A new graduate from the Mechanical Engineering department at Miskatonic University wants to get his career going. So he has to decide what he’s going to design first.
He decides to build an aircraft carrier.
Never mind that this is one of the most elaborate, complex pieces of machinery conceivable—the graduate has decided that he’s capable of designing and building something immensely huge and complex, just like the guys who have been doing it for thirty years.
This sounds insane, but it’s exactly what a huge number of novice writers do when starting out their careers. Instead of starting with something manageable—Ray Bradbury famously advised writing short stories for several years before even attempting a novel—new writers often decide that they’re capable of producing a twelve-volume epic saga with hundreds of characters.
Long-form Fiction is Different
Why does this happen? Part of the problem is that many writers have already spent years writing—schoolwork, college essays, blog posts, articles, emails. We’ve all spent time telling stories to our friends—ghost stories as kids, you-won’t-believe-what-I-heard stories in high school, and so on. It’s easy to let oneself think that these skills can translate to writing long-form fiction.
But they don’t. Structuring a novel-length narrative is its own skill that takes years of practice to master. Creating complex, realistic, interesting characters is a separate skill; so is writing clean prose that flows easily. As in any profession, one should master the basics before attempting the complex.
It doesn’t help that most successful books appear to have sprung fully-formed from the author’s forehead. We don’t see the years of toil involved; just the completed project, and it seems like something that could have been thrown together in a couple of months. We begin to think that we could be that successful, if we just put our minds to it for a little while.
Honing Your Craft
Another confounding factor are novice successes: those new authors whose first book, an epic thousand-page literary monolith, becomes a critically-lauded success. We need to keep in mind that those authors achieved a combination of luck (hitting the zeitgeist just right, which so far nobody has ever been able to do reliably), and, well, luck (having an innate talent for writing). Trusting your success to luck is, to put it mildly, unwise.
The fact is that most successful writers spent many years practicing their craft before you ever heard of them. No sane person would expect grand success early in their writing career, or that their first attempts would be comparable to any of the great works of fiction that we all know and love. (Of course, if we were sane, we wouldn’t be writers.) We should all make apprentices of ourselves at the start.
Do you agree that new writers shouldn’t attempt epics? If not, can you name an example of a newbie author writing an epic that turned out well? (Christopher Paolini doesn’t count.)
Benjamin Clayborne would find it splendid if you were to peruse his blog, or to check out his novel Queen of Mages on Amazon.
Hehe…”Christopher Paolini doesn’t count”.
Personally, i’m a big advocate of writing what you want to write. If it’s an epic, why not? The only way of finding the motivation to write is to go with what you feel is right. Also, don’t forget ‘epic’ does not mean ‘long’. A 3 book series of 300 pages each can be even more epic than a four book series of 600 pages each. The last thing I would say is…absolutely know the rules before breaking them, but remember all the advice you get is just that…advice. Don’t be afraid to hit out in your own way, find your own style. Scout amazon. ‘Look Inside’ all those epic fantasy books from famous authors. Then count how many stand out, how many you remember the name of afterward, how many openers are structured in a truly unique way. The rest…those others you can’t remember after clicking ‘back’ – they all followed the rules, the formulae, the tropes, the cliches, the same mix of sentence structure that has itself become repetitive, the same metaphor etc etc etc. Then read the opener to Gormenghast or another epic that truly stands out. PS – Terry Brooks. Took him seven years, but Sword of Shannara was his first full work.
And a quote from Mr Brooks himself –
I find it much harder to write short stories than long fiction. I feel cramped by the lack of space and the dictates of the form. There is considerable difference in long and short fiction disciplines, and I am not good with the latter. I hope not to have to do many more of them, but you never know. I must have written Indomitable anywhere from four to five times, each effort different. Give me a five hundred page sprawl as an assignment any day.
