I am enjoying a well-deserved soujourn from work and currently have my feet up 'en vacances'. Naturally, I brought some reading fodder to enjoy over a drink (or three). In a ponderous moment (because we all have those with time to think), I was wondering if any of you feel inspired by other authors to, ahem, try and emulate their style?
Currently, I'm reading through Kingsley Amis and I find his work fascinating for the sheer verve of his writing style, plot devices, and humour.
I admit, I have tried to emulate his approach before. I really enjoyed trying to add my own tack, I like to think it made me a better writer.
It has left me wondering if I am the only one. Do any of you feel the temptation to perhaps play on a favourite authors style to see if you can pull it off?
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Other authors - do you borrow their style?
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Hi there, TheTravellingMan.
Excellent post. Read Kingsley Amis's Luck Jim at school, and his later work, Green Man is one of my all-time favourite books.
I've only ever had a stab at emulating another author's style once. I posted it on here as a piece of flash fiction: The Girl and her Man in the Club
At the time, I'd just read Hemingway's The Garden of Eden. He'd made straightforward prose look easy. I thought I can do that.
I never intended it to be flash fiction. It was going to be a full story, but five hundred words in I realised parsimony of words is hard work. My prose can get unwholesomely florid, and I hate to butcher my darlings.
Anyhow, the intended story became something diminished; in a way an unfinished piece, just like the work that inspired it.
Excellent post. Read Kingsley Amis's Luck Jim at school, and his later work, Green Man is one of my all-time favourite books.
I've only ever had a stab at emulating another author's style once. I posted it on here as a piece of flash fiction: The Girl and her Man in the Club
At the time, I'd just read Hemingway's The Garden of Eden. He'd made straightforward prose look easy. I thought I can do that.
I never intended it to be flash fiction. It was going to be a full story, but five hundred words in I realised parsimony of words is hard work. My prose can get unwholesomely florid, and I hate to butcher my darlings.
Anyhow, the intended story became something diminished; in a way an unfinished piece, just like the work that inspired it.
Bonnet Flaunter
What an interesting discussion. Great topic TTM!
Apropos of nothing, Kingsley Amis was a lecturer at Swansea University when my aunt was studying there. His reputation as a ladies' man went before him, apparently!
I'm an avid reader, so mostly am unconsciously influenced by writers, just picking up ideas or ways of expressions along the way.
Like Luca, there is only one story where I have deliberately channelled a writer. That was for End Game and the author was Sheridan LeFanu.
LeFanu was one of the mid-Victorian writers who reinvented the Gothic genre in the mid 19th century. It has been at its zenith with the 'Headless Monk' novels of Mrs Radcliffe in the late 18th century and then got stale over the next few decades before a new generation of writers put their stamp on it.
LeFanu's wonderful short stories are a masterclass in atmosphere. He's not about horror and blood and guts but delicately builds a sense of dread and tension to screaming point. He was a huge influence on Bram Stoker (a fellow Irishman) so arguably, without LeFanu there would be no Dracula.
When I wrote The Waking Dream, I had always wanted to end the story of John Polidori's short life, but it just didn't happen in that story. I knew any sequel was going to be short and sweet, and so got the idea of trying to use some of LeFanu's atmospheric nuances. Dunno if it worked but it was terrific fun going for the full-on Gothic effect!
Apropos of nothing, Kingsley Amis was a lecturer at Swansea University when my aunt was studying there. His reputation as a ladies' man went before him, apparently!
I'm an avid reader, so mostly am unconsciously influenced by writers, just picking up ideas or ways of expressions along the way.
Like Luca, there is only one story where I have deliberately channelled a writer. That was for End Game and the author was Sheridan LeFanu.
LeFanu was one of the mid-Victorian writers who reinvented the Gothic genre in the mid 19th century. It has been at its zenith with the 'Headless Monk' novels of Mrs Radcliffe in the late 18th century and then got stale over the next few decades before a new generation of writers put their stamp on it.
LeFanu's wonderful short stories are a masterclass in atmosphere. He's not about horror and blood and guts but delicately builds a sense of dread and tension to screaming point. He was a huge influence on Bram Stoker (a fellow Irishman) so arguably, without LeFanu there would be no Dracula.
