When you're finally ready to sit down and take a serious stab at writing that first novel, be careful of how you do it. Stay away from books that deal with your specific genre while you’re writing because you don't want to be swayed by the writing of another author who composes in the same category.
This is not to say you can't have influences per se; certainly you can be inspired by other authors, but as a writer you need to find your own voice. You don't want to mimic someone else's style. In certain cases it's okay if you want to give a nod of respect to a favorite author, but find your own way
For example, I wrote a historical fiction about Billy the Kid. My book was three years in the making while I read and read and read before sitting down to write my book, but when I decided I was ready to do so, I deliberately stayed away from other female writers who have written about Billy (which there are not many of, admittedly; and this is just fine by me to be one of the few) because I did not want another female’s opinion to mark my writing. I did not want to be predisposed by their thoughts or words—I did not want my writing to be subjective. It was very important that I tell his story from my own perspective based on the facts.
Many authors who are worth their salt will tell you that it is very important for a writer to find their own voice via sentence structure. If you have to steal from another author’s style then maybe you should consider giving up on writing altogether because you don't take the craft seriously. No serious author should be a hack.