No, I totally disagree. First of all, as primarily a fantasy author, I gave up trying to sell short stories. There was a dearth of mediums at the time accepting them, and those few that did, wanted big names on the covers and not mine. Had I stuck just with writing shorts, I’d never have seen print. Secondly I learned a whole lot more about the business of writing from working on that 850+ page monstrosity that became my first completed novel. I never sold it as is, but the 4 years that it took to write were well spent, and I have no regrets. I learned a lot about marketing with it too. Every rejection slip stung like crazy, mainly because I had NO IDEA what was wrong with my writing. The mainstream fiction publishing industry was a cruel teacher of economics—get known or get out. Fast forward to 2011 when I chopped my big book in rough thirds, rewrote the first section to be more action heavy and offered it to a New Pulp publisher. It became the company’s best selling book for many months, and led to me having my own author imprint. If I didn’t have that huge body or work and the experience of writing a novel, I wouldn’t have been ready for that golden moment. Bottom line is: Write what you have inside you, and ignore the naysayers.
Write! If you want to sell a successful commercial book then plan it out. Don’t write an epic. Consider what is trending; what styles and subject matter is selling. Consider having follow up novels ready so you can sell a trilogy if you have a hit. However, if you want to be a writer, then write. Write short, write epic, write poems, write everything. Writers don’t focus on the destination, they concentrate on the path.
Further, your asking for an example of a newbie author writing an epic that turned out well is unclear. Are you asking for a newbie epic that turned out well or a newbie author who turned out well who wrote an epic as his first book? Who knows how many great writers wrote bad epics as their first novels who went on to write great books afterward? While only some writing is good for the reader, all writing is good for the author.
Yeah, sweat blood and time to produce a six hundred page opus that nobody wants because you didn’t understand the basics. Not so great a plan. Another vote for starting small.
Wish that authors would remember to develop plot and characters before attempting a complicated story. Build a base, let the characters go and see what happens. Too often authors forget that it’s the characters’ story not theirs.
Pay close attention to what those people whose first project was an epic are saying: in most cases, they spent years—decades, even—writing it. If you’re satisfied with spending years writing one thing, that’s your choice. The problem with having an epic as a target is that most people who begin them never complete them. Shorter works allow you to complete them, polish them, circulate them, receive the feedback a writer so desperately needs, possibly see them published—all while working on that epic. Yes, they require different skill sets in terms of plotting, character development, world building, pacing. However, there’s one absolutely crucial skill common to both, and that’s polishing your ability to write, *period*: your diction, vocabulary, sentence structure, paragraphing, use of dialogue… the list goes on. You are passing up the opportunity to get this practice, learn what works and what does not, if you choose to avoid writing shorter pieces. And the satisfaction of seeing complete works, especially if they make it into print, will help motivate you to persevere in the longer ones.
Star A Raven don’t let this piece discourage you, it’s only one person’s opinion.
I wrote a story. I wrote and wrote and wrote and then it was finished. I asked someone at Gollancz advice on publishing it. At 170,000 words it was too big. So I cut it in half and edited it. I sent it off to her by email and waited.
I had done everything that she had asked of me and I had to email her to remind her about it. 6 months after I had sent it, she replied with:
“It’s not what we’re looking for…”
I accept that Gollancz have a lot of other submissions coming in so I took back control of my book, put it back together and self published it at 196,000 words. Is that classed as an Epic? I’m on the 4th book in the series now and the reviews are astonishingly good I’m pleased and proud to say.
This was my first attempt at writing. I have had nothing published before of any note.
Rather than listen to experts in the field of writing, listen to your Muse and never ever ever allow anyone to discourage you. xx
Margaret Mitchell (“Gone With the Wind”) , Frank McCourt (“Angela’s Ashes”) , L. Frank Baum (“The Wizard of OZ”) , H.G. Wells (“The Time Machine”) , Harper Lee (“To Kill a Mockingbird”) , all first novels
@Miles Milliken First novels? Yes. But were they the first stories that they wrote? That’s doubtful. I suspect that all of the authors listed above spent a lot of time practicing their writing before attempting something of considerable length and complexity.Benjamin isn’t saying that new writers can’t produce novels. Rather, he’s arguing that new authors would do better to practice by writing shorter, less elaborate pieces before attempting something epic.
Patrick Rothfuss comes to mind. I see i’m not the first to mention him, but he is worthy of another mention.
I love how people try to prove their ideas by pointing out the exceptions, as if exceptions make the rule.
Patrick Rothfuss’s epic was only his first published. He did a lot of other writing besides that one during his time in university in which he studied ENGLISH. So to refer to Rothfuss’s epic as if it was his first and only writing and he didn’t need anything else to hone his skills…
JRR Tolkien…honestly… Do people not find the facts before using them to ‘prove’ their points? Any cursory reading of his bio will tell us that Tolkien did a lot of writing, many of which were never published, YEARS before he attempted The Hobbit and that The Hobbit was NOT written as an epic. It was a single, stand-alone story. THEN he wrote LotR.
