Betsy Clemons list

Making this list was delightfully fun. My family quickly got involved too and helped me with creating it. It really helped me to pin point my favorite book genres. Also I noted that I preferred books written in and about the Victorian era as well as books about strong female characters written with dry, witty hummer. This has been a wonderful self observation exercise, I really had fun with it.

The Bible: No book list would be complete without the book that has been read, translated, printed and has influenced more people then any other, the Bible.  It is definitely the book that has influenced me the most and  I hope it will forever remain at the top of all my lists.

Anne of Green Gable: It is the book that made me want to become a writer. Specifically, the chapter titled "A Story Club Is Formed". Upon reading the chapter I gathered all my friends together and formed my own story club. This was the start of my writing and where I developed my own style and love for it.

Little Women: "Little Women" was the book that inspired me to write scripts. I was greatly inspired by Josephine and her sisters writing scripts and doing plays together. When I read that chapter I thought to myself, "Hey, I could do that!", and I did. This changed my writing direction from short stories to plays. This was a major turning point in my writing as it sent me in the direction of screenplays.

Betsy, Tacy and Tib: I think I was first drawn to this book because the main character and I shared three things in common, our name, our intent to become professional writers, and  a love of Victorian fashion!

The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe: It was my first fantasy book. As you can tell from my list, I'm not a huge fan of Fantasy books, but this one I loved! So creative, so beautifully written, I was very inspired by it.

Northanger Abby: It's one of those books I think every teenage girl should read. It deals with a very realistic problem, what happens when girls read too much of the wrong sort of books.  Also you can't beat Jane Austen's dry sense of hummer.

The Borrowers: This is one that my family choose for me. After they mentioned it I realized that "The Borrowers" was the inspiration for many of my childhood games.

Whinnie The Pooh: I quote it all the time, sometimes without even realizing it. His simplistic style, no flowery descriptions or character backstory, is very refreshing.

Baby Island:   The ultimate little girl adventure book! It's like the little girl version of Robison Crusoe...With BABIES! I even made myself paper dolls so I could play "Baby Island" when I was little. It was so different from most little girl books. I wanted to grow up and write like that. :-)


Treasure Island: A great classic, and the ultimate pirate story. I learned how to write action scenes by reading this book as well as character descriptions. I love how he describes characters not by saying "He was a very mean man" but by showing you in the persons actions that he is` a very mean man, or by the other characters reactions to him that he is a very mean man. I know it may seem like an obvious way to do character descriptions, but so many authors fall short of doing it, and he really does do it well.

My Short Bio:
“Once upon a time…” Those were the words Betsy Clemons used to begin her first short story and what sent her on a journey to becoming a writer. Although her primary focus at first was short stories, she quickly became interested in writing for theater. This inspired her to peruse other forms of writing, such as novels, educational material, and screenplays. Today, Betsy writes for people all over the United States, with her main focus and expertise being on screenplays.  http://www.betsyclemons.webs.com/