I have heard the phrase, "Write what your read," repeated continuously in workshops and instruction books. However, I find this phrase insufficient for explaining why authors write their types of fiction. The phrase should be, "Write what interest you."
After listening to and reading different author's origin tales, I found a common ingredient - their early reading interest. Patricia Briggs (of the Mercy Thompson series) once said that she loved reading folklore, not necessarily fairytales, but oral stories of magic and her family was always telling stories. Chris Colfer said in an interview that he grew up being read fairytales and often wondered what happened to the characters after the story ended or how the story would have been told from another character's point of view (resulting in the Land of Stories series).
So, I had to ask myself, "What do I remember reading or being read when I was growing up?" Well, I remember Dr. Suess, specifically
The Sleep Book,
Need a House? Call Ms. Mouse!, great books about historical people, and finally,
The Hobbit. I don't really remember fairytales or nursery rhymes, but I remember
The Hobbit. My mom read me a chapter a night when I was in the first grade and I loved it. I read the
Babysitters Club like it was cotton candy and the
Boxcar Children.
Nancy Drew was a definite favorite. Then in the sixth grade I felt like I graduated to adult literature when my mom convinced me to read
The Color Purple.
What can this tell me about my reading/writing habits now?
The Sleep Book - I would always ask for this book when I was tired or sick because I loved the silliness of the words. It is also a journey book in which different cultures and species experience sleep in different ways.
Need a House? Call Ms. Mouse! - This is a beautiful book, wonderfully illustrated. The idea of animals needed homes of their own and each home unique to the habit and nature of the animal was inspiring. Though these habitats were inspired by animals the designs of their homes had distinctively human characteristics.
The Hobbit - Mom started reading me this because she wanted to read something that she was interested in and thought I would like it too. I completely opened my imagination and explains so much about why I love fantasy fiction.
The Babysitters Club - My first real girl power book about a group of girls in middle school who get together and form a business out of something many girl do, babysitting. All the girls were different, from artsy Claudia to tomboy Kristy and shy Marianne. This is also when I fell in love with the idea of books as a series because I always wanted to know what happened next. When I read stand alone books I was disappointed that there wasn't another book with those characters or in that world.
The Boxcar Children - This was another kid power book but historically based. Their self sufficiency is what attracted me to the book. They also take care of each other and have a strong family support system even though they feel they have been abandoned by the rest of the world. And once again it is a series.
Nancy Drew - Serial female mystery solver with suspense galore, need I say more.
The Boxcar Children ended up being a kind of mystery series too, but Nancy Drew was a real sleuth. She lived with her dad and had a boyfriend and best friends who helped her. But ultimately, Nancy Drew was quite independent.
The Color Purple - I don't know of many mothers who would want their young daughter to read a book where the opening paragraph begins with an incestuous rape. But I remember that was the first book that hooked me with the opening ling, "
You better not never tell nobody but God." The cadence of speech captured my interest immediately and then to read that this happened to someone only a few years older than me made the story stick with me. I developed a real empathy for female protagonist who are abused but become strong, who are outsiders in their own families so they create their own.
These are the corner stones of my reading/writing journey.
Word Count: 689
Edits: 2
