Authors I Love
A Few Authors That I Love
The following list is in alphabetical order by last name.
Candace Bushnell
-Horoscope Sign: Sagittarius.
-She wrote a column called “Sex and the City” from 1994 to 1996. It went from a column to an anthology to a TV Show and two movies.
-She has written nine novels.
-“In New York City, in my life, there was really a feeling that without your girlfriends, you could not survive.”
-SATC Quote: “Man may have discovered fire, but women discovered how to play with it.”
-From Is There Still Sex in the City: “In the middle-aged softening, you can’t really tell who was a beauty in their twenties from someone who was plain; nor can you believe that the bald guy who now looks like a potato was once a hot stud. And vice versa. He can’t believe you ever had long hair and a body someone would want to see in a bikini. In this syndrome, it’s common to go to parties and run into old friends whom you haven’t seen for a while and who don’t recognize you. Happily, you’ll find yourself able to return the favor all too often.”
Nora Ephron
-Horoscope Sign: Taurus.
-She grew up in a family of writers.
-Her last book has essays “What I Won’t Miss” and “What I Will Miss,” which could have been a subtle way to indicate that she was going to pass away.
-She was Oscar-Nominated three times for: Silkwood, When Harry Met Sally, and Sleepless in Seattle.
-Her films “consistently featured women in strong, decisive roles”, according to the Academy of Achievement. I completely agree.
-Her mother says, “Everything is Copy”, and the biggest goal is to, “turn it into something. You must not be the victim of what happens to you. You must own it. You must get above it”, especially if you are a woman. This quote (and the following ones) is from a video interview on The Academy of Achievement website.
-“That thing that writers have, which is that third eye. Whatever horrible thing is happening to you, there is always this other thing thinking ‘Hmm better remember this, this could be a story one day.”
-“It has moved you from the ‘boohoo’ aspect of things to the ‘wait until I tell you this part of the story’. You do not ever want anyone to feel sorry for you.”
-“My advice to everyone is to become a journalist,” when asked what her advice is to the youth.
-“We all grow up in narrow worlds. And then we go to college and that’s also a narrow world.” She thought that journalism helped to open the narrow world.
-What are you gonna write a movie about when you’re 22 years old? I’ll tell you what, you’re gonna write about your coming of age movie and then you’re gonna write your summer camp movie and then you’re gonna be out of things, because nothing else would have happened to you.”
-“You are the butter to my bread. You are the breath to my life” –Julie and Julia
-“I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”- When Harry Met Sally
F. Scott Fitzgerald
-Horoscope Sign: Libra.
-He was believed to have dyslexia. He was a bad student and often skipped class when he was at Princeton University.
-His wife Zelda was his inspiration for the flapper girls he wrote about. Sadly, he suffered from alcoholism and Zelda had a mental breakdown.
-He fell in love with Zelda on September 7th, 1918. He kept a detailed “Outline Chart of My Life” that included the date in it (History.com).
-He never owned a home. He moved often and during 1920 and 1940 lived in: New York City, Minnesota, Long Island, Paris, The French Riviera, Rome, LA, Delaware, Switzerland, Baltimore, and North Carolina.
-He worked as a screenwriter for MGM, and worked on Gone With the Wind without credit.
-He died of a heart attack at age 44 in the middle of writing The Love of the Last Tycoon.
-“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” -The Great Gatsby
Emily Giffin
-Horoscope Sign: Pisces.
-She has written ten novels.
-She hates driving (me too).
-And is obsessed with fonts (me too).
-Her favorite foods include: Avocados, deviled eggs, and hummus.
-Her favorite month is January.
-“When you’re in love, sometimes you have to swallow your pride, and sometimes you have to keep your pride. It’s a balance. But when the relationship is right, you find the balance.” Something Borrowed
Nick Hornby
-Horoscope Sign: Aries.
-British author and screenwriter/producer of An Education and Brooklyn.
-“You are a blank sheet of paper when you are young.” The people around you write on the paper boldly when you are young. They really influence you.
-“All art aspires to the condition of music” –Walter Pater. He believes that music can be incredibly articulate. Hence, I think High Fidelity is quite articulate with all the music references throughout.
-He has a column in the magazine Believer called, “Stuff I’ve Been Reading.”
-On his website he says, “everything changed for me when I read Anne Tyler, Raymond Carver, Richard Ford, and Lorrie Moore, all in about ’86-’87…voice, tone, simplicity, humour, soul.”
-He likes to, “write in horrible little two-and-three sentence bursts, with five-minute breaks in between. Check for emails during each break, and get irritated if there aren’t any.”
-He has a dog.
-“What came first — the music or the misery? Did I listen to the music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to the music? Do all those records turn you into a melancholy person?” — High Fidelity
Nancy Meyers
-Horoscope Sign: Sagittarius.
-“Outline, outline, outline.”
-Her outlines for each film she writes are 50–80 pages, with: lines of dialogue, scene descriptions, jokes, and staging. She uses the outlines to determine: pacing, structure, and act breaks.
-She has two signs on her desk that say, “pace” and “gut.”
-“I think you’re only going to get noticed by following your own instincts and doing original work, and writing the thing that only you can write.”
-She has written: Something’s Gotta Give, It’s Complicated, The Holiday, and The Intern.
-“Harry Sanborn: Some people consider rap poetry.
Erica Barry: C’mon, how many words can you rhyme with bitch?” –Something’s Gotta Give
Liane Moriarty
-Horoscope Sign: Scorpio.
-She has written eight novels.
-She is from Sydney, Australia.
-She has written children’s books too.
-She is a lover of coffee and chocolate and skiing.
-“They say it’s good to let your grudges go, but I don’t know, I’m quite fond of my grudge. I tend it like a little pet.” Big Little Lies
Lauren Weisberger
-Horoscope Sign: Aries
-She worked at Vogue. The Devil Wears Prada is loosely based on Anna Wintour, and Lauren’s time as an assistant for Anna.
-She has a Maltese named Stella.
-They are going to make The Devil Wears Prada into a musical.
-She has written 7 books.
-My favorite book of hers is When Life Gives You Lulu Lemons.
-“Peace out, L.A.! Goodbye, wheatgrass and early-morning mountain hikes and hideous highway traffic and surfing culture and most of all people who either didn’t understand or didn’t like sarcasm. Hello, dirt and bagels and taxis and self-deprecation and edge. It was good to be home.” When Life Gives You Lulu Lemons
Concluding Thoughts:
Most of my favorite authors have written for the screen (or in Nancy’s case, has solely written for the screen…but I secretly hope that one day she writes a book). Evidently, journalism is also quite important for some of my inspirations in the writing process, particularly Nick Hornby, Candace Bushnell, Lauren Weisberger, and Nora Ephron. If you have made it this far, thank you for reading. I will leave you with a question: does knowing more about the author (before you read their work) influence your opinion on their work and/or how you interpret it?
