Purple Prose + trends

What Anne Geddes Taught Me . . .

Before you become overwhelmed with excited thinking I apprenticed with Anne Geddes, I didn’t. But man, what I would give to spend a day in her studio, watching her work. (Hint hint, Anne, if you happen to be reading this.)

Because Anne and her photos are so fabulous, photographers poured out of the camera lenses in droves trying to emulate her. But in truth, they were nothing more than copycats, with no unique style of their own. A few did succeed, but there is truly only one Anne Geddes.

But Anne didn’t take this copycat business lying down. She challenged herself and her photos to be even more fabulous. Again, leaving those copycats behind. Only those who developed their own style were able to carve a niche of their own and gain recognition. They weren’t known as another Anne Geddes wannabe.

©Me as a Anne Geddes Wannabe

The same is true for writers. We all have favorite authors we aspire to be like. But the world already has a Suzanne Collins, J.K. Rowling, Stephen King. We already have sparkling vampires and angel stories galore (okay, I still have a thing for angel stories). What the world is now looking for is YOU.

So quit trying to follow the trends or write like your favorite authors. Instead, become the trend setter and leave writers scrambling to follow YOUR newly created trend. And create your own style that other writers will one day look up to and say they wish they wrote like you. Learn from your favorites (whether it be for writing or photography). Develop a style and keep challenging your writing (photos). But most of all, BE TRUE TO YOURSELF.

(But, hey, if you want to tell me which authors (photographers) you admire, go for it. I’d love to hear who you’d pick.)

<<<3

And the winner of I’m Not Her by Janet Gurtler is . . .

Marilu

Congratulations, Marilu. I’ll be emailing you later today for your address.



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What Anne Geddes Taught Me . . . + trends