[allturtles]

> I wouldn't advise any new writers to imitate Shakespeare if they want to be published today.

It's very easy to get published today, I just got published and so did you.

But sure, your advice is probably good if you are concerned mainly with commercial success. I would venture to guess, though, that most great, enduring writing comes from something inside the writer that they feel they have to express, rather than from looking outside themselves for the right "product-market fit." Some writers find a simple, lapidary style, others prefer more ornate language. Both can be great and I don't think we should call one right and one wrong.