When I wrote The Waking Dream, I had always wanted to end the story of John Polidori's short life, but it just didn't happen in that story. I knew any sequel was going to be short and sweet, and so got the idea of trying to use some of LeFanu's atmospheric nuances. Dunno if it worked but it was terrific fun going for the full-on Gothic effect!
Awesome Luca and Curvy, thank you for helping me feel less of a freak 
I love to read, sadly time is an enemy, so to know I am not alone helps. I wish I could be more subversive in my writing and for my characters to be more flawed and therefore, more human. I love Amis for that, no one does the imperfect of the human condition better than him.
I really liked Girl, 20 (just read it for the first time whilst 'enjoying' 35c heat) for the total 'f**k you' of it. One day maybe, until then I shall keep trying.
I love to read, sadly time is an enemy, so to know I am not alone helps. I wish I could be more subversive in my writing and for my characters to be more flawed and therefore, more human. I love Amis for that, no one does the imperfect of the human condition better than him.I really liked Girl, 20 (just read it for the first time whilst 'enjoying' 35c heat) for the total 'f**k you' of it. One day maybe, until then I shall keep trying.
Old Bag Of Bones
I can't say I have ever intentionally tried to write like someone else.
I do think we all write like other people because we read different authors and pick up little things from each of them.
I try to be original as much as possible but even I find myself using similar phrases or quotes from things I have read over the years. I do try to tweak them when I catch myself so I don't get into trouble.
But like everything, no one is perfect.
We all gravitate to a style we like. If you found an author you enjoy, just do your best to use your words to express things in a way that resembles him. No-one will blame you for liking him.
I do think we all write like other people because we read different authors and pick up little things from each of them.
I try to be original as much as possible but even I find myself using similar phrases or quotes from things I have read over the years. I do try to tweak them when I catch myself so I don't get into trouble.
But like everything, no one is perfect.
We all gravitate to a style we like. If you found an author you enjoy, just do your best to use your words to express things in a way that resembles him. No-one will blame you for liking him.
Remember to check out a few of my stories. You can find them here.
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For those who like a change and prefer something a little more PG, check out my stories on Storiespace.
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Rainbow Warrior
I don't consciously try to emulate any author's style, but I know several have been hugely influential on me, especially Kurt Vonnegutt, Jr. I sometimes see elements of his style creeping into my work. Some of the Victorian romanticists' style have also found their way into my epic Sapphic Tales trilogy, William Hope Hodgson in particular.
Troublemaker
I hope not but at the same time I'm sure every thing I read has an influence that finds its way in to my writing. I read voraciously and find myself drawn to what I would describe as unusual writing styles although every thing I have put out on Lush has been pretty ordinary in style. I'd say I'm still trying to find my own 'voice' although I do have a few things in the works that may surprise myself. I like writers that bend the rules such as using run on sentences, strange word usage or stream of conscious. I struggle with dialogue and will often read a story from one of Lush's best writers to get a feel for dialogue when I'm editing. (Thanx!)
Great thread.
Great thread.
living dead girl
Not on purpose, or as far as I know
I have some that I would love to write like
one being Brett Easton Ellis the other being Virginia Woolf
and I suppose Stephen king but without the self referencial bullshit that cheapens his work.
I have some that I would love to write like
one being Brett Easton Ellis the other being Virginia Woolf
and I suppose Stephen king but without the self referencial bullshit that cheapens his work.
I'd love you to check out my latest
https://www.lushstories.com/stories/monster-sex/-summer-of-the-tentacle-.aspx
https://www.lushstories.com/stories/monster-sex/-summer-of-the-tentacle-.aspx
Active Ink Slinger
I don't think so, mainly because I don't think I'm a good enough writer, or smart and aware enough, to be able to achieve such a stunt. As for being influenced, again I don't think my writing is good enough to put the blame on another author.
Top Shot
Nicholson Baker all day long.
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Active Ink Slinger
No. I do not read for entertainment. So I do not know any author’s styles. I read “Fifty Shades of Gray” a few years ago only because it was about BDSM. I only write about real events in my life. My style is to rerun the events I am writing about through my mind and I can picture the events like a movie. I just write what I see.
