[Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote, Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta, The Strays by Emily Bitto, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Guitar Highway Rose by Brigid Lowry]

Every book I’ve read has contributed to me being a writer in one way or another. From the characters that graced the pages, to the plots that unravelled, to the language that brought all the elements of a story together. However, there are five books in particular that made me go ‘Yes, that’s why I want to be a writer’. Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Guitar Highway Rose by Brigid Lowry

I was 14 when I picked up this interesting and heart-warming novel. It’s centred around Rosie, a fifteen-year-old who is sick of her life and wants to have an adventure, and pierce her nose. When Asher moves to her school from Byron Bay, her eyes are opened to new possibilities and a different life.

The prose is made up of passages of thoughts, conversations and descriptions. It has sections of Rosie and Pip’s conversations, descriptions of characters’ bedrooms, things Asher has in his pockets and assignments that Rosie is trying to write. All of this gave me an insight into how to write characters and that not every story has to be told in classic prose. It’s fun and useful to change things up and try new things.

2. Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta

This is a classic Australian young adult novel. It follows Josephine Alibrandi in her last year of high school. She meets her dad for the first time, has her first boyfriend and discovers secrets about herself and family. I devoured this book, multiple times.

The characters are so vivid that if I didn’t know they were fictional, I’d swear they were my friends. They’re very complex and all of them have flaws that drive the story and make sense – they’re not put in there for the sake of it. The story itself is honest and it feels like I'm getting a big hug when I reread it. When I read it for the first time I wanted to write something that other people connected with and loved as much as I connected and loved this superb book.

3. The Strays by Emily Bitto

This book is truly amazing and is my favourite novel. It follows Lily who befriends the daughter of a modernist artist and she quickly falls into the world of art. It’s set in 1930s and explores the ideas of the artist, modernist art movements in Australia, friendship and family dynamics. There’s so much to this novel and I honestly think everyone should read it.

This novel influenced me to make every sentence and word count, while also revealing key information and moments through these actions. Bitto’s writing is masterful. It’s so smooth and lyrical that it’s a joy to read. The descriptions pull you into the novel and the characters, again, are whole and flawed. The plot is intriguing and the structure is interesting. I don’t have anything negative to say about this book at all. I reread it last year and loved it even more. I strive to write as well as lyrically as Bitto does.

4. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

A classic. A pure and perfect classic. This novel follows Nick Caraway as he enters the glitzy and glamorous world of 1920s New York. He befriends Jay Gatsby and an exciting and tragic story unfolds.

Where do I begin with this one? The writing is spectacular. It’s so rich and magical but there’s so much more going on with it than that. The imagery is vivid and the characters are extremely memorable. They’re multi layered and throughout the novel you know there’s so much more to them than just what Nick narrates. The story itself has so many layers to it. It could be read purely for entertainment, or it could be analysed to reveal a thought provoking story. And it’s only then that you realise that everything in the story has a greater meaning. When I want inspiration to create beautiful and seamless writing, I reread sections of this novel.

5. Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote

This story is usually referred to as a love story, but that’s mainly due to the movie. There’s less romance between the characters in the novella but more romance between Capote and New York. The unnamed narrator moves to New York with the dreams of being a writer. He meets Holly Golightly who lives in his apartment building, and soon becomes intrigued with her glamorous and mysterious life.

The writing instantly drew me into the story. It’s so rich and raw that the descriptions felt more like photos than words. Holly Golightly is one of my favourite characters and the way Capote reveals her history is amazing. The story unfolded effortlessly and kept me wanting more. Since reading this I want all my descriptions to be as raw and excellent as Capote's.