You can spend an entire year on a novel that turns out to be really bad.
Ray Bradbury offered some alternative advice for the beginner or intermediate writer:
Write 52 short stories instead of one novel. Write one short story a week for a year.
“I defy you,” he said, “to write 52 bad ones. It is not possible.”
At the end of the week, you will feel good. You will have actually accomplished something.
When you are writing a novel, you may not feel as good at the end of the week because you will feel like you haven’t made much progress.
Bradbury waited until he was 30 years old to write his first novel: Fahrenheit 451.
Aren’t we all glad he waited until he was ready?
Watch the entire 2001 lecture during which he shared this advice here:
