You're clever--everybody's clever nowadays. You're clever. Everybody's clever nowadays. Hear my voice in your head, and think of me kindly.

There is no doubt that writing style is important. ‘It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.’—I don’t remember where that quote is from but it rings so true. Finding or creating your own voice is, I think, the hardest part of writing. It’s all been done before! Well, it seems like it’s all been done before, all been said before and in every way there is to say it.

I struggle with my written-voice a lot. I tend to emulate my favorite authors’ voices, or the voice of whomever I’m reading at the moment. Once and while I’ll think I’ve finally found it..finally found that certain style that is my own, only to read a book a month later written in the same style—and the real kick in the teeth, done far better than how I did it.



I love how before finishing a sentence, I can tell it’s Genet; or, even though his style tends to vary a bit, a few pages in I know it’s Kerouac.

I love how I can recognize Graham Coxon’s guitar playing almost instantly, even though I know nothing about music; or how when I discover a new band, I can usually pick out who influenced them—like when I got into Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and knew without looking it up that they loved the Stone Roses as much as I me.



I wanta be like a Graham Coxon guitar riff.