Who most inspires you?

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Who most inspires you as a writer? Somebody once said to become a good writer you need to read the good writers, the bad writers and everybody in between. It's like relationships - you can't know what you like, or what really suits you, unless you discover what doesn't do it for you at all. So what kind of writers inspire you to pick up your pen and start writing? Which kinds make you give up, knowing you could never reach their lofty heights? Who was it who made you sit down, think 'I could do that' and try, ever since? Personally I have really dug and been inspired by Jack Kerouac for the last couple of years. His motto of 'First thought, best thought' applies to writing as well as wider life and is truly inspiring when you realise that all you need to succeed is to go with your gut feeling and do what feels right. I think it's fantastic the way he revolutionised writing using the spontaneous prose concept. I also love how you can plot his downfall in the books that followed 'On the Road'. John Marsden, an Australian writer, is such a fantastic, realist story teller who puts me to shame every time I even think about crafting a story. Annabel Crabb puts paid to any ideas I have about becoming a fantastic journalist - at least one as good as she is. But I still try... Why? First thought, best thought, and writing is all I've ever known.