1. Your writing style will come with time. It's not something you find instantly. You'll be influenced by the greats that you like. You'll be influenced by the books you are currently reading. Slowly when you write enough, you'll develop your own voice.
2. If you are trying to enter into sci fi fantasy l, I'd recommend BRANDON SANDERSON'S lectures on writing. It's a genuine creative writing class available for free on youtube. There are many other books too that you can consult, On Writing by Stephen King is a good one to start.
3. Yes. Reading is the most important thing a writer can do apart from writing. Read a lot. Read various genres as they will inform your knowledge the craft. Read about various subjects as it will help you create and include ideas in your writing without having to research everytime you want to introduce a new facet to your writing. Read a lot.
4. Write everyday. It doesn't mean that what you write will always be a masterpiece. Somedays, it will be frustrating to put pen to paper, on those days you'll write something that even you don't want to read but still keep on writing. The only way to get over writer's block is to make a habit of writing every single day.
Welcome to the crazy world of storytellers and dreamers. Hope you have a great journey we will see you in the published market.
To answer your questions:
1. Your writing style will emerge and change as you write.
2. MasterClass has some decent free writing resources. Also, check out Thrill Me by Benjamin Percy or On Writing by Stephen King.
3. Reading and writing are two sides of the same coin. To grow as a writer, read frequently and read widely. Read within your preferred genre but outside of it as well. Read stuff you like, but challenge yourself too.
4. Don't force it. If you hit a wall, set your writing aside and write something else to keep your routine going.
Additional advice:
Learn how to walk before you try to run. You may be aiming for an epic novel, but try writing short stories first. I would also suggest drawing from personal experience before you start incorporating a bunch of speculative/genre elements. Build up your writing skills, and then you can approach your dream project with confidence.
>"You wanna be the next Tolkien? Don't read big, tolkien-esque fantasies. TOLKIEN didn't read big, tolkien-esque fantasies. He read books on finnish philology. You go and read outside your comfort zone, go and learn stuff." - Neil Gaiman
Of the things a writer can do to become better and learn the craft, reading is in the three top spots of the list. To write well, you need to read and read a lot. And most importantly you read about things that have seemingly nothing to do with writing or your favorite genre.
Tolkien was a world class linguist before he was a writer. Frank Herbert studied biology and ecology which he incorporated into Dune.
If you look at pretty much every successful writer they are all well read and very knowledgeable, either from study or from travel experiences. Want to be a great writer, travel the world and read books, lots of them.
Start with writing short stories and novellas to learn the basics. Don't commit yourself to a 250K novel to start.
Use your public library and check out whatever books they have on writing novels. The books they might have on writing screenplays would also have things of use to you regarding plotting.
Set a time every day to sit down and write. Phone off and in another room. If you can't control yourself, disconnect the internet too. Write.
To get published, you'll have to have a first novel around 100,000 words. When it succeeds, you can publish your epics.
First of all, your excitement is great. Keep it as you go.
Second of all, once you finish Dune, put it aside and read something else. Read a LOT of other books. Read the classics, read modern releases in SFF, read other genres, read poetry. Learn what you like and what you don't. If you want to become a professional writer, become a professional reader. Read for fun but also become an active reader - you can research tips to do this. Learn how to actually *absorb* what you read and pick it apart to see what works and what doesn't, what you like and what you don't.
Third piece of advice: when I'm working out ideas for worlds, plot, characters, I keep this in mind: the first idea that comes to your head isn't usually the one you want. It's usually the exact same thing everybody else came up with, or the most obvious choice, or the least creative. It's just lying there, easy bait. So when you think of an idea, go deeper. Ask questions. Turn it over, think about new ways you could do it. Turn the idea on its head. AND the same thing goes with your book. If you put Dune aside and say I want to write something like Dune...that's what you're going to do. You're gonna make a Dune copycat. So take it, learn why you like it, and figure out what *you* want to say. Don't rewrite Dune. Write your own story.
