The Last Three People I Read

I've heard it said that at any given time, an author is an amalgamation of the last three authors they read. We pick up on people's mannerisms, word choice, speech patterns, all that stuff. I can attest to this phenomenon because I've experienced it.

Ironically, the last three people who have done that to me were not people I read, but people I listened to. They are Noah "Spoony" Antwiler, John Green, and Hank Green. Each of them have profoundly affected what I've written in some way.

Spoony has really honed my analytical skills lately. He is primarily a critic of movies and video games, and he is the best one I have come across. He puts on no airs as being an expert, nor is he a character. He sits on his couch or chair and talks to the camera. But what he says is spectacular. No matter what he's talking about, he can find the good and the bad. He can point out when his bias is showing, and he backs up every single point he makes. Even when he gives his opinions, they have weight. If I do find myself disagreeing with his reviews, I still have to acknowledge all the points he makes as valid.

John Green, who is an accomplished author, among other things, has a wonderful presentation style. He speaks honestly, but has a child-like silliness to it. He is aloof and goofy, but always sincerely speaks from his heart. Ironically, it takes effort to speak naturally, but it is effort well spent. The audience feels at ease and wants to open up because you are opening up to them.

Hank Green, being John's brother, is remarkably similar, but Hank uses different qualities. Hank is more energetic; he speaks faster and moves his body more frenetically. He's usually more serious when he talks - his silliness coming from his naturally energized state. What makes Hank endearing is that although he is talking about nerdy stuff, he makes it exciting. He finds ways to spice up the concepts he's talking about, even making stories about people doing research sound fun and exciting.

Admittedly, I have not mastered the qualities that I have talked about them doing. And honestly, I don't think I ever will. Certainly, nobody will ever say that I sound like John Green. But, the point is not that I am imitating them, but that I am being affected by them. Somebody who reads me and knows I've been listening to a lot of John Green may see the influence it has brought.

The other thing I will say is that, contrary to the way the advice is worded, I don't think it is a permanent deal. I only take on the mannerisms of people I immerse myself in. I have spent hours upon hours upon hours listening to all three of these people. That's why they have influenced me at all. But once I am not immersed in their words, those words lose the grasp on me. I still have my own natural style/voice, and it is what I always revert to when nothing else is influencing me.