That works for any art. I remembered seeing art students copying
paintings in museums, then years later when learning fan art,
copied the styles of the fan artists I admired. In about a year,
people were asking me about the tricks and I was passing on the
lessons.
It was true for my writing too. The best story I did as a kid was a
sequel to a dark fantasy from someone in the Lovecraft Circle who'd
just gone out of copyright. I forget which ancient elegant author I
imitated, but it was a pastiche. So I tried to use every technique
he did, mention every detail of his backstory in the same ways he
did -- and that taught me that less is more. The story that I
thought had a thousand details had only a few well placed resonant
ones.
I almost sold it -- if I had that rejection slip from anyone today
I'd be making a sale on the next submission. The pro editor had a
checklist rejection slip and none of the beginners' mistakes were
checked off. He devoted a page and a half of encouraging comments,
telling me that while he loved the story and was a fan of the
original antique author, he couldn't publish something that wasn't
in a contemporary style. He suggested writing something in a more
modern style.
In drawing portraits, I didn't have a style till I'd gotten all the
tricks from imitating other portrait artists. (Most of my fan art
was in-character portraits of media SF actors.) After that, I
couldn't not have a style. I wound up noodling over eyes with
nitpicking detail, always surprised and happy that when I got done
it would look like a living eye. The good things happen when I'm
not paying attention to trying to do them, and my fan art portraits
were known for eye characterization.
I have no idea what my style is in writing, because I think it's
invisible to me. I can't write other people's books. I can only get
ideas from those moments when I'm reading and think "Oh no, it
should've been..." and take off and write something on the same
theme. My prose seems as familiar as my nose. If I get self
conscious, eventually thinking about it I will recognize that I'm
just embarrassed about being who I am -- something anyone might
feel.
The practice is getting me somewhere, because I've made a few
sales. :)
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