Every time I’ve tried to start writing a novel (excepting NaNoWriMo in 2007) or full-length play, I’d bail out a couple chapters in, thinking I couldn’t fill a whole book or evening with whatever it was I was writing. And I was right.
See, I had an epiphany earlier this week. In Creative Writing, Brandon Sanderson said we need to take three or four ideas and slam them together. And in that moment I realized my problem: I’ve been trying to sustain a whole novel or full-length play on a single idea.
One idea is great for a short play or short story, but for something longer, you need more meat. All sorts of possibilities are opening up to me now, not to mention confidence that I can actually write this full-length play (80–120 pages) for my playwriting class and this new novel (4000 words/week, or 260 pages by semester’s end, which’ll be about half of the book) for Brandon’s class. I’m giddy. :)
Comments
Sounds like he’s already proven himself as a great teacher – I’d love to hear any other excellent insights he shares over the semester.
I’ll take notes. :)
I am super jealous you’re taking a class from Brandon Sanderson. It sounds amazing already!
Yeah, I’m wishing I had taken this class a couple years ago. :)
I’ve taken a number of seminars from him, but dang I wish I could take the full class.