Make Something - Post #3: "Ain't Nobody Got Time Fo Dat"

Have you ever done something because someone else was doing it?
     That is kind of a stupid question. Like 99.9% of the human race has done that. But I guess it's a question that makes you think. It's so easy to just go along with the crowd because either you don't want to stick out or you just don't know what the heck you're doing. And because I'm not aiming to get into your personal business today, I will be talking about the latter. ;)
     When you first start writing, it's kind of like building a house. You have a lot of materials but... what do you do when you don't have any blueprints? A lot of people just start building randomly. And  other people just borrow a blueprint from someone else. And guys, getting inspiration from other people is fine. (As long as it is not plagiarism, obviously.) But when you're just starting out your writing journey, it's easy to just kickstart yourself on someone else's writing style.
     Eight years ago, in the mists of time, I was just becoming an author. And during the time, I was super huge on the Little House on the Prairie books. Because those were really the only books I read, I based my writing style off of those books. Which is fine, I guess, but I let those books control how I wrote stuff and they hindered me from falling into my comfort zone. And it took me way too long to realize that I need to develop my own writing style.
     When it comes to actually finding your writing style, however, you need to step out of your writing norm. And this can be really hard, because after you've stepped out, finding your style itself can be an even bigger challenge. But guys, do you really want to write something that isn't your own? The reason you're doing this in the first place is to have fun. Writing is an outlet to be yourself. Express yourself. Tell your own story. So don't tell someone else's story. Ain't nobody got time fo dat. ;)
     I have a challenge for you all. Write something completely you. (Just let yourself tell the story and don't follow any rules that you've inadvertently made for yourself.) If you've already overcome this nasty hurtle in writing, then just pull out one of your books. (Haha!) Then send at least one chapter to us. We want to read your awesome stuff, people! But we don't want to read someone else's stuff. So be yourself. Create your own style. You're starting from scratch, but that's a firm foundation for building up, right?

Keep writing,
- Emilie

"The role of a writer is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say." - Anaïs Nin