Just because people only remember their first famous epic, does NOT mean that it was their first attempt at writing.
My first published book was an epic. But it was not my first writing project. It was just my first published book. I have been writing short and long pieces, non-epic ones on amateur sites for years, honing my skills and learning my craft, because I do believe that there is wisdom in walking before I can run. I don’t consider it some scaffolding or hampering of my art to be asked to have a bit of experience before attempting something major and complex.
But that being said, I do think some people are gifted enough that they can write an epic the first time out and succeed. The other 99% may try and won’t succeed, but any writing will be valuable experience.
I would not count Eragon as i think it stinks.
Patrick Rothfuss wrote The Name of the Wind as an epic novel. He pulled out some of it, submitted it and won a writing contest. Once he had won, it caught the eye of his agent and the rest is history. He writes the *longest* epic fantasy novels I ever read. So I think newbies should write what they feel passionate about because without the passion for the project whether it’s long or short, not much writing will get done.
@Debra L Martin As others have pointed out, Rothfuss did a lot of writing before starting Name of the Wind. While it was the first book that he had published, he had been practicing his writing for many years before that.
I believe trying to write an epic as a new writer is fine. The problem I see with writing an epic is not so much about being new to the craft but being taken seriously by publishers and lit agents. Most want to see proof of your writing history before they will even consider reading a manuscript (short stories, magazine credits, etc). An epic by an unknown is unlikely to get seriously looked at. I suspect there are great epics out there that will never see the light of day simply because the author doesn’t have the resume that will convince a publishing house to spend the time reading it for consideration. Only authors with true business savvy (which unfortunately most writers need a little help with) or inside contacts (it’s always about who you know) are going to be able to sell an epic read right out of the gate.
@AmandaEdling I think all your points are well taken. If Shakespeare or many of the classic writers tried to publish their works today their talent would probably be overlooked and lost forever. But ebook self-publishing gives authors a chance to write whatever they want, including lengthy epics. I wrote a mystery thriller that is somewhat of an epic. The storyline spans one hundred years from 1888 London to 1998 Palm Springs. It received good reviews and is available on KINDLE Bookstore by RAYMOND THOR .Maybe they will turn my epic ebook into an epic movie. Click on link:http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=sr_nr_i_0?rh=k%3Araymond+thor%2Ci%3Adigital-text&keywords=raymond+thor&ie=UTF8&qid=1344014633
ray thor Best of luck.
Everyone,You are welcome to disagree with the content of this article. However, rude and insulting remarks will be removed. Please be respectful towards everyone, including those whom you may disagree with. Thank you.
@realjtk People write what they want to write. If that’s epics, that’s the craft they’ll have to hone. Short stories are a different skill.
@DaveSivers I’ve seen a lot of people call short stories a training ground for novels. Would you disagree?
@realjtk Short stories are a different form of fiction – they’re not a ‘short novel’. One can develop useful skills for the other, but…
@realjtk … suggesting you must do one to be able to do the other is a bit like saying you must ride a motorbike before driving a car.
@DaveSivers Agreed, I think they’re apples and oranges. I also think there’s a much smaller market for short stories than for novels!
@realjtk Peachy, is it ready yet? Very excited (and, quite frankly, growing inpatient)
@jodiethirkill Is what ready, Steaky?
@realjtk the novel!!! And, happy Friday!
@jodiethirkill Happy Friday! The novel isn’t done yet, I’m afraid, I need to rewrite the beginning. How’s tricks?
It is good advice for the average writer. Too many people fail because they take on too much. But some people have the skill to do it and don’t need this advice. But it stands true for 99%
I believe that, if it’s a story that inspires a writer, they should work on what ever get’s their imagination going. Whether it’s an epic, a duo, or a single novel. I know I’m a new writer and I’m working on a trilogy.
David Clement-Davies of ‘The Sight’ and ‘Fell’
@asgavin @mythicscribes *not* epic? with 150k packed & subbed, and 90k of the sequel done, *now* you tell me…. 😀
Writers should pursue what we are passionate about writing. It’s irrelevant what type of literature we choose; writing is a personal adventure.