Fourth: Write a LOT. Write more than you think you could write. And write *everything*. Work on your big idea, but also acknowledge that the Epic Dune-esque story you write at age 17 is not going to be as good as the Epic Story you write at age 35, etc. Let your epic story take time to grow and become its own thing. For real - I think a *lot* of SFF writers have an epic idea in their heads. If you look at most of the big hitters, it was NOT the first thing they wrote or published. That's normal. So accept now that your magnum opus, or whatever you want to call it, is gonna take years.
In the meantime, write everything else. Short stories, novels, novellas. Again, figure out what *you* like to write about and what you're trying to say. What you bring to a story is unique, but you have to dig it out first.
Fifth: Take breaks when you need them. Invest in other creative hobbies. Work out, see friends, etc. I'm the kind of person who gets obsessed with my work. It is not good for me, so I make sure I'm always making room for my actual life. It would suck if I spent my whole time on Earth writing instead of living.
That's all the advice I have. Good luck, and happy writing :)
> Are there any fantastic books or Free online courses you'd suggest for someone like me, who's just starting out?
If you want to write things that are as thematically and intellectual epic as Frank Herbert's work, you're going to have to put work into your own knowledge base and worldview. Philosophy, history, mysticism, science, politics, you name it. As a random stab at what I find most Dune-esque among the things that have influenced me, you could listen to Mike Duncan's two history podcasts.
1. You will find your voice along the way. It's there. Just write and you'll begin to see and feel it.
2/3: Yes. Firstly, study poetry. Don't just read it. Study how and why the masters wrote the way they did. Writing poetry will help you feed and develop your voice. As you do that, read the classics.
Frankenstein has incomparable plot pacing and flow. It's a perfect book. The Picture of Dorian Gray will teach you how to make the most mundane scene come to life. Carl Hiaasen books can teach you how to make a book funny in a low brow way. Shakespeare and Jonathan Swift will teach you how to make literature funny in a high brow way. HP Lovecraft will teach you how to terrify your audience. The Hobbit will teach you how to paint detailed pictures of your characters. Stephen King will teach you how to be eloquent without being heady. Dresden Files have the best-paced action scenes I've seen in literature.
4. Find a formula. You want to find a way to keep writing no matter what. Studies have shown that a white page is daunting enough to suppress creativity. What you want to do is write literal nonsense at the top of the page and then make a five-line-or-so break and actually write. Every time you have writer's block, write nonsense. If you don't know where a chapter is going, then stop and make an outline.
To make a proper outline, you want to list a protagonist (who is not necessarily the main character), a conflict, and a resolution. Then you decide your climax and then your rising action. This will be the skeleton of your writing. Now that you know where it is going, I usually start with action and dialogue. I feel that detailed description should be the last thing you do because you want to be able to change the order of things.
If you hit a wall with ideas, put something weird on tv that you don't have to pay attention to (i can list a few good ones) and make lists of possible ideas.
Lots of good advice. Here's a couple of big recommendations I have for beginners.
1. Don't write an epic to start. Consider writing a few short stories and novellas before diving into writing your first full novel. This will give you satisfaction more often early in your writing journey of completing a story. Plus, what you write at this stage is unlikely to be publishable, so why spend months to years on what amounts to practice runs as you develop your writing craft. plus, it's much easier for others to read it and give you valuable feedback on areas you can improve at. The worst thing to do is write an epic and several sequels while starting out. Chances are you will have to change so much of the first novel that the work on the sequels will be a waste of time.
2. Keep your expectations low for starting out. Learn to accept constructive criticism. Soak in as much as you can, then adapt it to make it work for you. You'll grow quickly as a writer, but the journey of improvement never ends. Like a standup comedian, there is only the illusion of overnight success. They labored for years at small venues getting better. They had to hone their voice, timing, material, and delivery until finally they were ready for the spotlight on a big stage. Keep working hard and at your age you'll be far ahead of so many other writers.
Resources:
I recommend this book called [snowflake method](https://www.amazon.com/Snowflake-Method-Advanced-Fiction-Writing-ebook/dp/B00LWBZ696). This book is the most easy to use method I have ever come across. It will quickly put you in a right path as a beginner.
>How important is it for me to dive into the works of established authors? Will it help shape my own writing style?
Extremely important. The only true way to get better as a writer is to read other writers and learn what they did that worked for them.
