I thought of copying your entire article and just pasting it here as my comment. Maybe you'll get a smile out of my description of the idea without having to do that to your comment space.
“And we read in order to experience different styles. You may find yourself adopting a style you find particularly exciting, and there’s nothing wrong with that. When I read Ray Bradbury as a kid, I wrote like Ray Bradbury—everything green and wondrous and seen through a lens smeared with the grease of nostalgia. When I read James M. Cain, everything I wrote came out clipped and stripped and hard-boiled. When I read Lovecraft, my prose became luxurious and Byzantine. I wrote stories in my teenage years where all these styles merged, creating a kind of hilarious stew. This sort of stylistic blending is a necessary part of developing one’s own style, but it doesn’t occur in a vacuum. You have to read widely, constantly refining (and redefining) your own work as you do so.”
Good point. Reminds me of the line that goes something like, "everything that needs to be said has been said, but we still need reminders because nobody was listening..."
I thought of copying your entire article and just pasting it here as my comment. Maybe you'll get a smile out of my description of the idea without having to do that to your comment space.
I smile every time your face pops up in my notifications :)
“And we read in order to experience different styles. You may find yourself adopting a style you find particularly exciting, and there’s nothing wrong with that. When I read Ray Bradbury as a kid, I wrote like Ray Bradbury—everything green and wondrous and seen through a lens smeared with the grease of nostalgia. When I read James M. Cain, everything I wrote came out clipped and stripped and hard-boiled. When I read Lovecraft, my prose became luxurious and Byzantine. I wrote stories in my teenage years where all these styles merged, creating a kind of hilarious stew. This sort of stylistic blending is a necessary part of developing one’s own style, but it doesn’t occur in a vacuum. You have to read widely, constantly refining (and redefining) your own work as you do so.”
- Stephen King, author or something
If Stephen King is a professional copycat, then that should be just fine for the rest of us!
Agree with you 100%. When it comes to writing, there's one thing I've realised - All thoughts are borrowed, as is language.
Good point. Reminds me of the line that goes something like, "everything that needs to be said has been said, but we still need reminders because nobody was listening..."
I think it was Stravinsky who said, "Good composers borrow, great ones steal."
So true. Also, the book Steal like an artist goes into this more. Such a great read!