Your definition of turning out well is not mine. A novel that turned out well is not one which sold thousands of copies. A successful novel is one which is meaningful to the writer, and one where the writer achieved their personal goals.
This is overly generalized (and cynical) advice. A book starts with a story idea, not a scaffold. Of course all good writers take the time to hone the tools of their craft – but where and what and how you create is an individual process. It there were a “right” way to achieve success as a writer, someone would have patented it and we’d all be best-sellers :).
The term, “Epic”, especially in Fantasy fiction, generally refers to the scope and context of the story – not the volume of it. Every writer, novice or otherwise, should write the story that most inspires them. regardless of its complexity (or length). Speaking from personal experience – as a novelist and a writing instructor – whether form follows function or the other way around is of no real consequence. We all have to start somewhere – what does it matter if your first attempt at fiction is a short story or a ‘monolithic’ ? No writer I have ever heard of published their very first draft of anything- at least not successfully. Not even Christopher Paolini.
I am a new writer working on a series of three books about three sisters. (time travel Scottish romance). You should write whatever is inside you waiting to get out. First of all, I write stories for myself, hoping others will like them.
I don’t agree with this at all… 🙁 And darn it, it’s really discouraged me… :'(
I think it depends on the nature of the epic, but specifically why the writer is making it an epic. Is it an epic just for the sake of writing an epic? In that case, it would be a bad idea. Does the writer just have too many ideas to fit into one story, or even in short stories? It all really depends on a case-by-case basis, accounting for the writer and the story itself.
People should be free to write whatever they’re inspired to write, whether new or old, epics or short stories. That’s how one hones their skill and grows.
@Jessika Mathews: People are obviously free to do as they please, but my point is that choosing to write something colossally complex as your first work is almost always a very bad idea. I don’t buy the idea that a person has a single (hugely epic) story that just “has” to be told, and that they couldn’t possibly find something simpler to start with. I’d ask exactly how someone who has very little experience writing long stories can be so certain that they’ve got an epic story worth telling (or that they even know how).Yeah, rarely it works out, but not usually. There’s a reason art students don’t paint a 30-foot-long epic covering a thousand years of history in their first semester.
Jk rowling?
@Kacheri Joe Bodily JK Rowling started writing when she was 5 and didn’t get published until she was in her 30s. I wonder how many short stories and failed novels she has stuffed in the bottom drawer of her desk destined never to see the light of day.
It sounds like a good idea, but I think some beginning authors can be as Epic as they want if their story is awesome enough! I wonder how many huge authors started out Epic & did fantastic?
When I write, my story has a story that needs to be told and I tell it till the story ends. Might it be Epic or a short story. Once I am finished, I look at it and decide what I need to fix it to become great.
I started out by writing short stories. I also wrote an anthology of short stories for my grandchildren and young adults. In the beginning, however, I wrote a long story because it seemed to write itself … I just couldn’t stop. It is called BLOODGUILTY (a thriller-chiller medical mystery). It has many ingredients: cloning, genetic engineering, organ transplants, mind transplants, and Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes (from 1888 London to 1998 Palm Springs). It is a combination of historical accuracy and fiction. It also got very good reviews. I believe a writer becomes a little obscessed with the telling and has no choice but to write it and hope for the best. Are we not artists? BLOODGUILTY is available on the KINDLE Bookstore by RAYMOND THOR.
All fiction projects are bloody difficult. Coming from a software development background, I can tell you that any large project is more likely to fail, and the reasons are simple: we cannot know all our requirements in advance. Plot, character, style, and however else you want to categorize words become huge topics. We writers have thin skins at times, and frustration can shelve a project before it’s lived out enough life. This is the likely end for any new writer’s work. Even the best writers cannot tackle them in one sit-down, and that’s the main thing we new writers need to learn. It’s an iterative process. I am writing either an epic novel with literary chracters or a literary novel with an epic setting. I haven’t decided, and I don’t really care. It’s my story, and I’m writing it. I’ve written a fast 100k word dump, and I’ve gone trough it almost completely a second time. I’ve also spent lots of time on teh first third in edit number 2. Much re-writing and refining has landed me at 110k. It’ll probably end up around 120k, but it may demand even more. I plan on professional advice before I tackle it further than edit number 2. I’m lacking client feedback.
