I have read, and can no longer find, an article in which the writer posits that 
writers who really stand out are those who write something different or say it in a different way. For instance Faulkner wrote long sentences, sometimes a page in length, but the thing one remembers about Faulkner are stories that cut to the quick, characters who you can visualize like you do your best friend.
And you don’t just visualize them, you know how they think, or you believe you do. Good writing stays with you, like a good movie does. Good writing makes you think.
Richard Ford said he spent a year planning and studying for writing Independence Day. He did something right–he won a Pulitzer. But I think this all goes back to emotion and advice from several writers: Become the character and then write. It all sounds so easy…………