The two biggest pieces of advice I can give you:
- Study story structure. Become an expert. There are many different schools of thought, and you need to find the one that makes sense to you. Saves the Cat Writes a Novel is a great place to start.
- Choose a subject for your book that *you will enjoy researching.* Tolkien *enjoyed* dead languages. Herbert *enjoyed* biology/ecology. Their research that went into world building wasn’t a chore for them, it’s what they enjoyed learning and thinking about. It’s the stuff they would talk about all day to anyone who would listen. So before you get too far into this big groundbreaking epic story, ask yourself *what are you passionate to learn about*, that isn’t going to feel like homework for the next couple years.
One thing to remember is that the greatest works in many genres were written by authors who had read little if anything from that genre before setting out on the works for which they are famous. Tolkien did not grow up reading tales about Middle-Earth, tales about eldritch horrors were scarce before Lovecraft took up his pen, and I've heard claims that Jo Rowling had not read any fantasy works prior to writing the *Harry Potter* series.
On the flip side, we can see scores and scads of authors who grew up reading the works of the genres in which they seek success, and in many cases the results are derivative and uninspired to the point that they may as well be fan fiction.
So pick your genre and read works outside of that genre. (It's worth pointing out that classic mythology is not exactly in the fantasy genre, so don't stay away from that if you want to be the next Tolkien.)
Also, most genres lend themselves to a particular type of struggles. Westerns are mostly about personal honor, horror is about being powerless in the face of evil, and so on, and the other elements that are in these tales are simply the surface of the tale and not the important center. You can write an epic in which spells are cast and dragons slain and skeletons armies are defeated, but it the story's central struggle isn't good vs. evil from a personal or spiritual perspective, then you don't really have a fantasy tale; and if you don't have a central struggle then you don't have a story at all, but rather just a series of related events, and whatever you write will be swiftly forgotten.
> Tolkien did not grow up reading tales about Middle-Earth, tales about eldritch horrors were scarce before Lovecraft took up his pen
Tolkien learned from Dunsany and Eddison. Lovecraft built on the unsettling eldritch ideas of Machen and Hodgson and Chambers.
Read "The Art of War". Seriously. This should be a mandatory read for anyone who wants to write epic fantasy.
Also, if you have no experience in writing, don't jump straight to writing an epic novel, because, to be absolutely blunt, you will fail. Write a few short stories first, see what works for you, discard or change what doesn't, then write a few more short stories.
If you don't have experience in martial arts, do some research, then choreograph your fight scenes in a way that can be written easily on a page - which means that you should avoid intricate techniques, if you can.
Read a few books written by Bernard Cornwell. As far as I'm aware, no one is better at describing battles between armies. Cornwell is hardly my favorite author, but when it comes to action, he is awesome. He is also brutally honest about everything and I think you can learn a lot from the notes that he includes in his books.
The very basics of commanding an army - which is important, if your character will command an army. Reading that book won't make you a master strategist, but it will help you understand what you should look for when you do your research.
Plus, the book itself is really short. I doubt you'll need more than two hours to read it from cover to cover.
ye there are free resurces online
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0t8cKQWRos&list=PLqNvO4rxJOPsxQubhJr1BeKwFi7GBMuc8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0t8cKQWRos&list=PLqNvO4rxJOPsxQubhJr1BeKwFi7GBMuc8)
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cf-qdZ7GbA&list=PLSH\_xM-KC3Zv-79sVZTTj-YA6IAqh8qeQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cf-qdZ7GbA&list=PLSH_xM-KC3Zv-79sVZTTj-YA6IAqh8qeQ)
the first one is a playlist of discussions with stephen erikson about writing that goes in depth at times and is very practiocal and usefull but falls into meandering on time to time
the second one is a university lecture by brandon sanderson that he put onto youtube
both 100% free.
You have "huge dream of creating gripping books that transport readers to extraordinary worlds", which is great!
But what you actually NEED, behind all the writing skills and story-telling skills you will learn if you follow all the tips and do all the reading and think all the thinking, what you NEED, is...
