Writing Influences

What do you write and who do you read? Do your favorite authors influence how you write? Do you try to emulate their style?

As a fairly new novelist, I strive to improve my writing on an almost daily basis. Some days I think I succeed, some days not. I find that writing mysteries adds another element of thought to my work. They make me 'use my brain' more and I enjoy reading how other authors do that sort of 'brain work' themselves. Some days my plots seem impossible and other days, just plain boring! Some days I scrap the whole thing and just work on an in progress romance, a genre that I enjoy writing as well.

I grew up reading mysteries non-stop. I was a teenager when I first discovered the writings of Mary Roberts Rinehart. Already a devoted fan of Agatha Christie, Mary Roberts Rinehart's style captured me at once. I've yet to read all of her writing, but it is a goal I plan to accomplish someday.

Mary Roberts Rinehart (August 12, 1876-September 22, 1958) was a prolific author often called the American Agatha Christie. "Dorothy B. Hughes, crime critic and novelist, says she 'has been and continues to be' the most important American woman mystery writer." She is considered the source of the phrase "The butler did it", although she did not actually use the phrase herself, and also considered to have invented the "Had-I-But-Known" school of mystery writing. (Wikipedia)

Happy writing,

R~Mary