My Favorite Teachers (Besides My Parents)

Authors! Yes, authors can be wise teachers as well as brilliant entertainers. I'm stealing this post idea from nevillegirl at "Musings From Neville's Navel" and Cait and Mime from "The Notebook Sisters."

J.K. Rowling taught me how to be a writer.

Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl taught me that romance doesn't have to be mushy fluff, but it can be smart, complicated, and, above all, well-written.

Tamora Pierce taught me how to write strong, female protagonists.

The authors of the American Girl books taught me that you can't ever grow out of your old favorite books.

James Patterson taught me all about action and fight scenes and how to make them interesting.

Lauren Oliver taught me how to "tell" your readers about your story world by writing book excerpts at the beginning of each chapter.

Veronica Roth taught me that not every dystopian series has to feature a love triangle.

Gail Carson Levine taught me how to rewrite fairy tales.

Brandon Mull taught me how to make magical creatures comes to life.

Janet Gurtler taught me how to write a bittersweet ending.

Suzanne Collins taught me all about everything dystopian in a nutshell.

Lemony Snicket taught me how not to write a conclusion to a series. He also taught me all about dark humor.

Mary Pope Osborn taught me that history often holds the best stories.

Rick Riordan taught me that mythology is awesome and that an authors should never try and outdo themselves with the same old ideas.

Beverly Cleary and Rainbow Rowell taught me that simplicity is beautiful.

Bill Watterson taught me that the best of friends don't necessarily have to be real (or human).

Kelley Armstrong taught me how to write a story with a large cast of characters and still devote a whole personality to each one.

John Green taught me how to grab readers from page one and to keep them reading to the very end. He also taught me how to make readers cry.

Kathryn Stockett taught me how to write with multiple perspectives.

Stephenie Meyer taught me that even if one book (or many books) suck, there's always the next book.

Brian Selznick taught me that a picture's worth a thousand words.

Frances O'Roark Dowell taught me how to write about best friends.

Marissa Meyer taught me that strange isn't necessarily bad.

Ally Condie taught me how to write believable love triangles.

Trenton Lee Stewart taught me all about smart writing and quirky characters.

Norton Juster taught me about witty puns.

Stephanie Morrill taught me that writing a novel can be the sweetest revenge.

R.J. Palacio taught me to never judge a book by its cover.