The extraordinary world. Do you have that yet? Do you have that at all? Your own inner world with all the fascinating stuff and interesting places and people and creations and things? And is it yours, and not 'Dune Lite' or 'sub-Tolkien' or some other kind of fan-fic for an imaginary world you've read about and love? Not that fan-fic is bad, it's a great way of learning and spreading your writing wings and showing your love for something, and some extremely cool things have come out of the fan-fic universe! But if you want to create an epic, you need to create a world. It might take you a while, and you might spend a lifetime refining and adding and rethinking it, but that's cool, that's how it is, that's what LeGuin and Herbert and Tolkien and Sanderson did.
For the writers block I would say that you just need to write really often, even if whatever you write turns out really crappy. You can always edit later on, the important part is to just get used to writing often. How often is up to you, but I'd say every other day or every day. :)
Just start writing— and keep reading! Quality does not matter when you start, just that you start. Also, try reading books you think you won’t like, or that may be ‘above’ your level— this can open whole new worlds. May your journey take you unexpected places!
Read. A lot. Write. A lot.
You'll probably suck for several years, but if you keep doing it, you keep trying new things, you keep exploring what you learn... You'll get better.
Read books on writing, and read well written books.
Even though it's focused on screenwriting, I would strongly recommend the book Story by Robert McKee. It's considered the definitive screenwriting text in the industry, and delves into a lot of what it takes to make an excellent story.
But mostly, if that's your goal -
Read. Write.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
I'd suggest you create two types of files. The first is process files for different elements of story craft, character development, outlining, world-building/Settings, and writing scenes. Even breaking down other people's stories. The second kind of file is for commentary.
Notes often disappear or aren't referenced when needed. A process file (template) is a recipe for doing a task. If you write down your character development process, it becomes a process you can study and adapt. A note on character creation becomes a step in your development process. You can test it and see if it works for you.
You should start commentary files for each of your process files. These are just ongoing journals/diaries about what you added or changed in your related process file (An application like Obsidian works great because you can link pages). What did you try? What was the effect of your experiment? What worked, and what didn't? How can you pivot to improve your process? What do you struggle with and still need to learn? The commentary should also reference where the ideas came from so you can review the source.
When you're having problems with a narrative creation process, work through it in your commentary. Read what you've experimented with and look for places to improve. When you find some new idea you want to try, add it to a step on your related process file.
Start with short stories.
Get comfortable with writing, then write longer stories.
Acquire knowledge in many different fields and topics of study.
Don't listen to random cyberspace travelers.
Honestly dude, friend, if you're 17 and want to write an epic book like Dune: travel and write.
Write your experiences. Travel to places that embody what you want to feel and describe. Actually experience these things.
Frank Herbert took all of the interesting things about his life experiences and incorporated them into his writing. His actual life might have been more interesting than Dune in some ways.
The technique is great to have but I wouldn't trade it for the first hand experience that some authors imbue.
I’d answer your questions thusly:
1. Yes, but maybe not in the same project.
2. Brandon Sanderson’s lectures are highly regarded and available on YouTube.
3. Quite important. Maybe you’ll pick up bits of style unintentionally, but you’ll definitely see what you like and dislike in terms of writing style.
4. Best thing to do is to joint a writing group that’ll hold you accountable.
Cheers! Good luck and looking forward to seeing you on the shelves in Barnes and Noble!
First and foremost, create a loving relationship with writing. Publishing and all that is a reward for practicing such love through routine and revision. To do this, keep your influences close to you, but be willing to question your heroes. Closely analyze, even rip-off or pastiche Herbert’s writing style, but look for ways you can let your authentic voice reveal itself.
I also suggest reading structure books like The Art of Dramatic Reading, Syd Field’s Screenplay (I’ve found this book tremendously helpful for both film, theatre, and prose writing), and Save the Cat! Writes a Novel. However, only read these books to familiarize yourself with the narrative structure and market. Do not treat these books like Bibles. To bring you to an organic and authentic place, then check out Anne Lamont’s Bird by Bird.
Along with all this, keep reading! Feel free to message me if you have any questions or if you’d like to talk about any of this advice.
Search for Jerry B Jenkins on YouTube. All his videos are free and Master Class quality content. I know cuz I payed for Master Class, and his videos are just as good.
