Editing American Gods (section)

==Influences==
The novel's dedication reads "for absent friends – [[Kathy Acker]] and [[Roger Zelazny]] and all points in between."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.raintaxi.com/dreaming-american-gods-an-interview-with-neil-gaiman/|title=Dreaming American Gods: an Interview With Neil Gaiman|last=Dornemann|first=Rudi|author2=Kelly Everding|date=Summer 2001|work=Rain Taxi Online Edition|publisher=Rain Taxi, Inc.|access-date=28 September 2009|archive-date=9 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150409021223/http://www.raintaxi.com/dreaming-american-gods-an-interview-with-neil-gaiman/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Gaiman has discussed the origin point for ''American Gods'' as a novel, citing his experience as an immigrant in America in 1992, where he began to form the vague idea of the book in his mind. Additionally, while experiencing a layover in an airport in Reykjavik in 1998, Gaiman states that he thought “I wonder if they brought their gods with them, when they went to America?”<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gaiman |first=Neil |date=2011-09-02 |title=Week three: Neil Gaiman on writing American Gods |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/sep/02/american-gods-neil-gaiman-bookclub |access-date=2024-11-13 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

The [[Discworld]] novel ''[[Small Gods]]'' explores a similar origin of deities ([[Tulpa|thoughtform]]). While Gaiman says that he did not read the book by [[Terry Pratchett]], he thought they shared a worldview due to their same geographic origins and, more importantly, their daily phone conversations. He had also sought advice from Pratchett on resolving plot elements of ''American Gods''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.slashdot.org/story/03/11/03/1349252/neil-gaiman-responds |title=Neil Gaiman Responds |date=3 November 2003 |work=[[Slashdot]] |access-date=18 November 2018 |archive-date=19 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190219063030/https://news.slashdot.org/story/03/11/03/1349252/neil-gaiman-responds |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to Gaiman, ''American Gods'' is not based on [[Diana Wynne Jones]]'s 1975 novel ''[[Eight Days of Luke]]'', "although they bear an odd relationship, like second cousins once removed or something." When working on the structure of a story linking gods and days of the week, he realised that this idea had already been used in ''Eight Days of Luke''. He abandoned the story, but later used the idea when writing ''American Gods'' to depict Wednesday and Shadow meeting on the god's namesake day.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gaiman |first=Neil |url=http://www.neilgaiman.com/exclusive/agblogarchive/2001_09 |title=Neil Gaiman – September 2001 |publisher=Neil Gaiman's Journal |date=25 September 2001 |access-date=3 January 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061210224109/http://www.neilgaiman.com/exclusive/agblogarchive/2001_09| archive-date= 10 December 2006 | url-status= live}}</ref>

Of [[John James (writer)|John James]]' 1966 novel ''Votan'', Gaiman stated: "I think probably the best book ever done about the Norse was a book that I couldn't allow myself to read between coming up with the idea of ''American Gods'' and finishing it. After it was published, I actually sat down and allowed myself to read it for the first time in 15 years, and discovered it was just as good as I thought it was."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shadow-writer.co.uk/neilinterview.htm |title=Interview with Neil Gaiman |year=2005 |work=Shadow Writer |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021063116/http://www.shadow-writer.co.uk/neilinterview.htm |archive-date=21 October 2016|access-date=18 November 2018|url-status=live }}</ref>

In his introduction to [[Fritz Leiber|Fritz Leiber's]] ''[[The Knight and Knave of Swords]]'', Gaiman acknowledges Leiber's portrayal of Odin and Loki had "definitely smudged into" and informed his take on the characters.<ref>Gaiman, Neil ''The Knight and Knave of Swords: The Adventures of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser'' ASIN: B001EBHEMG</ref>