I actually agree with Kriley97 in that a writer should write whatever story is in them. When I was 15, I began writing an epic novel. After putting together 32 chapters, I forgot about it. Now at 36, though I still plan to write that novel eventually (though obviously from a more grown-up perspective–I laughed myself silly when I re-read what I’d written at 15), I find myself more intrigued by the stories of the individual characters than by the epic novel’s storyline. So that’s what I’m writing right now–shorter stories about the characters lives rather than the epic adventure. One of those stories is turning into a novella (at 10,000 words and still going). To sum up, writing shorts is great but I’ve found that the story itself often dictates what it will become–novel, novella, or short.
I can actually identify with this article quite well and I actually agree with Kriley97 in that a writer should write whatever story is in them. When I was 15, I began writing an epic novel. After putting together 32 chapters, I forgot about it. Now at 36, though I still plan to write that novel eventually (though obviously from a more grown-up perspective–I laughed myself silly when I read what I’d written at 15), I find myself more intrigued by the stories of the individual characters than by the epic novel’s storyline. So that’s what I’m writing right now–short stories about the characters lives rather than the epic adventure. Will I ever sell them? Well, one can only hope.
I understand where this is coming from and while this might be decent advice, I feel even better advice is “write the story that is within you”. It would be ideal for a writer to start with short stories or a novel that is rather limited in scope, but the author should really write their story, no matter how epic it might be.
Hmm. Short stories require a very different skill set to novels. A lot of people think shorts are an easy way to hone craft, but being able to write a polished, engaging 1,500-worder is nothing like the same as developing multiple points of view, showing character growth over time, building complex relationships or handling a larger cast.I’d be reluctant to say start with shorts as some kind of blanket piece of advice to all new writers, because not everyone has the skills for it or wants to develop them. Me, I can’t write shorts for toffee (the only one I was ever successful with had a 10k ceiling and I used every last word of it – I’m happier on a bigger canvas). It’s a useful thing to try as you’re finding your niche, but I dread to think of some novice writer beating their head against the short story for years thinking that ‘I must sell shorts before I can write that series that’s been burning a hole in my soul since forever, cos it’s the rules’.Is it hell. There are no rules. You will find your own way to write, with your own voice, and for some people that will be through shorts, for others it will be by writing the story that won’t let go, that keeps them up at night, that sees them sneaking off with notebook and pen when they really should be doing something else, like work.But there is no ‘one true way’. There’s the way that works for *you*, and so what if it doesn’t work for everyone. Personally, I always advocate writing from the heart. Writing that soul-fire story will keep you going through the tough bits, and keep the joy alive in the process. Why shouldn’t you learn to hone your craft as you go, as long as you’re prepared to accept that it likely won’t be the first thing you get published? If the ideas are sound, you can always rewrite it later.
ElspethCooper – well said.
robertatrahan As a newly-published writer of epic fantasy, two books into a four book series, I felt I was quite well-placed to comment!
ElspethCooper robertatrahan – As a debut epic fantasy author myself, I couldn’t agree with you more :).
I don’t think trying to write an epic is a bad idea. Give it a try and see how it goes. However, I’m more of the opinion that trying a stand-alone novel first is a better idea.
Terry Goodkind comes immediately to mind, though I must admit that his books aren’t great now that I’m no longer 15.
Definitely agreed. Jumping in at the deep end usually results in a would be author writing a tangled mess that doesn’t go anywhere. Like you said, honing your craft first is the best way to go.Jamie @ Mithril Wisdom
I think the story is already there and it’s the writers job to scribble it down. Maybe a noob shouldn’t set out to write an epic, but if that’s the story you’ve got to tell, who am I to put a word count on it?
Just because a writer has been published before doesn’t mean they have all the skills and talent to write epic
I start off writing a short story then it blossoms like a fungus into something bigger. What I plan to do is write a bunch of short stories and link them together eventually – well that is the plan 😉
However, I feel the need to point out that just because a specific author’s first PUBLISHED works may have been epics, that doesn’t mean that they were born writing them.
How else are they going to learn to write epics if they don’t attempt them? 😛
@Ashley ‘Damei’ Thiessen Nobody’s saying don’t *ever* write epics — just don’t try to outdo Tolkien right out of the gate.
