Imitate others

Ira Glass suggests we imitate others. "Painters do it," he says. "Why don't we?" Michael Kruse, sounding a lot like Mikey from The Goonies when he's standing in the waterfall and trying to convince the others not to ride up in Troy's bucket, responds. "We DON'T? WHO doesn't? Every time I drop overheard dialogue or lyrics, it's Anne Hull. Every time I read over what I've got just to hear how it SOUNDS, it's Dan Barry. Every time I go short-sentence staccato (and, please, please, please, hope to heck I use it in the right way at the right time), it's David Finkel. Every time I start breaking rules about commas, dashes, whatever, it's Dave Eggers. Every time I stop trying to write and just say what I saw, it's Gay Talese, or Joseph Mitchell, or Vanessa Gezari, or C.J. Chivers. Same thing with reporting. Every time I close my notebook and keep on listening, it's Rick Reilly. Every time I pick off a business card from a bulletin board in a greasy spoon, it's Lane Degregory. Every time I seek what's sad, it's Ben Montgomery. Every time I think, "THINK like you're making a movie," it's Tom French. Every time I stay still, even when stuff's moving fast, so I can see what I need to see, it's Kelley Benham. Every time I back up, stand up and think STORY STORY STORY, it's Mike Levine and Terry Egan. I am NOTHING but the people that I know and the people that I read. Isn't everybody?"