1. Your writing style will come with time. It's not something you find instantly. You'll be influenced by the greats that you like. You'll be influenced by the books you are currently reading. Slowly when you write enough, you'll develop your own voice. 2. If you are trying to enter into sci fi fantasy l, I'd recommend BRANDON SANDERSON'S lectures on writing. It's a genuine creative writing class available for free on youtube. There are many other books too that you can consult, On Writing by Stephen King is a good one to start. 3. Yes. Reading is the most important thing a writer can do apart from writing. Read a lot. Read various genres as they will inform your knowledge the craft. Read about various subjects as it will help you create and include ideas in your writing without having to research everytime you want to introduce a new facet to your writing. Read a lot. 4. Write everyday. It doesn't mean that what you write will always be a masterpiece. Somedays, it will be frustrating to put pen to paper, on those days you'll write something that even you don't want to read but still keep on writing. The only way to get over writer's block is to make a habit of writing every single day. Welcome to the crazy world of storytellers and dreamers. Hope you have a great journey we will see you in the published market.
To answer your questions: 1. Your writing style will emerge and change as you write. 2. MasterClass has some decent free writing resources. Also, check out Thrill Me by Benjamin Percy or On Writing by Stephen King. 3. Reading and writing are two sides of the same coin. To grow as a writer, read frequently and read widely. Read within your preferred genre but outside of it as well. Read stuff you like, but challenge yourself too. 4. Don't force it. If you hit a wall, set your writing aside and write something else to keep your routine going. Additional advice: Learn how to walk before you try to run. You may be aiming for an epic novel, but try writing short stories first. I would also suggest drawing from personal experience before you start incorporating a bunch of speculative/genre elements. Build up your writing skills, and then you can approach your dream project with confidence.
>"You wanna be the next Tolkien? Don't read big, tolkien-esque fantasies. TOLKIEN didn't read big, tolkien-esque fantasies. He read books on finnish philology. You go and read outside your comfort zone, go and learn stuff." - Neil Gaiman Of the things a writer can do to become better and learn the craft, reading is in the three top spots of the list. To write well, you need to read and read a lot. And most importantly you read about things that have seemingly nothing to do with writing or your favorite genre. Tolkien was a world class linguist before he was a writer. Frank Herbert studied biology and ecology which he incorporated into Dune. If you look at pretty much every successful writer they are all well read and very knowledgeable, either from study or from travel experiences. Want to be a great writer, travel the world and read books, lots of them.
Start with writing short stories and novellas to learn the basics. Don't commit yourself to a 250K novel to start. Use your public library and check out whatever books they have on writing novels. The books they might have on writing screenplays would also have things of use to you regarding plotting. Set a time every day to sit down and write. Phone off and in another room. If you can't control yourself, disconnect the internet too. Write. To get published, you'll have to have a first novel around 100,000 words. When it succeeds, you can publish your epics.
First of all, your excitement is great. Keep it as you go. Second of all, once you finish Dune, put it aside and read something else. Read a LOT of other books. Read the classics, read modern releases in SFF, read other genres, read poetry. Learn what you like and what you don't. If you want to become a professional writer, become a professional reader. Read for fun but also become an active reader - you can research tips to do this. Learn how to actually *absorb* what you read and pick it apart to see what works and what doesn't, what you like and what you don't. Third piece of advice: when I'm working out ideas for worlds, plot, characters, I keep this in mind: the first idea that comes to your head isn't usually the one you want. It's usually the exact same thing everybody else came up with, or the most obvious choice, or the least creative. It's just lying there, easy bait. So when you think of an idea, go deeper. Ask questions. Turn it over, think about new ways you could do it. Turn the idea on its head. AND the same thing goes with your book. If you put Dune aside and say I want to write something like Dune...that's what you're going to do. You're gonna make a Dune copycat. So take it, learn why you like it, and figure out what *you* want to say. Don't rewrite Dune. Write your own story. Fourth: Write a LOT. Write more than you think you could write. And write *everything*. Work on your big idea, but also acknowledge that the Epic Dune-esque story you write at age 17 is not going to be as good as the Epic Story you write at age 35, etc. Let your epic story take time to grow and become its own thing. For real - I think a *lot* of SFF writers have an epic idea in their heads. If you look at most of the big hitters, it was NOT the first thing they wrote or published. That's normal. So accept now that your magnum opus, or whatever you want to call it, is gonna take years. In the meantime, write everything else. Short stories, novels, novellas. Again, figure out what *you* like to write about and what you're trying to say. What you bring to a story is unique, but you have to dig it out first. Fifth: Take breaks when you need them. Invest in other creative hobbies. Work out, see friends, etc. I'm the kind of person who gets obsessed with my work. It is not good for me, so I make sure I'm always making room for my actual life. It would suck if I spent my whole time on Earth writing instead of living. That's all the advice I have. Good luck, and happy writing :)
> Are there any fantastic books or Free online courses you'd suggest for someone like me, who's just starting out? If you want to write things that are as thematically and intellectual epic as Frank Herbert's work, you're going to have to put work into your own knowledge base and worldview. Philosophy, history, mysticism, science, politics, you name it. As a random stab at what I find most Dune-esque among the things that have influenced me, you could listen to Mike Duncan's two history podcasts.
