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Dear Writers: Don’t Compete In Someone Else’s Category (Create Your Own)
From an early age, writers are taught to want to write like someone else.
- “Who do you like to read?”
- “Whose writing do you enjoy the most?”
- “Who do you look up to as a writer?”
Of course, we all have idols and people who inspire us. But the problem with these questions is they train the mind to think the secret to becoming successful is to do what others before you have done. If you want to be the next Hemingway, learn to write like Hemingway. If you want to be the next Faulkner, learn to write like Faulkner. If you want to be the next Malcolm Gladwell, learn to write like Malcolm Gladwell.
There’s just one problem:
No legendary writer becomes legendary by trying to write like someone else.
Hemingway was a polarizing writer. You either loved his minimalist, terse style, or you hated it.
Faulkner was a polarizing writer. You either loved his overly descriptive run-on sentences or made it your life’s mission to warn others about the boredom of reading Faulkner.
Gladwell was, and still is, a polarizing writer. You either love his “pop science” stories or you pound your…
