No, no. Do not plagiarize but research their technique, how they use and manipulate words. Each of these books has dramatic passages that moved me.
Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
A Painted House by John Grisham
Star of the Guardians by Margaret Weis
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
I dissected the scenes by noting sentence structure, (very important) how they achieved that mood in me, created scenes, used descriptions, and braided words into their tales.
Specifically, I note my reactions and pinpoint when the author hit me. It enlightens and fine-tunes my writing craft.
Thanks for sharing this great idea. Silence of the Lambs is the only one I've read from your list, but I will certainly look into the others. I love to read and wish I had more time for it these days.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful day! :)
i have a hard time doing this with books i enjoy reading, especially on the first read-thru. Good think i like to re-read books.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've read any of those books - will have to add to list :)
ReplyDeleteWonderful writing tip! And I loved your phrase:"braided words into their tales."
ReplyDeleteThat's some gorgeous writing in itself. :)
I've read The Painted House, but none of the others. (Saw the movie "Silence of the Lambs").
ReplyDeleteI do this with books, too. My favorite author is Stephen King. Not because I'm a horror fan (which I don't believe he is...more a psychological thriller writer), but because he is amazing at creating characters and situations. He always asks, "What if?" What if a family was stranded in a haunted hotel? What if a girl could cause fires with her mind alone? What if a woman and her son were trapped in a car in the hot summer sun for three days with out food or water, held captive by a rabid St. Bernard?
You're doing the challenge the other way round ? :)
ReplyDeleteGreat tip, btw!