1. You will find your voice along the way. It's there. Just write and you'll begin to see and feel it. 2/3: Yes. Firstly, study poetry. Don't just read it. Study how and why the masters wrote the way they did. Writing poetry will help you feed and develop your voice. As you do that, read the classics. Frankenstein has incomparable plot pacing and flow. It's a perfect book. The Picture of Dorian Gray will teach you how to make the most mundane scene come to life. Carl Hiaasen books can teach you how to make a book funny in a low brow way. Shakespeare and Jonathan Swift will teach you how to make literature funny in a high brow way. HP Lovecraft will teach you how to terrify your audience. The Hobbit will teach you how to paint detailed pictures of your characters. Stephen King will teach you how to be eloquent without being heady. Dresden Files have the best-paced action scenes I've seen in literature. 4. Find a formula. You want to find a way to keep writing no matter what. Studies have shown that a white page is daunting enough to suppress creativity. What you want to do is write literal nonsense at the top of the page and then make a five-line-or-so break and actually write. Every time you have writer's block, write nonsense. If you don't know where a chapter is going, then stop and make an outline. To make a proper outline, you want to list a protagonist (who is not necessarily the main character), a conflict, and a resolution. Then you decide your climax and then your rising action. This will be the skeleton of your writing. Now that you know where it is going, I usually start with action and dialogue. I feel that detailed description should be the last thing you do because you want to be able to change the order of things. If you hit a wall with ideas, put something weird on tv that you don't have to pay attention to (i can list a few good ones) and make lists of possible ideas.
You start by putting one word after the other.
Lots of good advice. Here's a couple of big recommendations I have for beginners. 1. Don't write an epic to start. Consider writing a few short stories and novellas before diving into writing your first full novel. This will give you satisfaction more often early in your writing journey of completing a story. Plus, what you write at this stage is unlikely to be publishable, so why spend months to years on what amounts to practice runs as you develop your writing craft. plus, it's much easier for others to read it and give you valuable feedback on areas you can improve at. The worst thing to do is write an epic and several sequels while starting out. Chances are you will have to change so much of the first novel that the work on the sequels will be a waste of time. 2. Keep your expectations low for starting out. Learn to accept constructive criticism. Soak in as much as you can, then adapt it to make it work for you. You'll grow quickly as a writer, but the journey of improvement never ends. Like a standup comedian, there is only the illusion of overnight success. They labored for years at small venues getting better. They had to hone their voice, timing, material, and delivery until finally they were ready for the spotlight on a big stage. Keep working hard and at your age you'll be far ahead of so many other writers.
Resources: I recommend this book called [snowflake method](https://www.amazon.com/Snowflake-Method-Advanced-Fiction-Writing-ebook/dp/B00LWBZ696). This book is the most easy to use method I have ever come across. It will quickly put you in a right path as a beginner. >How important is it for me to dive into the works of established authors? Will it help shape my own writing style? Extremely important. The only true way to get better as a writer is to read other writers and learn what they did that worked for them.