Brandie
Brandie
Gravelly-Voiced Fucker
Quote by HeraTeleia
Nicholson Baker all day long.
LOVE Nicholson Baker.
I don't consciously ape anyone else's style, but I can see the influences pretty plainly. Lots of Elmore Leonard, paticularly in dialogue and pace. Probably a little too much of Robert Parker's Spencer novels in my dialogue too - I kinda channel his Susan Silverman/Spencer conversations in my latest writing, maybe to a fault. Also really fond of the long looping sentences of David Foster Wallace and Michael Chabon, which finds its way into my own prose.
Great thread.
Not really. I don't read nearly enough, or have the memory capacity, to remember how or in what 'style' someone has written.
I just try to use short sentences when I want things to read quickly, and long sentences when I don't know how to punctuate them.
However... I was experimenting with writing a poem in the Frank_Lee style. How hard could it be?
Fluidly ramble about something highly personal, peppering each line with obscure metaphors and evocative imagery, that somehow, someway,
relate to one another, and leaves one breathless and enlightened by the end. Also, ensure to have an highly relevant tag line like 'Rabid Fornication'
or 'Fluffy Bunnies' or 'Lovely Poultry'.
And a wickedly keen sense of humor.
It can't be done. It is so damn hard. I don't have that capacity. If you haven't read his stuff, treat yourself to some fluffy bunnies.
I just try to use short sentences when I want things to read quickly, and long sentences when I don't know how to punctuate them.
However... I was experimenting with writing a poem in the Frank_Lee style. How hard could it be?
Fluidly ramble about something highly personal, peppering each line with obscure metaphors and evocative imagery, that somehow, someway,
relate to one another, and leaves one breathless and enlightened by the end. Also, ensure to have an highly relevant tag line like 'Rabid Fornication'
or 'Fluffy Bunnies' or 'Lovely Poultry'.
And a wickedly keen sense of humor. It can't be done. It is so damn hard. I don't have that capacity. If you haven't read his stuff, treat yourself to some fluffy bunnies.
Wouldn't you rather have a nice cup of tea?
I try not to. In the early days of my writing, I was far more impressionable. As I get older/more experienced, I'm better at finding my own voice. But Hunter Thompson is especially infectious for me.
Don't believe everything that you read.
Active Ink Slinger
Quote by Ping
Not really. I don't read nearly enough, or have the memory capacity, to remember how or in what 'style' someone has written.
I just try to use short sentences when I want things to read quickly, and long sentences when I don't know how to punctuate them.
However... I was experimenting with writing a poem in the Frank_Lee style. How hard could it be?
Fluidly ramble about something highly personal, peppering each line with obscure metaphors and evocative imagery, that somehow, someway,
relate to one another, and leaves one breathless and enlightened by the end. Also, ensure to have an highly relevant tag line like 'Rabid Fornication'
or 'Fluffy Bunnies' or 'Lovely Poultry'.
It can't be done. It is so damn hard. I don't have that capacity. If you haven't read his stuff, treat yourself to some fluffy bunnies.
I don't even know what to say about this, but thank you, I think, as if that covers it. I don't know why anyone would try emulating anything of mine. It's certainly flattering, and perhaps a little unsettling, but really if anyone were to set about stealing (and this kind of stealing...stylistic stealing...is a very good thing to do for a lot of reasons) it's better to steal from someone who's got something worth stealing. Like maybe Richard Hugo, Denis Johnson or Barbara Anderson. Those are a few of the people I steal from indiscriminately and without a shred of shame. And Pablo Neruda. In fact, the best thing is just steal from everybody.
It's good exercise for your writing skills to try writing in someone else's style. It's highly unlikely the result is going to come off as anything more than derivative because your voice is your voice is your voice, even if you don't think you've "found" it yet. The way you hear language and see what's around you is completely your own, and you can no more escape it than peel off your own skin. But exploring someone else's style can be a good way of getting past your comfort zone and finding new possibilities. Everything you read is going to filter down into whatever you write in some manner anyway.