Why shouldn’t Christopher Paolini count? He was a newbie who wrote an epic and it worked out – very well, in fact.
@Jason Toney Paolini’s family had the resources to self-publish ERAGON and tour the country promoting it. Most people don’t have that.
Although the article does make some good points, I will have to stick to my guns on this and disagree. Why should new writers be herded into a particular way of writing? Shorter storys are easier to handle, yes, but that doesn’t mean they should be the be all and end all for new writers. Write what you feel most comfortable. If it’s shhort, so be it, if it’s longer than your arm, so be it. Don’t worry, be happy 😀 x
Short stories are MUCH more difficult to write well. I’d agree that newbies shouldn’t attempt to market multi-volume epics, although that’s exactly what I’m doing and it’s working for me. Just signed the contract for books 3-11. But I did get lucky. And I’m going small press.My advice would be to write what you love, then write more of it. Don’t expect to sell your first, second, third, fourth, or even fifth completed novel. Those were practice. Depending on how fast you learn and how much innate talent you have, book six might be good enough to market. But don’t rely on your mom to tell you how good it is.If you really love epics, go ahead and write them. Just be aware that it will take you years to write them well enough to be publishable.
I think this advice applies much better to game designers than to writers, since it’s a lot harder to debug every line of code in a gigantic program than it is to rewrite every bad turn of phrase in a gigantic book. I suppose I’d warn new writers off of attempting trilogies, if only because of the potential burnout that comes from getting two books into a series while never having published anything, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with starting off by trying to write a standalone novel.
@Alishawriter @mythicscribes This is a good call. I wrote and sold more than a dozen short stories before my first novel.
While I do think this is sound advice, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that newbie authors should *never* attempt an epic as their first project. I think what this article is really saying is that you should know what you’re getting into and to go into that project with your eyes wide open.When I started my current novel project, I actually remember thinking… “I just want to do single novel–because really, what kind of crazy person starts out by writing a *series*?”… fast forward a decade and a half (and change)… and that one book is now five books. Having said that though, I feel like all the aborted drafts… all the time and planning and what not… all of that has been part of the extended learning process that I’ve gone through so that now I feel like I’m actually ready to tackle this beast. Could I have written a bunch of short stories instead? Maybe… I did, at one point, try to set aside this project and just put together a short one-off fantasy story… but in the end that’s not really what I wanted to write so I went back to my novel.Anyways… I think the important part is to just recognize that this is a craft and you’re going to fall on your face a lot before you truly master it. Whether you choose to fall on your face writing short stories or writing an epic is just a personal choice.
I really wish i could take this advice but i believe i am past the point of no return. My epic that i have been working on has claimed a good solid decade of my life. I first began with the world and that was at first a copy of Middle-Earth(I was very young at the time). Now that i am older the world and its history is very much its own unique(at least as unique as possible) beast. I tried to have it be something short like three books but now i feel it will be eight maybe more(praying to the gods of fantasy for eight).I do not assume in anyway shape or form it will be easy to publish what i have started but i can’t put this story on hold any longer. I plan to go ahead and write and write until i have finished the entire story and if the first book isn’t published until i have finished writing the last one so be it. But i do plan to take George R.R. Martin’s advise from his website to publish short fiction to get your name out there before publishing your behemoth of an epic.
I don’t understand this backlash saying this article is crushing dreams. This isn’t discouraging anyone. It’s taking a point and reasoning out why it makes sense. Bradbury seems to agree. If your dream can be crushed by a few words, IMHO sensible words, by a complete stranger then that dream may not be as strong as one believes. Dream big, reach high, but temper it with sense and reason. To put some things on the table. George RR Marting started by publishing short stories. Tolkin took 30 plus years to write, revise, edit, and finally publish Lord of the Rings. JK Rowling has been writing stories since she was five and her first publication didn’t come until she was in her thirties. The point here is it takes time to hone your skills in the craft of writing. There’s value to be had in finishing multiple short stories instead of one big one. For every one writer who does it on their first try there are thousands who don’t. Most writers have to practice and fail at writing tones of short stories, novels and everything in between before they even have a chance. Brandon Sanderson published his sixth novel while he was writing his thirteenth. I hear professional writers say all the time in interviews that it took me ten years to become an overnight success.Again, if all it takes are a few words you don’t like to convince you to give up on a dream then you didn’t really want it as bad as you thought.
