A lit story or author that influenced you

[lovecraft68]

Alwayswantedto was a great writer and tremendous inspiration.

I read his stuff, and it was like I found something I loved but didn’t think could exist.

I started writing some things, and a few stories in, I wrote one that drew some heavy darts. Discouraging blows.

Next thing I know, alwayswantedto messages me to tell me how much he liked my story and my writing. I am so thankful I got a chance to thank him and let him know how much his writing and his words meant to me.

Great guy.

The person was even better than the stories, the way he would reach out to tell other authors how much he enjoyed their work and encouraging them. I noticed he seemed to have a fondness for stories that took some heat-often because they were a little darker or more serious than the typical "yay mom sex!" stuff, some of his had some dark undertones and not always HEA.

His Pm to me was on a story that a lot of people were saying was just to serious and depressing. I think those comments were why he reached out to people, to tell them not to worry and you were doing just fine.

 

[jack30341]

The person was even better than the stories, the way he would reach out to tell other authors how much he enjoyed their work and encouraging them. I noticed he seemed to have a fondness for stories that took some heat-often because they were a little darker or more serious than the typical "yay mom sex!" stuff, some of his had some dark undertones and not always HEA.

His Pm to me was on a story that a lot of people were saying was just to serious and depressing. I think those comments were why he reached out to people, to tell them not to worry and you were doing just fine.

So very true. Thanks for sharing this.

 

[Abbafan]

I have to post one more, and another taboo author who to many in the Mom/Son readership was the undisputed king of that genre.

Alwayswantedto.

Sadly he pulled his work a few years ago because he was terminally ill, and his family didn't know about his stories and didn't want them lying around where they could be found. Before he left I believe he was somewhere in the top 5 authors list.

I was never interested in mother/son stories until I tried some of his. I was all about brother/sister. Maybe those stories seemed more believable? He was good. His stories are still floating around out there in other places if you look around. Someone had most (all?) of them archived. Not sure if that's still the case.

 

[Abbafan]

Xarth is mine, probably. The characters in those stories are established very quickly. They have some depth for stories that aren't novel length I like the dialogue a lot too, the verbal sparring between the characters, usually brothers and sisters.

 

[SisterJezabel]

xelliebabex was a huge influence for me writing over several genres that I had never really been interested in before. She last updated her profile on here saying she had been battling cancer and then her Facebook page which she promoted on her bio here went quiet over 12 months ago

 

[jsmiam]

I admit it, I care about ratings, and I don’t care who knows. I haven’t cracked 4.8 and in spite of it just being a number, I don’t care. (You know, like ten inches? Ha ha)

So, Dreamcloud comes to mind. I can’t even quote a story name, I just occasionally click through non-series standalone stories with high scores just to see what or how they do it. And it’s hard not to end up seeing dreamcloud everywhere when you do that.

I haven’t and never did this scanning of stories in order to copy or change my writing styles. It’s just curiosity, maybe a lesson to be learned, an example of “oh, I don’t do this or I don’t do that. ) But if I’m here largely to tell if I’m any good at writing, I it means I should also be trying to learn and improve. And a score means at the very least I learned how to score higher. So I keep trying (sort of. My pace and volume of stories is slow and few) but still, I’m trying.

 

[Candy_Kane54]

My influential author on Lit is Broken Spokes. Her treatment of lesbians in the Army in her Hard Landing series inspired me to start telling my stories of being a lesbian in the USAF in the late seventies through late nineties.

 

[TheStoryTeller2342]

DanielleKitten was where I started reading. Next up was Bluedragonauthor. Those are the only names I remember from more than a decade of reading.

 

[KeithD]

It would be interesting to check on how many of these folks have been nominated for "Most Influential Writer" in Lit.'s annual poll over the years--if someone wanted to give time to do the checking. Reasons are being given on this thread that rare have been given on the poll.

 

[TxRad]

It would be interesting to check on how many of these folks have been nominated for "Most Influential Writer" in Lit.'s annual poll over the years--if someone wanted to give time to do the checking. Reasons are being given on this thread that rare have been given on the poll.

A difference in actuality over reality.

 

[HeyAll]

My influential author on Lit is Broken Spokes. Her treatment of lesbians in the Army in her Hard Landing series inspired me to start telling my stories of being a lesbian in the USAF in the late seventies through late nineties.

Impressive.

 

[PoisonPen33]

I have two.

aimingtomisbehave33's Senior Year Memories inspired me to actually start writing. The way he introduces and describes secondary characters with a paragraph or two impresses the hell out of me. He's also woven an entire universe where a reader could imagine characters living their lives beyond the published stories - breathing characters instead of static ones.

AspernEssling's writings also inspired me in how they weave an emotionally investing story, with characters who have flaws and dreams. They were also kind enough to read my entire first series and provide critical feedback that's led me to rewrite the whole thing. They also provided me with some great editing advice - "read your story out loud. You'd be surprised at the errors you catch."

 

[KeithD]

A difference in actuality over reality.

