How to Be an Author–Part Four: A History Lesson

One metaphor I have always enjoyed from both the visual image it plants in my brain and its message to remain humble when success arrives is– I stand on the shoulders of those who came before me. As an author I get not only the visual of being atop the cheerleaders’ pyramid but also balancing on one leg at the top of a steep pile of books.

If you’ve read my short bio in the About Me section of this website, you’ll have discovered the names of five authors of young adult novels who have influenced me. Mark Twain is by far the oldest and most famous. Stephen Chbosky‘s romance The Perks of Being a Wallflower centers around mental health, while John Green in The Fault in Our Stars and Jesse Andrews in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl portray romance in the face of physical illness. Rainbow Rowell uses multiple points of view to convey the romance between Eleanor and Park. Clicking on any of the author’s names will take you to his or her website.

It is not my intention to make you think I read nothing but young adult novels. Although they occupy much of my reading time, I was not always familiar with the categorization of this genre. As an elementary and middle school teacher, I spent time teaching some of this literature as well as what is referred to as children and middle grade books. However, I never thought of this collection of stories and books as a separate genre.

Last April, I had the good fortune of attending Literary Orange, a conference sponsored by the Orange County Public Libraries. Many fine authors discussed various topics. Among these authors was a young woman who grew up on Long Island near where my daughter went to law school, and attended the Iowa Writers’ Program near where my other daughter went to college. Julia Fierro enjoyed sharing stories about her hometown and the famous writing program. Her second book, The Gypsy Moth Summer, turned out to be filled with intrigue and inspiration.

Tod Goldberg discussed plot development at the October meeting of the Southern California Writer’s Association. A mystery writer, he wrote the series on which the hit television series “Burn Notice” is based. During his presentation he provided me with a number of insights into writing and the SCWA membership. It turned out he and I were the only Jews in a room full of writers. Who knew? He included a remark about it in the inscription in the novel I purchased. Gangsterland tells the story of a mobster who becomes a rabbi. The book is filled with tension and humor.

Be sure to check out Julia and Tod’s websites and their books to find out what kind of literature I enjoy when I’m not reading young adult. I hope this blog has provided some insight into whose shoulders I stand upon. Please share some of your favorite reads, young adult and otherwise.