As far as poetry goes: who gives a shit what it means? The only question that matters, really, is what does it feel like?
And the tags, well, who doesn't love a fluffy bunny? And why isn't there a fluffy bunny category on Lush?
Quote by Frank_Lee
I don't even know what to say about this, but thank you, I think, as if that covers it. I don't know why anyone would try emulating anything of mine. It's certainly flattering, and perhaps a little unsettling, but really if anyone were to set about stealing (and this kind of stealing...stylistic stealing...is a very good thing to do for a lot of reasons) it's better to steal from someone who's got something worth stealing. Like maybe Richard Hugo, Denis Johnson or Barbara Anderson. Those are a few of the people I steal from indiscriminately and without a shred of shame. And Pablo Neruda. In fact, the best thing is just steal from everybody.
It's good exercise for your writing skills to try writing in someone else's style. It's highly unlikely the result is going to come off as anything more than derivative because your voice is your voice is your voice, even if you don't think you've "found" it yet. The way you hear language and see what's around you is completely your own, and you can no more escape it than peel off your own skin. But exploring someone else's style can be a good way of getting past your comfort zone and finding new possibilities. Everything you read is going to filter down into whatever you write in some manner anyway.
As far as poetry goes: who gives a shit what it means? The only question that matters, really, is what does it feel like?
And the tags, well, who doesn't love a fluffy bunny? And why isn't there a fluffy bunny category on Lush?
Thank you for the names. I most certainly will check out the stuff those writers have created. Browncoffee (Hannah) and I were chatting a while back, well, via Rump's Bar, about short story writers and she recommended Roald Dahl. I read a bunch of his stuff and just like anything else, some wow'd me, some under wow'd me, but I learned a little from everything.
My intention certainly wasn't to plagiarize a style, if that is possible. I'm sure it could be argued that it can. Can one plagiarize the style of a limerick, or haiku, or sonnet? I suppose anything is possible. Once, someone plagiarized my 'What-are-they-up-to-now' update in a university magazine. Several paragraphs, verbatim. Seriously? What was wrong with that dude?
My intention was exactly what you said, to try writing in someone else's style. For this current, unofficial, Rump's Cyber Bar, Mini-Flash toaster naming contest, when I saw Elliot was entering, I tried something more like his, which of course for me, was a catastrophic fail. I went to my comfort zone and wrote a joke about a thirsty man and is horny wife entering a bar. That's the limit of my range. 
The Voice. Yes, I too hear voices.
Some have said I've got a distinctive voice, especially with dialogue. It's all the voices in my head competing for attention. Frank, you are a humble dude when it comes to your poetry. It feels good. But it also sounds good. It is meaningful. And it gives many of us fluffy bunnies when we read it.
Active Ink Slinger
I don't deliberately attempt to copy a style, because just getting it down is difficult enough.
However, I like the stream-of-consciousness way that Holden Caulfield tells his tale and have written a few that way.
Beware though: starting a sentence with 'And' is apparently verboten by some of the editors here.
Seriously. I've had stories kicked back for that. J.D.Salinger? Pfft. Lush knows better.
However, I like the stream-of-consciousness way that Holden Caulfield tells his tale and have written a few that way.
Beware though: starting a sentence with 'And' is apparently verboten by some of the editors here.
Seriously. I've had stories kicked back for that. J.D.Salinger? Pfft. Lush knows better.
Primus Omnium
I find it difficult enough to write with my own style. I would never be able to write using anyone else's.
Prolific Writer
I just do my own thing....
Jackie Collins is my favorite writer.
The dirtier the better.
Hugs,
Mysteria
xo
Jackie Collins is my favorite writer.
The dirtier the better.
Hugs,
Mysteria
xo
Advanced Wordsmith
I'm not interested in copying other writers. I just write in my own way.
Not sure anyone would want to copy my style.
Its too much tied up with me and the way I see things.
Many people don't always to get my sense of humour and my sex slang.
Not sure anyone would want to copy my style.
Its too much tied up with me and the way I see things.
Many people don't always to get my sense of humour and my sex slang.
Julie Topper
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http://julietopper.com/Books.html
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