Whenever someone asks me who my favorite author is, I give
them an automated response- Stephen King. Before I read his books, I had read
many young adult books with my favorite being the Fear Street series by R.L.
Stine. Yes, I was obsessed with horror/mystery books since then because these
books incited an emotion in me. They pulled me into the mystery, leaving me
gasping and wanting more. I would read a whole novella in one day with my
favorite snack just an arm's length away- those were the days, since it has
been years since I've cozied up with a good book.
Before I digress further, let me get to the point. The
second I laid my hands on a Stephen King book (Misery), I couldn't think of picking up any other book. His books
were raw, free and real. He got into the depths of the characters minds and
made them three dimensional. It made me wonder what I was even reading before. No
other author had made his characters so real, deranged and sympathetic.
I had to read everything that he wrote and at the bookstore
I would just head to aisle labeled S or K or Horror. I was simply mesmerized by
his realism and his ideas and to feel scared as I ventured into one of his
horror books. True story- I actually had nightmares reading Salem's Lot and another short story
whose title I cannot remember.
After a couple of years, I decided to become a writer and
Stephen King became my imaginary mentor. I tried to write Horror, but found
myself drawn to writing dark fiction. I wrote tirelessly and prepared my first
manuscript 'Repeated Lives'.
All the while I was writing it, I kept wondering why I couldn't
write a Horror story like Stephen King. The answer didn't come to me until
years later.
Yes, Stephen King's books fascinated me, though to be honest
his later works don't have the same allure his older works did. It then hit me,
that though the novellas and classics I had read in my childhood and teenage
years weren't as real as the Stephen King books, they had their own draw that
had gotten me fascinated with fiction in the first place.
Though I didn't have dreams about the stories I had read,
they had given me hours of amusement and transported me into a glorious world
of mystery laced with betrayal. I had to write those kind of books as well.
That led me to think back further to the classics that had
amused me as a child when I had read the abridged versions of the splendid
literature that still occupy my bookshelf. And that made me remember another
great author who lived in my subconscious mind.
Anna Sewell- the author of Black Beauty - was inspirational to me as well. I must have read
Black Beauty several times over the years, enthralled by horses and the lives
they lead and of the struggles they face. What enraptured me even more was
Anna's story.
The author had suffered an injury in her ankles as a child
that may have caused her weakness as she grew older. She had to take the horse
cabs to travel and from there she drew the inspiration to write her novel. Her
sympathy for the horses compelled her to work on one of the best classics ever.
She presumably worked on the book for close to six years,
even though her health was failing. At times she was too tired to work on the
novel, but so persistent was she to tell the story that she persevered and had
her Mother help her write the story.
The novel was completed and sold to a publisher after which
it became an instant success. Anna was fortunate to see her hard work pay off
and enjoy the success of her book that inspired many to treat their horses
kindly. Her goal to stop the mistreatment of horses was achieved through her
heartwarming story.
A few months later she died, but her struggle to work on
this novel and expose people to the treatment of the horses was inspiring.
Every time I suffer a writer's block or waver away from my
goal to be a successful writer, I think of Anna and how she persevered regardless
of her failing health. If she could endure then why can't I?
So the next time someone asks me who my favorite author is,
I should take a pause and think of who inspired me to write and who encouraged
me to persevere.
Images taken from wikipedia
Comments
Post a Comment