How have other writers influenced you?
People often ask, "Who is your favorite writer?" or, "What writers have influenced you?" I don't feel this is useful question for someone who is trying to improve their writing. Why? Because they are just names with conflicting rules or ideals. If you want an author to emulate, there are lists everywhere for best books by type, or books every author must read, or underrated books, etc. Literature teachers have reading lists for their classes online, only a google search a way. Most of us have read a good number of what are considered classics or canon, the books that have lasted decades without fading into the memory hole of history.
Instead I prefer to find out how other writers have influenced you. What lessons have you learned that form the foundation of your writing beliefs? What advice has shared with you that is always on your lips while you write? While you edit? What secret rules do you know that other's miss?
I'll start.
- "Write bad." When I'm writing, I always want to go back and fix mistakes, censor myself, or make sure I'm not offending anyone. The thing I have to repeat to myself while writing my drafts is, "Write bad." Don't worry about grammar, spelling, repetitive words, or continuity. Just write as much as I can as fast as I can as freely as I can. I'll fix all those problems later.
- "Why now?" What about this story is worth telling people about it? Why focus on this character? Why this place? I often rephrase this as, "So what?"
- "Who knows what?" I don't use omniscient narrators, so I need to limit the knowledge given to the reader to what my protagonist knows.
- "Unique is universal." A flat, generic character or thing is easily forgotten; generic descriptions are nothing. But the more unique you make things, the more people can identify with them.
- "Kill your darlings." Every time I find a piece of description, some fun word play, or bit of unique detail that I just don't want to delete no matter how much it doesn't fit while I'm editing, I whisper this to myself. Don't sacrifice a good story just so you can have a bit of clever writing to show off.
These are some bits of wisdom that influenced me the most. Do you have any you'd add? Leave them in the comments.