Future Bard

Here is a list of writers that I study and hope to integrate into my personal writing style:

1. William Shakespeare - the Bard; the Greatest.
2. John MacDonald - bestselling novelist in the '60s and '70s, best known for the Travis McGee mystery series.
3. Rod Serling - creator/writer of The Twilight Zone.
4. Larry David/Larry Charles - my favorite writers from Seinfeld.
5. Nick Hornby - bestselling novelist whose works are consistently adapted into popular films, author of About A Boy, Fever Pitch, High Fidelity, etc.
6. Matt Taibbi - monthly contributor to Rolling Stone magazine.
7. Harold Pinter - Nobel Prize winner, playwright and screenwriter, most famous for Betrayal.
8. Joseph Heller - author of my favorite novel, Catch-22
9. Stephen King - influenced by MacDonald. I have actually read only two of his novels, but need to read many more.
10. Saul Williams - spoken word poet, actor, rapper, star of the film Slam and has two albums.
11. Paul Feig/Judd Apatow - writers and creators of Freaks and Geeks, Apatow utilized that template for the TV series Undeclared and the hit film 40 Year-Old Virgin.
12. Chris Rock - stand-up comedian, actor, funniest and most incisive sociologist in America.
13. George Carlin - I always knew about him, really beginning to get into his comedic style lately.
14. Nicholas Sparks - Don't laugh, the guy makes money and usually writes romance novels that walks the tightrope between touching and gag-inducing quite well.
15. Woody Allen - I like him less than most, but there is no comedian who is a better writer.
16. John Stewart/Stephen Colbert - The most honest and funny social critics in America.
17. Andre 3000 of Outkast - best rapper of all time in my opinion, able to blend the political with humor, sex, and eccentricity. He is Chuck D and Flavor Flav rolled up into one.
18. Common and Cee-Lo - I don't like everything they have done, but when these guys get inspired they take hip hop to a level surpassed by no one.
19. Rolf Potts - full-time travel writer (they're rare) who is able to blend humor with fledgling attempts at adding depth to travel writing.
20. Larry R. Moffitt - travel writer, I've only read one of pieces, but his style is brilliant.


I will spend the next month analyzing and reflecting on what attracts me to these writers. Hopefully, I can channel a small portion of their skills and develop a unique writing style that attracts others. More importantly, I have to develop better discipline and habits as a writer. But that is another story.