Under the Influence

 by Abir

Has an outside influence ever crept into your writing?

 

I’m not sure how to answer this question. In the general sense, everything I write is influenced by external forces and factors and people. I write about things that make me angry. I write from a position where my politics, morals, ethics are the result of external influences. I expect the same is true of pretty much everyone.

 

I suspect the question is more about the influence of other writers and other creative types – playwrights, musicians, dramatists, painters. Again the answer is a resounding yes – at least in terms of atmosphere and the general worldview of my novels.

 

Over the years, I’ve realised I am a fan of dystopian fiction, of sci-fi, of fantasy and basically any novel or film where the author creates a new world, often the bleaker the better. I think that bleak worldview has influenced the way I write.

 

Then there’s humour. I’m a lover of dark, gallows humour. I find a bit of levity adds something to bleak novels. For me, Philip Kerr was the master of the dry, ironic quip. I’m sure my own writing and characters have been influenced by this use of humour.

 

But if we’re talking about style, about prose, then the answer has to be ‘no’…but with a caveat.. There are many writers whom I admire: Denise Mina, Lee Child, Imran Mahmood, to name three. I read their words, whether it be the short, direct, incisive prose of Lee Child; or the insightful, elegance of an Imran Mahmood character description; or the ability to capture and distil human emotion in a single sentence as Denise Mina does; and I think wow, that’s amazing. I appreciate their talent. I envy it, too, but I wouldn’t emulate them. I couldn’t even if I tried. What would be the point? I would only produce a pale imitation of their work. A pastiche at best. I, like most authors, have my own style of writing. I do my best work when lost in ‘the zone’, the words flowing without any real external thought. I couldn’t do that if I was constantly trying to emulate someone else.

 

But here’s the caveat. While I don’t emulate others’ style, that doesn’t mean that I don’t learn from it. I think we all want to be better writers. If I see something that’s done particularly well – a turn of phrase, or a metaphor, or a joke – it makes me happy. It makes me want to learn. In that sense, I am influenced by the style of others. That doesn’t mean that I’ll slavishly copy their style. It means it opens my mind to what’s possible. It’s like fashioning a new arrow to add to my own quiver, another pencil to my writing box.

 

Opening my mind to what’s possible. That brings us full circle. The imaginary worlds I mentioned earlier – the universes created by writers whom I love – I guess they open my mind to what’s possible too. I’ve recently re-read The City and The City by China Mieville. It’s a phenomenal book which I’ve recommended on here before. But re-reading it sparked something in me. An idea for a book set in a world of my own. It would be nothing like Mieville’s book – because I couldn’t write something like that – it’s just too good, but it got me thinking about possibilities. It broadened my horizons as to what is possible. And that is the best influence ever.