There was this quote I read one time but I can't remember the name of the person who said it.
anyway it basically says that origninality doesn't have anything to do with writing something no one else has written before, as long as it's exactly what you think yourself.
I think that you find your style by observing and learning from other styles. I've found writing to be a lot like music in many ways. Yow write a story in the same way that you would write a song.
I believe you definatley should be influenced by others.
Haha... there are four types of stories. Man against man, man against society, man against nature, and man against himself. There are no variations. Your story may have bits and pieces of those conflicts, but otherwise, that's it.
Fortunately for you, originality doesn't have to do with the story plot. It has to do with the way you tell a story. You can make a story original by putting yourself into it. Because you are special and cuddly and original, you can make it special and cuddly and original too.
Ubi caritas est vera, Deus ibi est.
"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." ~ Richard Bach
Influence is good, as long as you're not trying to totally emulate the way that that person writes. Then you're just setting yourself up for failure.
But overall? The little clichès count. If you've got the 'tall, dark and handsome' character and the 'blonde bombshell' in your story, even if it's a really original story it can sound like something we've heard already.
In short? Presentation counts.
Graffiti is the most passionate form of literature there is.
"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." ~ Richard Bach
"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." ~ Richard Bach
You must never give into despair. Allow yourself to slip down that road, and you surrender to your lowest instincts. In the darkest times, hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of inner strength. — Uncle Iroh
