Don’t be afraid of other books influencing your writing style, urges Jane Wenham-Jones
You often recommend that would-be novelists read a lot and I know this is standard advice. However, I wonder what you think about the risks of sub-consciously absorbing another writer’s style or – worse still – their content. I am writing my first novel and I do find that I seem to be emulating the voice of whoever I last read, or even using their characters’ names. As I am intending to write a trilogy I shall always have a manuscript on the go for some time. I don’t want to give up reading other novels for years on end. How do other writers avoid this pitfall?