I was considering this afternoon whether the authors that I really like are a big influence on my writing or not? I’m not sure at the moment.
Is it good to try to emulate those writers you admire? Or is it better to steer your own course.
If one of your favourite authors was starting out now would there work be the same, or would the plethora of writing tips serve to make their writing more formulaic? I think some of my favourites wouldn’t fit in that well:
Gene Wolfe
Mervyn Peake
Ursula Le Guin
Jack Vance
Robert E Howard
Leo Tolstoy
Ernest Hemingway
Michael Moorcock
Iain M Banks
Frank Herbert
Alexandre Dumas
Out of all of these Dumas is probably the closest to a pulp bestselling author. A lot of writing advice I find tends to concentrate on the tightly plotted thriller that needs to keep the reader turning the pages.
Is this a good or a bad thing?
