Well, I'll buck the common thinking here and say...
Buy some books. Visit the library and borrow a few for FREE! Why spend months/years fumbling around on your own when you can learn the same things from someone else in 30 minutes? Learning proper technieque doesn't mean you have to sing like an opera singer. Sheesh...
Knowledge will only help you be a better singer. Learning how to visualize your tone and placement. How to lift you soft palate and proper mouth shapes. How to breathe with your diaphram. None of that can hurt no matter how you want to sing.
Mimicing other singers is also good to a point, but only if the singer you are mimicing has good technique. If not then you're doing more harm than good. You're developing bad habits that will take even longer to unlearn, and you run the risk of temporarily/permanenatly harming your voice.
A