I prefer Neil Gaiman's view of "Most of us only find our own voices after we sounded a lot like other people".
Also, at what point you stop being an aspiring writer and become one? First article published? Your book tops the nyt list? Sometimes I think aspiration is better left for fields where you need somebody else's permit to work. You write, you are a writer, even with zero appreciation.
That's something I've been noticing since I was young. The artists who imitate and even "rip-off" other artists were always the ones who seemed the most successful. They always end up finding their own voice eventually.
I think there's a lot of truth to this. I'm slowly learning what makes me me, but in the meantime I'm being influenced by things I like that guide what I want to create.
I prefer Neil Gaiman's view of "Most of us only find our own voices after we sounded a lot like other people".
Also, at what point you stop being an aspiring writer and become one? First article published? Your book tops the nyt list? Sometimes I think aspiration is better left for fields where you need somebody else's permit to work. You write, you are a writer, even with zero appreciation.