I think this is solid advice that should be taken with a grain of salt. When I decided I wanted to be a writer, I had a huge, sprawling story in mind. I tried to write it, but it was pretty difficult. I think that new writers should always hold the story in their mind, but also learn to work on smaller things so that they can properly tell the longer story when the time is right.I’ve been writing short stories for a long time now, and it’s improved my writing by leaps and bounds. Also, just because a writer has an epic tale, doesn’t mean he started with that. George R.R. Martin has Song of Ice and Fire, yes, but he also has plenty of short stories and shorter novels like The Armaggedon Rag, Fevre Dream, etc. (By the way, check those out, they’re great.)Just because we have a story in mind, doesn’t mean that the time is right to put it on paper. If you hone your craft and wait, I think you’ll find that you can write your epic tale better than you originally hoped.
I don’t think it’s right to discourage newbie writers from writing epic stories. In a way you are crushing their dreams. I was told by many people in my family that writing was a waste of time and I’d never get anything done. Well my first book is being published in December and while it is a short story its due to the restrictions that particular story was allowed and I just sent out my second story.It’s best to encourage a newbie writer in whatever type of story they wish to write. R.A. Salvatore is an amazing writer and has many books in his series. If you are worried that a writer is taking on too much by making their epic novel, it’s ok to encourage them to take breaks and write a few short stories.I have several different types of stories in the works at all times. This way I can go to a different idea if I get stuck on another. Short stories can help newbie writers get their feet wet so to speak, but they can also hash out that novel or epic series if they so wish. Don’t trample on somebody else’s dream, you wouldn’t want that to happen to you would you?
Shawn, I feel you. If some body told George R.R. Martian to start small, he’d been dead before he’d try to write his epic stories. I doubt Clive Barker or R.A. Salvatore had a small story in their heads. Even the “short stories” they have created were massive. Ray Bradbury was PROLIFIC. He wrote and breathed to write. Not many can fill his shoes. There are a thousand ways to get help with writing an epic. There are many ways to be published. I’m an artist and a writer. I find the world of writing harsh and more cut throat than the art scenes I’ve been involved in. I’d rather keep a day job and hone my skill than to shrink.
Terry Brooks, R.A. Salvadore, JRR Tolkien, C.S.Lewis, JR Rowling…and the list goes on. I think it depends on the writer. Some do better practicing for the ascent, while others were just born epic climbers.
I know there are a lot of people that don’t like this one (including me), but there are a lot of people who do like it… The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. Wizard’s First Rule was his first book, from what I understand.
This is advice I’ve heard from many places, and it has served me well. Not only from building skills, but in publishing right now most publishing houses want shorter books from newbies to see if they can draw an audience.
That ‘m was a mistake
I partially agree. I’m a newbie writer, and as many before me I’m trying to write my own epic fantasy story, but I’m going slow. I’ve been concocting my story for 7 years already and althought I made a great deal of progress, I’m decided to write short stories from my fantasy world instead of aiming to a huge novel like Lord of the Rings.
New writers should attempt everything!! That’s how you get better! Success should not be the point for a beginner, gaining experience should be the goal.
Cervantes, Dickens? Melville? Dante? Chaucer?
It might be good advice for most. Too bad I didn’t take it. It’s been a long, slow slog to getting it right (and many years of honing and revising), but I think I’m almost there with my epic trilogy (nine years and counting). Others spring to mind, perhaps most notably Patrick Rothfuss (worked on Name of the Wind for about ten years, I think). There’s also Joe Abercrombie (debuted with The First Law trilogy), Jacqueline Carey (debuted with Kushiel’s Dart), and more recently Jeff Salyards (debuted with Scourge of the Betrayer). I believe all of them worked for years. I think the most important thing for a new writer is to be passionate about their work. I wrote what I like to read. I wasn’t trying to gauge the market or feed my family. I’m not sure I’ll be lucky, but I don’t lose any sleep over sales. I just want to produce a worthy of the time I’m going to ask readers to invest.
Bullshit. I say be as grand as you can, learn from your mistakes, then do bigger and better work. Stay fearless, if you are already there, don’t shrink for no one. Go big or go home.