people who wake up at silly o'clock in the morning to get down to the track or jump in the pool, you should make time to practice your craft and continue to do so until you decide it's no longer for you. Like anything in life, you won't get better at something or achieve your goals if you don't even attempt to make time for it. At the moment I'm very busy with my current job whilst looking for a full time role that uses my degree, which can be a job in itself. I adore writing and treasure whatever time I can spare to do it but I have to be realistic and, right now, I need to build a career until an agent realises that they simply cannot let Enkindled out of their clutches. Finding the balance is hard but I'm not going to stop and if I can fit in ten minutes here and there of writing or even come up with a new idea for a story on my lunch break I'll be more than happy. I read this book a little while a go but I don't think that enough people know about it so I thought I'd just pop it on my blog and share a few of my thoughts with you.
Like the majority of my favourite books this one has a fantasy element to it in the form of magic, wizards, vampires and the rivers of London actually being real life "people". As well as this awesome mixture of fantastical beings the book is set in London, my spiritual home and one of the best cities in the world. So, all in all, it has pretty much everything I could ever want from a story. Peter Grant is a PC in the Metropolitan Police and desperate to play with the big boys, despite not noticing the vital clues that make up a crime scene and could potentially solve the case. One night he is helping out on a case in Covent Garden and meets a ghost, as you do, and is soon introduced to the hidden magical world of the city and the secret branch of the Met that no one knows about. Grant is soon thrown in to numerous cases that have a magical influence over them and must learn not only to deal with these cases properly but also to become a trained wizard himself. I don't want to say much more because the story is a mystery at its heart and the less you know the more you will enjoy it. After all, what's the point in a mystery if you already know the elements that make it up? The narration and dialogue are naturally witty, not a single line seems out of place or self indulgent, which makes the book an absolute pleasure to read. In addition to this every single character is unique and intriguing in their own way, particularly DCI Nightingale who is Grant's mentor throughout and doesn't seem to understand the modern world in which he currently lives. What I liked most about this book is that despite it being place din the fantasy genre it doesn't forget its setting. The way the characters speak to each other and the reactions that they have to the ridiculous situations that they find themselves in are exactly how you would expect normal people, never mind Londoners, to react. There is no flowery language or an attempt to be the next King Arthur, these are just a couple of police officers trying to settle a few magical disputes across London. I mean, really, what more could you want from a book? Absolutely everyone on the planet, particularly the British population, has a visit from The Doubt Monster. It is a grey, messy beast that feeds off your knock backs in life and excretes uncertainty all over your brain until you're not even sure if that cup of tea you just drank was a good idea. Coincidentally, I did just drink a cup of tea and it was a good idea.
Like most writers my book has been rejected by a few agencies by now, which wasn't a huge surprise by any means, and my quest to find a job that makes me feel like I have some purpose in life is proving futile in the extreme. I just don't know what to do or to feel to be perfectly honest. In terms of my book, The Doubt Monster is rampant in its hunger to put me off selling it to more book agencies. "Are you sure this is good enough?" It asks, "Do you really think you're meant to be a writer? Maybe you should try something else, although that might fail, too." All in all, I've been asking myself a lot of questions recently about my book and whether I should make some serious changes to the plot and characters or even if I should continue to try and get it published. Rejection is par for the course when it comes to writing, I know that. But when it feels like everything you have applied for over the past six months, both jobs and agents, has been with energy and vigor and is basically amounting to nothing it's hard not to feel a little down. In my heart of hearts I still adore my idea for Enkindled and I just hope that there is one person out there who is willing to take a chance on it. I'm always open to developing and changing its concept, providing that I approve of the suggestions, and so I know that I have to keep telling myself not to give up. I do have other ideas I wish to explore, as mentioned in a previous post, and there is one that I'm giving some serious thought to as writing as a book. Although this feels like I might be giving up on Enkindled, I know that I have to get it written down and who knows what will come of that? It might turn out to be rubbish, it could be my best work yet but it could also inspire new ways to approach Enkindled. Everyone has their down moments in life, particularly those of us who consider ourselves to be creative types, but, for me, I think the best way to fend off The Doubt Monster for as long as possible is to just keep writing about the things that I love. I know that I want to be a published writer more than anything and the only way that can happen is if I write something, stopping now when I'm just getting started would be a resounding victory for The Doubt Monster and we just can't have that. I'm not really a romance novel kinda gal, as a teenager I think I overloaded on books about quirky teen girls looking for love with the too-cool-for-school guy and ever since my interests have been more in the fantasy or sci-fi genre. That's not to say that I don't like a nice love story, one of my favourite books is One Day by David Nicholls, I just prefer it when the writer brings something new to the genre. Otherwise it's just a lot of 'Will they, won't they?' and 'Do I even care that much? I know they're going to get together, anyway.'
