7 Books I’ve Gotten Inspiration From as a Writer

As every writer knows, sometimes you come across a book that just hits differently. You can read ten good stories, but there’s something about that one that sticks out to you. That inspires you as an author.

The following books are seven of the books which have most inspired me as a writer. You’ll notice many of them are older books, classics even. This is mainly because this is what I read most of my school years. Only within the past four or five years have I actually actively sought out newer books. I assume this list will grow as I find more good newer ones, as well.

Book One: Anne of Green Gables

This book was probably my favorite book as a grade schooler. When I got the full series a little before I became a middle schooler, I really loved it. In fact, Walter Blythe is one of my top favorite fictional characters ever to this day.

My earliest “novel” (written by grade-school me) was inspired by Anne of Green Gables–and was pretty much a knock-off with an orphan girl who didn’t like her hair color–only my character ran away after being bullied and started a group of other orphaned kids who worked together. But then she came back home and everything was okay? I think? I actually enlarged it into a series as I got into middle school, trying to make it more historical, and even wrote a World War One story (you know, like the actual Anne series). Or, at least, I tried to. I doubt I got any historical details right, haha!

Book Two: True to the Last

This book. This is the book that inspired me to really write, and gave me such a passion for it. I read it when I was eleven–and the emotions. I’m not an emotional reader. A scant few books can make me feel like crying–once or twice maybe I’ve shed a tear or two–but I’ve never quite had a book make me bawl as hard as this one did. In fact, I’ve been unable to pick it up again since. The author’s ability to create such an emotional story so amazed me, I can only aspire to reach that level of emotion in my own writing.

Of course, maybe if I read it now, as an adult, it wouldn’t be as sad? But I have a really hard time imagining that just because of the plot in the book. Still. It impacted me so much then, and I still aspire to reach that level in my own writing.

There’s not really a specific story of my own this inspired like the Anne books did above–but I like to say this book is what made me want to be a published writer, so I could impact people like this author’s story impacted me. So it technically inspired all my stories, in a way.

Book Three: In Freedom’s Cause

In Freedom’s Cause was the second book I read with my dad and brother in G.A. Henty’s historical series during high-school, and, along with the fourth book I’ll mention below which I was reading at the same time, this book hugely inspired my favorite ever series I’ve written, and helped me discover I really enjoyed writing fantasies inspired by historical events and set in the medieval times, with little to no magic.

Being inspired by In Freedom’s Cause meant that my story was hugely inspired by the First War of Scottish Independence. While set in a fantasy kingdom, this was very largely the case. I even added in some hints towards the romantic subplot and family feuding lightly touched on in this book (as G.A Henty focused more on the historical aspects than plot).

Book Four: The Prisoner of Zenda

I read this book around the same time as In Freedom’s Cause for a school writing curriculum. And while I didn’t care for the romance, I loved everything else about the story. Its fantasy location, the castles and sword fights–and dare I mention the dramatically awesome Rupert of Hentzau? Yes, I styled my villains after Rupert and I’m unashamed to admit it. My favorite villain ever.

And yes, mixed with In Freedom’s Cause, this book helped inspire my huge and most favorite series I’ve written thus far and helped me find my sweet spot in genre and setting.

Book Five: Le Morte d’Arthur

If you’ve been around my blog for any extent of time, you know I couldn’t go without mentioning this epic. Yes, I have a retelling, and you could say that’s what this classic inspired, but there’s more than that. Some fascinating stories, characters, and concepts in Le Morte d’Arthur which have inspired several of my ideas are:

• The brotherhood of the Orkney brothers and all the internal drama between them.
• The Orkney brothers’s family blood feud with Pellinor’s family.
• Sir Galahad, Elaine of Corbenic, and the Grail Quest.
• The eventual fall of Camelot because of the disintegration of Lancelot and Gawain’s friendship.

Book Six: Defy the Night

This is one of my two newer books on my list, and this is my current favorite novel. It’s got everything, political intrigue, medieval fantasy setting, and no magic–and my favorite, a great brotherly relationship! Pretty much everything I love in a book, this one has! (I can’t recommend the other books in the series though due to content issues).

This book inspired my romantasy I am currently writing–and worked as a comp title for one of my already-completed manuscripts I wrote well before ever reading this book. It’s probably going to inspire other elements and scenes in future stories as well.

Book Seven: The Wars of the Roses

My current read and the only non-fiction book on this list is this awesome history book on the Wars of the Roses. The author lays out the events in a fun, creative way which is easy to understand, and–the drama. As someone who gets inspiration from history (and look forward to a future post of historical events I’ve gotten inspiration from!) this book is so helpful and fun. And I’m only about a third of the way through it, as of the time of writing this post. I’ve also gotten his book on the Plantagenets, which is next on my to-read list!

Obviously, this book has inspired my most recent plot bunny mentioned in my second-quarter writing update, and I know will probably inspire more down the road as well, since the Wars of the Roses are a collection of such huge and complex historical events.

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Well, these are seven of the books which have helped inspire me as a writer. What about you? If you’re a reader, what books have inspired you in different areas of your life? If you’re a writer, what books have inspired your writing? Let me know in the comments below, and God bless! ~ Kay Adelin