Most teen writers don’t have much they can write about besides pimples, unrequited “love,” and the great evil of parents and other authority figures. Also, even if they have a good idea, they might not know how to make a great piece of writing.

To help young writers learn not only what makes good literature, but also how they can create it, here’s a list of ten books a budding writer should read in high school. These are outstanding examples of certain writing principles that can shape young writers. (Whether or not they’ll like these books, however, is another issue.)

For the purposes of this list, poetry and plays (sorry, Shakes) have been excluded. And watch out, a few minor spoilers ahead. If you need to know more about a work or its author, click on it for more info.

And now, in no particular order:

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Illustrated Principle: Plot is good. (So are characters with delightfully-odd names.)

One of the most important things in a thrilling, emotional, splendiferous piece of literature is how attractive the title font is. Another is plot. This and other Dickens novels are great examples. Sure, sometimes he goes on too much about facial features or eccentric office decor, but you have to admit, this guy’s got pretty awesome storylines.

In huge, soap-operatic strokes of genius, Dickens throws twists in one right after another-”Pip is in love! Pip is unloved! Pip is rich! Pip is still unloved! Wait, what? That guy was Estella’s dad! Holy General Hospital!” No one will tie things (characters, mostly) together more neatly than Dickens. Also, this book can help you decide how much detail you like writing-just enough? Or so much that people wonder if you were paid by the word?

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
Illustrated Principle: Universal Values = Bestseller and lots of prizes!!1!

Obviously, this is not the only book that features universal values. It is, however, one of the few widely-studied books in America that help the non-Asian majority understand Asians by putting readers smack dab in the head of a Chinese farmer.

Keep in mind that this book was published in 1931 when Americans were not exactly the most China-savvy people on earth. This novel connected with Americans and many others, featuring relatable issues like survival, poverty (see: Great Depression), self-esteem, generational differences, etc. To top it all off, this book showed Chinese life without racism, mockery, or bias.

Any book can have topics all cultures can relate to, but few books can teach one culture to begin to understand another.

The Red Badge of Courage, by Stephen Crane
Illustrated Principle: You can’t use metaphors as life preservers, even if you inflate ‘em.

For a good laugh, read some of Crane’s metaphors and similes. Like “The regiment, involved like a cart involved in mud and muddle, started unevenly with many jolts and jerks.” Or this one about a general in the middle of battle: “He looked to be much harassed. He had the appearance of a business man whose market is swinging up and down.”

Okay, RBoC has its merits, and some of the metaphors are lovely (”The red sun was pasted in the sky like a wafer” is pretty charming). After reading this, however, young readers are bound to want to control their urge to compare everything to something as a way of adding description and “color.”

(P.S.: Try some of Crane’s other stuff; they’re better. Like his poem “In The Desert.”)

Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell
Illustrated Principle: The nitty-gritty of humanity is a doubleplusgood topic.

Well, that isn’t a very good description of this book’s greatest quality, but this book is just inconceivably awesome, and not just because it gave us Newspeak, 2+2 = 5, and “rebel from the waist down.” Its message is enduring; its internal and external dialogue expose the inner workings of man’s mind; and its characters are sympathetic, but real and flawed. 1984 gives young writers a level of meaning and influence to aspire to and encourages them to find a chord of humanity to strike.

Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte
Illustrated Principle: She told me that he told her that structure is important.

E. Bronte’s only novel is a wonder of literary construction. Not only is it separated into two halves (Heathcliff’s arrival - Cathy Linton’s birth and from then - Heathcliff’s death), but the narration itself is often likened to a Matryoshka doll (see: Russian nesting doll). At its most complex, it’s a guy telling us what several characters said according to a letter from Isabella Linton that was sent to the woman who told him the story. If you haven’t read it, don’t worry, it makes sense when you read it, but you might need to pause and regroup every once in a while.

WH shows young writers how important planning and structure is and how they can add to a story’s irony, meaning and poetic justice. It’s also amazing in other aspects (use of doubles, emotion, etc.) and gave us an awesome declaration of love (”I am Heathcliff!”)

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey
Illustrated Principle: Narration can make or break a story.

Not only is One Flew a crazy story about crazy people, it’s also shown to us through the eyes of a crazy person, Chief Bromden. Since he is a paranoid schizophrenic, Bromden can be an unreliable narrator, feeding us his hallucinations and actual hospital events with the same spoon. This novel could have been a surreal disaster, but Kesey balances the storyline and Bromden’s perception perfectly, showing that selecting a “different” narrator to be original or avant garde doesn’t work unless you back it up.

Kesey was enabled by the depth of his characters. Almost each character’s voice, motives, background, etc. are so strongly defined that they shine through any fog Bromden’s mind creates.

The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Illustrated Principle: Some green lights are more special than others.

Anyone who has studied this book for class will tell you, Gatsby’s rich symbolism is mad important. Symbols are optional rungs that can make a story’s ladder more complete and help it reach higher. They can add another level of meaning to a story.

Fitzgerald is particularly proficient at using symbolism. Other writers tend to use artificial, detached metaphors that seem contrived, but Fitzgerald’s are natural to their setting and situation-two locations with different lifestyles; a light on the end of a dock; a billboard. Characters connect better with organic symbols, which makes stories flow nicely.

Black Boy, by Richard Wright
Illustrated Principle: Sometimes the best characters aren’t from your imagination.

This is one of the best autobiographies found in high school curricula. Wright makes readers feel his pain and joy as he goes through hardships and occasional good fortune without being whiny, overdramatic, or unbelievable.

Any writers can use their own life story and emotions to make better stories. Even lives that are too “normal” or “boring” to be main plot material can be borrowed from to amplify certain emotions or add detail to stories. Look into your own life and actively find ways you can relate to your characters and their situations.

The Elements of Style, by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White
Illustrated Principle: Omit needless words! (And others.)

Okay, so this isn’t exactly a novel like the other books on this list, but it is a must-have for any writer-young, old, or uncomfortable-with-disclosing-their-age. Strunk and White encourage correct usage, consistent style, and strong sentences. This book helps writers become aware of their bad habits and fix them. It’s a great reference to keep around the pen and pad, typewriter, or computadora. No writer should be without it!

If you haven’t read all these books, now would be a great moment to update your “To Read” list. Of course, these are just some of the great curriculum books young writers can study. Pride and Prejudice, Candide, Fahrenheit 451, A Tale of Two Cities and others come to mind.

Just remember that reading all these books won’t necessarily transform you magically into MegaWriter X or anything like that. After you finish a novel, there is still much work to do. If you read, find what you like about each book and figure out how to apply what you’ve learned to your writing, you just might come up with something great.

Good luck!