To put it plainly I like contemporary love stories to either be unconventional and unique or to be surrounded by a great futuristic battle or the like. The Rosie Project was the former and did it brilliantly. Our protagonist, Don Tillman, is a socially awkward genetics professor who wants to find a wife but doesn't really possess the life skills needed for such a venture and so begins something called 'The Wife Project.' Unsurprisingly, Don has a very strict criteria of what he wants in a potential mate and no one seems to quite match it. In comes Rosie, a young woman in search of her biological father who doesn't tick a single one of Don's boxes but manages to turn his world upside down. What could possibly happen?! I won't spoil the ending for you but I'm sure anyone who has ever read more than one book can figure it out. Although the ending is pretty clear from the get go the journey to arrive there is great fun. Don's various unsuccessful encounters with the opposite sex are both hilarious and heart breaking. As I said, the ending is obvious, so when he goes on these many dates it's best not to get too frustrated with him and just enjoy the ride. Simsion's words are always spot on and caused me to smile at the text numerous times. In addition to the lovable but sometimes infuriating Don, there is a brilliant cast of secondary characters that provide him with the situations to woo Rosie without him realising, most notably on their quest to find her biological father. Even though the plot may seem a bit far-fetched Simsion weaves in his cast of extras perfectly so that you don't question the story too much. I read one review that labelled this book as 'Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory looks for a wife' and I think that is the perfect way to sum up this book. It's silly, it's funny and, yes, it's romantic in its own way. Love may be one of the major themes but, thankfully, due to Don's character it's not described with long, overly descriptive poems or screaming out in anguish in the middle of a thunder storm. It is approached in a fairly clinical way and yet, somehow, the book doesn't reduce its importance. If you're looking for a straight forward approach to love with a few laughs along the way then this is definitely the book for you. I have a confession to make. I'm having an affair. With a Word document.
Recently there have been a few writing competitions that I have come across, which I have been keen to enter, and so I have written a couple of short stories in addition to the sequel that I'm working on. However, I've found that I've loved working on these small projects and the idea of writing more short stories to explore some of the other ideas I have is very enticing. The only problem is that I feel like I'm cheating on my novel, which I feel should be taking priority in terms of my writing time. If I'm serious about getting my books published then, surely, I should be spending as much of my time on them as possible, right? When it came to writing the first book this was definitely the case but I think part of me feels that there is less pressure when it comes to the second book because, let's face it, I haven't even got an agent for the first book, yet. This means that I don't necessarily even have to write it, I'm just doing it because I enjoy doing so and really do love the characters and story that I've created in the first book. This is probably why I've allowed myself to spend some time writing whatever comes in to my brain and getting lost in new worlds filled with new people. There is always the risk that delving in to something new and shiny with bucket loads of potential is going to distract me from my current, prolonged work and, in the end, it turns out to be a dud that I wasted time on. Even though I do feel guilty at times for working on other projects I'm starting to accept that it's perfectly fine to do so because, as a writer, there's nothing worse than an idea that refuses to leave your mind. It will stick around for weeks, posing questions and seemingly creating its own characters until you get it down on paper and give it the structure it deserves. Having lots of ideas can't be a bad thing, can it? Enkindled may be the project I'm most focused on now but, hopefully, when I'm finished with it there will be a desire from people to read something new and I'd like to be able to fulfill it. So, even though affairs very rarely end well, I'm going to continue with mine with the mindset that it's just a bit of fun on the side as long as I come home to the world that I've loved for so long. So I've sent my book off to an agent (eek!) and eagerly await their reply. In an odd way I'm looking forward to the rejection letters that are likely to come as, to me, it means that I'm at least on my way in to the writing world. And, of course, if I do ever get published I can remind said agents that they rejected my masterpiece (I would never do that, I'm too worried about karma/I'm too much of a wimp.)
Anyway, now that my book has been sent off I've been feeling a bit lost as to what to write next. I've been writing down ideas for future projects but my mind is very much focused on my book series and I just can't wait to crack on. I know how it's all going to end and I've got a plan for the bits in between, which will probably change but at least I have a plan for now, and so all I want to do is write it. I have started writing a very poor first draft but from my experience with my first book the first draft is always naff and then after it's been obsessed over for months everything turns out all right in the end. I'm really enjoying it so far but at the back of my head all I keep thinking is: "Am I jinxing this?" By writing the rest of the series am I setting myself up for a fall? If you've read any of my previous posts (which you should do, they're bloody marvelous) you will know that I'm quite careful about how I talk about myself and my writing. I want to seem confident but not too confident and I do worry that writing the sequel to my book, which hasn't even been picked up yet let alone published, means that I'm getting a bit cocky. However, I REALLY LOVE WRITING STORIES and so I feel that it's perfectly acceptable for me to jump right in to the next one. If all goes well, I have a sequel ready to edit and rewrite and if it doesn't then I've created something that I've enjoyed. It doesn't bother me that I may have written a complete novel that needs to be changed, if a publisher wants to publish it then I'll do pretty much whatever they want but if I haven't enjoyed the process then that will bother me. I'm creating stories that I'm really passionate about and would like to read myself. Yes, I want to be published but if I let the business of writing and all of its possible outcomes get inside my head I may never type or write another word, again. Therefore, I'm plowing on with my sequel and no one can stop me! |
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