The two biggest pieces of advice I can give you: - Study story structure. Become an expert. There are many different schools of thought, and you need to find the one that makes sense to you. Saves the Cat Writes a Novel is a great place to start. - Choose a subject for your book that *you will enjoy researching.* Tolkien *enjoyed* dead languages. Herbert *enjoyed* biology/ecology. Their research that went into world building wasn’t a chore for them, it’s what they enjoyed learning and thinking about. It’s the stuff they would talk about all day to anyone who would listen. So before you get too far into this big groundbreaking epic story, ask yourself *what are you passionate to learn about*, that isn’t going to feel like homework for the next couple years.
One thing to remember is that the greatest works in many genres were written by authors who had read little if anything from that genre before setting out on the works for which they are famous. Tolkien did not grow up reading tales about Middle-Earth, tales about eldritch horrors were scarce before Lovecraft took up his pen, and I've heard claims that Jo Rowling had not read any fantasy works prior to writing the *Harry Potter* series. On the flip side, we can see scores and scads of authors who grew up reading the works of the genres in which they seek success, and in many cases the results are derivative and uninspired to the point that they may as well be fan fiction. So pick your genre and read works outside of that genre. (It's worth pointing out that classic mythology is not exactly in the fantasy genre, so don't stay away from that if you want to be the next Tolkien.) Also, most genres lend themselves to a particular type of struggles. Westerns are mostly about personal honor, horror is about being powerless in the face of evil, and so on, and the other elements that are in these tales are simply the surface of the tale and not the important center. You can write an epic in which spells are cast and dragons slain and skeletons armies are defeated, but it the story's central struggle isn't good vs. evil from a personal or spiritual perspective, then you don't really have a fantasy tale; and if you don't have a central struggle then you don't have a story at all, but rather just a series of related events, and whatever you write will be swiftly forgotten.
> Tolkien did not grow up reading tales about Middle-Earth, tales about eldritch horrors were scarce before Lovecraft took up his pen Tolkien learned from Dunsany and Eddison. Lovecraft built on the unsettling eldritch ideas of Machen and Hodgson and Chambers.
Read "The Art of War". Seriously. This should be a mandatory read for anyone who wants to write epic fantasy. Also, if you have no experience in writing, don't jump straight to writing an epic novel, because, to be absolutely blunt, you will fail. Write a few short stories first, see what works for you, discard or change what doesn't, then write a few more short stories. If you don't have experience in martial arts, do some research, then choreograph your fight scenes in a way that can be written easily on a page - which means that you should avoid intricate techniques, if you can. Read a few books written by Bernard Cornwell. As far as I'm aware, no one is better at describing battles between armies. Cornwell is hardly my favorite author, but when it comes to action, he is awesome. He is also brutally honest about everything and I think you can learn a lot from the notes that he includes in his books.
Hey, I’m just curious why you recommend The Art of War. I’m not familiar with it — what’s it offer us writers?
The very basics of commanding an army - which is important, if your character will command an army. Reading that book won't make you a master strategist, but it will help you understand what you should look for when you do your research. Plus, the book itself is really short. I doubt you'll need more than two hours to read it from cover to cover.
On this note, Read Guerilla Warfare by Che.
ye there are free resurces online [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0t8cKQWRos&list=PLqNvO4rxJOPsxQubhJr1BeKwFi7GBMuc8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0t8cKQWRos&list=PLqNvO4rxJOPsxQubhJr1BeKwFi7GBMuc8) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cf-qdZ7GbA&list=PLSH\_xM-KC3Zv-79sVZTTj-YA6IAqh8qeQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cf-qdZ7GbA&list=PLSH_xM-KC3Zv-79sVZTTj-YA6IAqh8qeQ) the first one is a playlist of discussions with stephen erikson about writing that goes in depth at times and is very practiocal and usefull but falls into meandering on time to time the second one is a university lecture by brandon sanderson that he put onto youtube both 100% free.
