: Should I start writing my novel or first learn on short stories? As a new writer, Is it okay to dive on my idea of a long story (a novel) or to first try short stories? I am very excited

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Do what you enjoy.

It cannot be true that both 'writers must write x numbers of books before being publishable' and also 'having something on the page is better than nothing.'

If you want to write the novel do so.

The success (or not) must depend on what you bring to the effort. It simply must. Perhaps you are older, or younger. Perhaps you have written in other formats. Or not. Perhaps you have had many creative writing courses, and many assignments and prompts geared towards story arcs and characters and you have a driving need.

The numbers vary widely anyway.

Also, we do have the internet these days which was not true when the 'five books of unpublishable' was first put out.

Also, we have options now. This opens up new avenues. A book can be published traditionally, marketed, and so on. Or published independently. Or shared for free on the internet. I would imagine Bill Gates could write anything he wanted, make it free on the internet, not suffer at all, and still have a decent readership of said writing. Not true thirty years ago.

Those of us who want traditional publishing and wide reach face a different set of issues than those of us writing memoirs for our children.

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If you are planning to write practice is key. A short story can be part of a larger one.

Try using the snowflake method to fill out your story
Basically start with a paragraph summary of your story, then break it into 3 parts writing a paragraph for each.

The repeat the process adding detail as you go through the process with each card
www.advancedfictionwriting.com/articles/snowflake-method/
Some great blog posts with (almost) a template you could try as an exercise
I would love to summarise this, but it would take all day!
www.betternovelproject.com/blog/master-outline/
And online free tools like www.wavemaker.co.uk might help structure
It also has some info on the Snowflake method

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On the one hand, writing something short is clearly less time investment than writing something long. When people decide to learn carpentry, they usually start with a birdhouse or bookends and not with a 30-room house.

On the other hand, writing a short story is very different from writing a novel. A novel is not just a short story stretched out to fill 300 pages. At least, a good novel is not. Likewise a good short story is not a summary of a novel. If I wanted to learn auto mechanics, I wouldn't start with Hot Wheels cars because those are smaller.

So I think my advice would be: If you have an idea for a novel, and also an idea for a short story, start with the short story. But if you have ideas for novels and short stories just aren't what you're interested in writing, then start work on a novel.

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It depends. For me, writing short stories feels like a waste of time and I can't stop myself from creating connections that can transform the short idea into a long, far more interesting (for me) tale.

However, if you do dive in with the long one, you must be prepared to get to the end and re-write almost everything.

If you think short-stories will make you feel satisfied, by all means, do so first. It may give you ideas to improve the concept for your novel.

If you want to develop your writing style, you may want to consider writing snippets. For example, imagine you want to practice how to describe characters: choose a photo of a person from a magazine (someone you don't know, preferably) and describe them from the most exaustive to the most minimalist; from the most static (no action at all, just description) to the most active (mostly action and just one or two references to the most striking physical features); and seen by different people (seen by a lover, a parent, an enemy, an envious friend, ...).

These snippets may even focus on the characters of your project (if you're the impatient type and want to get started as soon as possible). It will give you a good feel for the characters before you start writing. You can also do this for important places in the novel or, rather than write snippets, you can write short scenes. Try action scenes from diffeernt POVs or written from the very descriptive to the very fast. Contrast using short sentences, long sentences or a mix.

Remember that these exercises don't need to be used in the novel, you're just stretching your muscles.

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There are different answers to this question. Mine may be off putting, but it's not meant to be. You're basically asking if you should start with the marathon. The short answer is that unless you are extremely unique and talented to the point of abnormalcy, your first book is going to be rough. It's probably going to be bad. But it's ultimately practice. You'll be good after four or five books. Which is to say, you're going to want to approach this with the right mindset.

First, try something manageable. Try to stick to one POV. Finish your book no matter what. Figure out what the healthy habits for you look like. Make sure that you are writing something fun. If you pick a shorter arc that will give you a novella, you'll be perhaps in a better position. (Google is your friend for word counts here).

You also are going to want to know the answers to these questions:

Are you an outliner or a pantser? Do you sit down and just write or do you plan it out? This will determine how much you need to do before you start.
What are you going to do to make space for this hobby in your life? I work a full time job. I just had my first kid. I had to give up a ton of stuff to make the time. I do not play many video games anymore.
What happens in the middle of your story? Most people have a good beginning or a good ending, sometimes both. Your middle needs to be good too. To get a good middle, you're going to want to figure out what your set pieces are. Set pieces are cool, fun things that you want to write about that you can use in a scene. They are also mile markers do that you can keep a good pace. If you are a pantser, do not outline these further as it may ruin your writing experience.

The biggest recommendation I have is that you listen to season 10 of the podcast Writing Excuses. It's supposed to be a master class for writing your first book. Also when you inevitably hit your low point, listen to the episode about writing for fun. It's a huge pick-me-up. Think of it as your second wind.

Yes, go write your first book. But pack your camping supplies first. You're in for a long haul.

Aside, I'm a hypocrite. I'm doing a large, complicated, 3 POV novel right now. But I think I've packed my pack right. But, I'm constantly stressed about the what ifs. You could go down my road, but it's a hard one.

Update: finished said book and an now with alpha readers. It's currently too long to publish and needs to be cut in half; but it was and will be good practice. While it's out with alpha I'm starting up a new project. It was the book I needed to write at the time, but I'm pretty sure it's going in the trunk. I would caution anyone starting a book with the intention of selling to heed the advice of staying a bit closer to the ideal word count for your genre.

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