Inspirational Writer

Ever since I read ​To Kill a Mockingbird,​ it has been one of my favorite books. I really

loved the way the author, Harper Lee, wrote that book. Despite the huge success of this novel,

she remained humble and lived very privately. I also loved how she released what is thought to

be her first draft of ​To Kill a Mockingbird,​ ​Go Set a Watchman,​ so many years later. Being such

a big fan of ​To Kill a Mockingbird​ and having read it numerous times, it was exciting to hear a

sequel.

According the the article ​Harper Lee​, “In high school Lee was fortunate to have a gifted

English teacher, Gladys Watson Burkett, who introduced her to challenging literature and the

rigors of writing well. Lee loved nineteenth-century British authors best, and once said that her

ambition was to become "the Jane Austen of south Alabama.” High school contained the most

significant inspiration she ever witnessed and was what really made her want to become a

successful writer,

Another person who inspired her writing was her childhood friend Truman Capote.

(​Harper Lee)​ Capote was actually Lee’s inspiration for one of the characters in ​To Kill a

Mockingbird​, Dill. As children they both worked together and practiced their writing. Capote

was also a writer, however when Lee became so successful it took a toll on their friendship

because he was envious.

Works Cited

“Harper Lee.” NEA Big Read. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.