Style Is What You Can't Help Doing

"We are creators. When we begin, separately or together, there’s a blank piece of paper. When we are done, we are giving people dreams and magic and journeys into minds and lives that they have never lived. And we must not forget that."

This is a great quote from Neil Gaiman, author of the award-winning and highly inspirational Sandman comics, who on his blog is discussing the way in which new writers have to copy other authors' in order develop their own:

"I don't think there's anything wrong with copying other people's styles -- it's a skill you'll need, after all. Many actors begin as mimics. You don't worry about it, and keep writing, and after a while you'll have written enough that you can't help sounding like yourself, whether you want to or not. Style is what you get wrong, that makes what you do sound like you. Style is what you can't help doing. Style is what you're left with."

While I'm not so certain I agree that "style is what you can't help doing," personally I think there is a lot more about aesthetic and intentional choices at play, I do agree that it's important to go through that process of emulation, finding out what works for other authors. As I've mentioned before it's like raiding their bag of tricks in order to build your own. Style could be which tools and tricks you like pulling out first.

And I would be the first to admit that reading Gaiman's Sandman comics was one of the biggest inspirations to myself as a writer, as he opened up the possibility of playing with myth and dreams, with vast worlds as equally as with the human heart.