Reading the Greats

Every couple of years, I give myself a theme for my reading that helps my writing. For the past two years, I’ve mainly focused on short stories because I was writing them to get a grasp on my voice, pacing, and plot; as well as, get my name out there to start building a fan base and my resume. This year with my goal in reach, I’ve switched my focus to reading through speculative fiction greats and favorites.

When assembling my list, I tried to make sure they were all Grand Masters like Octavia Butler or inspirational writers to me like Ray Bradbury. I want to read a smattering of the writers works and words, so I am reading every writer’s first book and story and then their most famous pieces.

The full list at the moment is:

• Octavia Butler
  • First Published Story: Crossover
  • Short Story collection: Bloodchild and other Stories
  • First Novel: Patternmaster
  • 3 Novels: Fledging, Kindred, Lilith’s Brood
  • Writing Biography: Conversations with Octavia Butler
  • Nonfiction Writing Book: No book, but several articles
    • https://www.aerogrammestudio.com/2013/11/18/13-inspiring-quotes-for-writers-from-octavia-e-butler/
    • https://apilgriminnarnia.com/2018/03/26/rules-of-sf-writing/
    • https://hugohouse.org/octavia-butler-writing-advice-contest/
    • https://www.reddit.com/r/writing/comments/3ap9j6/octavia_e_butlers_reasons_for_becoming_an_author/
    • http://web.mit.edu/m-i-t/articles/butler_talk_index.html
• Samuel R. Delany
  • First Published Story: Star Pit
    • In collection Driftglass with other first published stories
  • First Novel: Jewels of Aptor
    • Own in A,B,C
  • Short Story Collection: Driftglass
  • 3 Novels: Stars in my Pocket like Grains of Sand, Nova, Empire Star
  • Writing Biography: The Motion of Light in Water
  • Nonfiction Writing Book: About Writing (Own)
• Jane Yolen
  • First Published story: Devil’s Arithmetic
    • Have it saved on desktop
  • First Novel: Pirates in Petticoats
    • Out of print
    • Wizard in Washington Square as a replacement read
  • Short Story Collection: Tales of Wonder
  • 3 Novels: Finding the Baba Yaga, White Jenna, Mapping the Bones
  • Writing Biography: none
  • Nonfiction Writing Book: Take Joy
• Damon Knight
  • First Published story: Resilience/Itching Hour
    • Short Stories Collection
  • First Novel: Hell’s Pavement
  • Short Story Collection: One Side Laughing
  • 3 Novels: People Maker, The Man in the Tree, Why Do Birds
  • Writing Biography: None
  • Nonfiction Writing Book: Creating Short Fiction
    • In Search of Wonder
• Robert A Heinlein
  • First Published story: Life-Line
  • First Novel: Sixth Column
  • Short Story Collection: All You Zombies
  • 3 Novels: Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Glory Road, Starship Troopers
    • Number of the Beast
  • Writing Biography: Robert A Heinlein- In Dialogue with his Century
  • Nonfiction Writing Book: None
• Andre Norton
  • First Published story: All Cats Are Gray
  • First Novel: The Prince Commands
  • Short Story Collection: Tales from High Hallack
  • 3 Novels: Yurth Burden, The Opal-eyed Man, Moon Called
  • Writing Biography: None
  • Nonfiction Writing Book: None
• Shirley Jackson
  • First Published story: The Bus
    • https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2010/10/bus-shirley-jackson/
  • First Novel: The Road from the Wall
  • Short Story Collection: Dark Tales
  • 3 Novels: And Baby Makes Three, Haunting of Hill House, Witchcraft of Salem Village
  • Writing Biography: A Rather Haunted Life
  • Nonfiction Writing Book: None
    • https://www.mhpbooks.com/what-shirley-jackson-has-to-say-about-writing/
    • https://www.bustle.com/p/shirley-jacksons-writing-advice-is-magnificent-for-anyone-who-loves-to-daydream-78997
    • https://www.bustle.com/articles/100878-10-writing-tips-from-shirley-jackson-a-master-of-suspense-thatll-help-you-grow-as-you
    • https://bookriot.com/2018/10/02/shirley-jackson-quotes-on-writing/
    • https://writingcooperative.com/leave-em-haunted-writing-tips-inspired-by-shirley-jackson-d8861a9f926f
• Harlan Ellison
  • First Published story: Glow Worm
    • In Essential Ellison
  • First Novel: Rumble
  • Short Story Collection: Essential Ellison
  • 3 Novels: The Beast that Shouted Love at the World, A Boy and His Dog, Sound of a Scythe
  • Writing Biography: A Lit Fuse
  • Nonfiction Writing Book: Harlan 101
• Ray Bradbury
  • First Published story: Pendulum
  • First Novel: Fahrenheit 451
  • Short Story Collection: Dark Carnival
  • 3 Novels: Farewell Summer; Green Shadows, White Whale; From the Dust Returned
  • Writing Biography: Bradbury Chronicles
  • Nonfiction Writing Book: Zen in the Art of Writing
• Ken Liu
  • First Published story: Carthaginian Rose
  • First Novel: Grace of Kings
  • Short Story Collection: Paper Menagerie
  • 3 Novels: Not enough
  • Writing Biography: none
  • Nonfiction Writing Book: none
• Philip K Dick
  • First Published story: Le Diable
  • First Novel: Solar Lottery
  • Short Story Collection: Minority Report and other Stories
  • 3 Novels: Flow My Tears the Policeman Said, Dr. Bloodmoney, Total Recall
  • Writing Biography: I am Alive and You are Dead
  • Nonfiction Writing Book:
    • https://philipdick.com/literary-criticism/frank-views-archive/vertex-interview-with-philip-k-dick/
    • https://sfatcsuf.wordpress.com/how-to-write-like-philip-k-dick/
    • https://scrapsfromtheloft.com/2018/01/18/an-interview-with-philip-k-dick-1977-by-yves-breux-and-francis-luxereau/

Not only am I reading through the texts, I am re-reading them, writing in the margins, underlining sentences that hit hard or are stellar in the way they are written-I am chewing the text through my mind.

The ones that are striked out are the books or pieces that I have read. My idea is that by reading such a wide range of these great writers I’ll be able to pick up on the ways that they have changed and what they learned. In my mind, it is a back alley master class in how to write like the greats. These books won’t be all that I am reading, but my general focus over the next couple of years is to level up my writing.