I’ve been asked if I had any tips for aspiring writers. The answer is, yes!
The biggest one is don’t write just for the sake of writing. It generally ends up only semi-good, and you’ll have absolutely hated the experience. Writing works best when you choose to write because you actually have something to write about.
Now, say you have a great fantasy idea. It’ll be set in this great world you spent a week making, say, World X. The main plot is essentially a big overlord coming to take over the world, and you want a human-elf romance. Yes, all of that is completely stereotypical fantasy, but for the sake of the illustration, it will do.
Your next step is to write a very short, two-page narrative that covers the basic plot. Keep it simple, like, two to three characters, one opening scene, two rising action scenes, a climax, and your resolution/falling action. Then repeat the process over and over again, increasing the amount of detail each time, until you have a sizeable narrative with all the detail you wanted. Thank You. And Hannon Le, for all you LotR nerds like me.