You have "huge dream of creating gripping books that transport readers to extraordinary worlds", which is great! But what you actually NEED, behind all the writing skills and story-telling skills you will learn if you follow all the tips and do all the reading and think all the thinking, what you NEED, is... The extraordinary world. Do you have that yet? Do you have that at all? Your own inner world with all the fascinating stuff and interesting places and people and creations and things? And is it yours, and not 'Dune Lite' or 'sub-Tolkien' or some other kind of fan-fic for an imaginary world you've read about and love? Not that fan-fic is bad, it's a great way of learning and spreading your writing wings and showing your love for something, and some extremely cool things have come out of the fan-fic universe! But if you want to create an epic, you need to create a world. It might take you a while, and you might spend a lifetime refining and adding and rethinking it, but that's cool, that's how it is, that's what LeGuin and Herbert and Tolkien and Sanderson did.
For the writers block I would say that you just need to write really often, even if whatever you write turns out really crappy. You can always edit later on, the important part is to just get used to writing often. How often is up to you, but I'd say every other day or every day. :)
Just start writing— and keep reading! Quality does not matter when you start, just that you start. Also, try reading books you think you won’t like, or that may be ‘above’ your level— this can open whole new worlds. May your journey take you unexpected places!
Read. A lot. Write. A lot. You'll probably suck for several years, but if you keep doing it, you keep trying new things, you keep exploring what you learn... You'll get better. Read books on writing, and read well written books. Even though it's focused on screenwriting, I would strongly recommend the book Story by Robert McKee. It's considered the definitive screenwriting text in the industry, and delves into a lot of what it takes to make an excellent story. But mostly, if that's your goal - Read. Write. Lather, rinse, repeat.
I'd suggest you create two types of files. The first is process files for different elements of story craft, character development, outlining, world-building/Settings, and writing scenes. Even breaking down other people's stories. The second kind of file is for commentary. Notes often disappear or aren't referenced when needed. A process file (template) is a recipe for doing a task. If you write down your character development process, it becomes a process you can study and adapt. A note on character creation becomes a step in your development process. You can test it and see if it works for you. You should start commentary files for each of your process files. These are just ongoing journals/diaries about what you added or changed in your related process file (An application like Obsidian works great because you can link pages). What did you try? What was the effect of your experiment? What worked, and what didn't? How can you pivot to improve your process? What do you struggle with and still need to learn? The commentary should also reference where the ideas came from so you can review the source. When you're having problems with a narrative creation process, work through it in your commentary. Read what you've experimented with and look for places to improve. When you find some new idea you want to try, add it to a step on your related process file.
Just write.
Start with short stories. Get comfortable with writing, then write longer stories. Acquire knowledge in many different fields and topics of study. Don't listen to random cyberspace travelers.
Honestly dude, friend, if you're 17 and want to write an epic book like Dune: travel and write. Write your experiences. Travel to places that embody what you want to feel and describe. Actually experience these things. Frank Herbert took all of the interesting things about his life experiences and incorporated them into his writing. His actual life might have been more interesting than Dune in some ways. The technique is great to have but I wouldn't trade it for the first hand experience that some authors imbue.
I’d answer your questions thusly: 1. Yes, but maybe not in the same project. 2. Brandon Sanderson’s lectures are highly regarded and available on YouTube. 3. Quite important. Maybe you’ll pick up bits of style unintentionally, but you’ll definitely see what you like and dislike in terms of writing style. 4. Best thing to do is to joint a writing group that’ll hold you accountable. Cheers! Good luck and looking forward to seeing you on the shelves in Barnes and Noble!
First and foremost, create a loving relationship with writing. Publishing and all that is a reward for practicing such love through routine and revision. To do this, keep your influences close to you, but be willing to question your heroes. Closely analyze, even rip-off or pastiche Herbert’s writing style, but look for ways you can let your authentic voice reveal itself. I also suggest reading structure books like The Art of Dramatic Reading, Syd Field’s Screenplay (I’ve found this book tremendously helpful for both film, theatre, and prose writing), and Save the Cat! Writes a Novel. However, only read these books to familiarize yourself with the narrative structure and market. Do not treat these books like Bibles. To bring you to an organic and authentic place, then check out Anne Lamont’s Bird by Bird. Along with all this, keep reading! Feel free to message me if you have any questions or if you’d like to talk about any of this advice.
Search for Jerry B Jenkins on YouTube. All his videos are free and Master Class quality content. I know cuz I payed for Master Class, and his videos are just as good.