The annual poll taking on this "most influencing" is muddled by "influenced as a reader or a writer?" which aren't the same thing--in addition to, in reality, it's usually become just a campaigned personality contest. This thread focuses more on the "influenced as a writer," which is more interesting.

 

[RejectReality]

The annual poll taking on this "most influencing" is muddled by "influenced as a reader or a writer?" which aren't the same thing--in addition to, in reality, it's usually become just a campaigned personality contest. This thread focuses more on the "influenced as a writer," which is more interesting.

The exact same things were being said about Selena, DanielleKitten, DrMabeause, Alwayswantedto, Xellieibex, and others mentioned in this thread back when they were prolific and being nominated by large numbers of fans.

People ignore any possibility that they are genuinely influencing the next generation of writers simply because they're popular and have large fanbases who love them and are willing to express it.

 

[KeithD]

Oh, I've been around for a good long time, including the era of all those mentioned, and the "who influenced in what way" Lit. reader vs. Lit. author element was always there, with responders mainly have nothing written here, so they were mainly responding as readers--but not articulating in what way the writer (some of whom had practically no body of work here at all--in one case of a winner nothing in the year being covered) influenced whatever for them. This thread looks mostly to be Lit. writers talking about other Lit. writers--and giving reasons.

 

[lovecraft68]

This is not a poll.
This is not a contest
There is nothing to be won or at stake here.
The purpose is as simple as its stated post a story or author that influenced or inspired you.

If some of these people have been mentioned in recent annual awards then I guess its because they are influential and this reinforces their merit.

Guess it was too much to hope that the thread could stay sincere and not have the AH's resident attention whore and longest tenured troll charging in to turn it into an argument therefore trying to make the thread about them.

I'll walk off on that note. I'm sure much to the delight of long time posters here I'm done getting into long thread ruining arguments with someone so insecure they can't handle a discussion that doesn't involve them.

Maybe some day the Mod may wake up to who derails threads and turns them ugly time after time.

Until then Iggy is my friend. Now I just have to learn not to read the posts when others quote them.

 

[yukonnights]

I have two.

aimingtomisbehave33's Senior Year Memories inspired me to actually start writing. The way he introduces and describes secondary characters with a paragraph or two impresses the hell out of me. He's also woven an entire universe where a reader could imagine characters living their lives beyond the published stories - breathing characters instead of static ones.

AspernEssling's writings also inspired me in how they weave an emotionally investing story, with characters who have flaws and dreams. They were also kind enough to read my entire first series and provide critical feedback that's led me to rewrite the whole thing. They also provided me with some great editing advice - "read your story out loud. You'd be surprised at the errors you catch."

Another author who is way too humble! I often run take a peek at an authors body of work when I'm not familiar with them. I'm sometimes both impressed and humbled by what I find. When every story or chapter has ratings over 4.5, the field of red flowers makes it easy to expect quality work. So, hat's off to PoisonPen who's pen is obviously not very poisonous

It's taken me since 2007 to do what PoisonPen has done since 2019 — and I don't have all my stories at 4.50 or higher … it's another cloudy and rainy day here and this could easily trigger a depression

 

[KeithD]

Ah, I do love the smell of grandstanding (and stalking) in the afternoon breeze.

And I still like the discussion on this thread of Lit. writers noting the influence on their Lit. writing by other Lit. writers--and why.

 

[j267]

newbie2008.

 

[Abbafan]

Ah, I do love the smell of grandstanding (and stalking) in the afternoon breeze.

And I still like the discussion on this thread of Lit. writers noting the influence on their Lit. writing by other Lit. writers--and why.

I have no idea where you are coming from with these posts. Discussing what other writers do and what makes them good is a perfectly valid topic for this forum. Grandstanding? The whole thread's about praising other writers.

 

[KeithD]

I have no idea where you are coming from with these posts. Discussing what other writers do and what makes them good is a perfectly valid topic for this forum. Grandstanding? The whole thread's about praising other writers.

Well, yes, that's just what I repeatedly posted--that I thought this was an interesting thread in that sense--better than what happens in the annual contest on this topic where you don't know if the influence is writer to reader or writer to writer and explanation is rarely given--that I think it's best when the influence being marked is the influence of a writer on the writing of another. I wasn't the one grandstanding (and stalking). No reason to argue over it (so don't, OK?).

 

[ElectricBlue]

I have no idea where you are coming from with these posts. Discussing what other writers do and what makes them good is a perfectly valid topic for this forum. Grandstanding? The whole thread's about praising other writers.

There's a decade old antagonism between Lovecraft and various incarnations of KeithD. They're like the grumpy old Muppets in Sesame Street.

 

[KeithD]

Do take note who initiates it each time. Go back and look at it in this light since LC reappeared and look at it each time from here on out. I'll bet the PMs are flying again.

 

[Abbafan]

There's a decade old antagonism between Lovecraft and various incarnations of KeithD. They're like the grumpy old Muppets in Sesame Street.

Ah, that would explain why he was so bitchy right from his first post. Best ignored, I think.

 

[KeithD]

Didn't take long for the hostile environment to be reimposed.