Hi, I am a young collegiate male who aspires to be a writer. While I have many ideas, I have a weakness in that I have not read many books. This becomes problematic when trying to write situations in a way to produce certain reactions in an audience. There’s just no reference as to what’s been done effectively without having read similar things. For all you writers and well-read individuals, what books should I read to see helpful examples of the following? (Yes, they're a bit dark, but so is the particular project I'm working on.) 1.) Realistic YA romance from the 1st person female perspective 2.) A 1st person female perspective of violence or sexual abuse (preferably child abuse by a parent, but domestic abuse could work as well) 3.) Telling a story via the 1st person perspective of a person either dealing with severe mental illness or otherwise going insane 4.) A story that creates a truly frightening atmosphere with little-to-no blood and gore (use of ghosts or monsters is acceptable, just no violence) 5.) A story that shows what life is like for patients committed to a hospital ward, but aren’t stuck in bed 90+ % of the time (similar to the movie It’s Kind of a Funny Story) 6.) A 1st person perspective of a detective investigating a supernatural phenomenon and/or government conspiracy 7.) A 1st person perspective of what drinking/doing drugs feels like, from an author with ACTUAL EXPERIENCE in the matter 8.) A character dealing with extreme guilt (preferably feeling responsible for another’s death) 9.) A male child’s (8-14) 1st person perspective on romance 10.) Convincing dream sequences used as metaphors for a theme or problem
I can't really help you for most of these except for number five. While I'm not a huge fan of the later books, check out the Dresden Files for a 1st person supernatural detective story. At least read the first two or three, but I would recommend reading up until Dead Beat (I think that's the sixth book). IMO, the series goes downhill afterwards.
You're going to have serious trouble finding these as most books are written in 3rd person. I honestly don't know why you're specifically looking for 1st person when 3rd person is just as good at conveying the emotions of the character. I can give you examples of some of these, but not in the perspective you're looking for. Still, it might help. 1.) Realistic YA romance from the 1st person female perspective - Sabriel by Garth Nix is a YA fantasy novel, but the romantic sub plot in it is handled really well and despite being a guy he does an amazing job at writing from the perspective of a 17 year old girl. I don't read romance so that's the best I can do for that. (Not in 1st person) 2.) A 1st person female perspective of violence or sexual abuse (preferably child abuse by a parent, but domestic abuse could work as well) - Seriously? You really only need to go to a horror section in a book shop and pick out a book with a female lead for this. Half of them have been abused and all of them encounter violence. This stuff is basically impossible to avoid when reading anything that tries to be gritty. I'm pretty sure Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is full of this stuff, Carrie by Stephen King is all about a girl and her abusive mother, it's everywhere. 4.) A story that creates a truly frightening atmosphere with little-to-no blood and gore (use of ghosts or monsters is acceptable, just no violence) - Woman in Black by Susan Hill. Personally, I hated this book, but plenty of other people seemed to like it. Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill freaked me the hell out and there's minimal violence in it. 7.) A 1st person perspective of what drinking/doing drugs feels like, from an author with ACTUAL EXPERIENCE in the matter - A Scanner Darkly by Philip K Dick. I've not read it, it's not my sort of thing, but my friends speak very highly of it and Dick is a really good writer. 8.) A character dealing with extreme guilt (preferably feeling responsible for another’s death) - The Noble Dead Saga by Barb & J.C. Hendee. You have to read the first few of these before it really starts to come through, but it's worth doing that anyway. Honestly, this crops up in a lot of fantasy stuff, but it's Leesil's whole back story in this series so it's a bit more relevant. 9.) A male child’s (8-14) 1st person perspective on romance - Harry Potter. Goblet of Fire is when he starts noticing girls. Also, Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb. It follows the male lead as he grows up from about the age of 4 to being in his mid teens by the time the book is finished and he hooks up with a girl along the way, it's actually in 1st person as well.
