: Re: Should I practice writing novels before starting the novel I want to write, or plan to do a lot of editting? tldr: Though I've been writing fiction for a long time, I have no real training

@Connie138

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Start writing something close to your goal story:
I would start out composing an idea CLOSE to your dream novel, maybe even set in the same world. Perhaps a prequel. Maybe a short story about someone in the novel. This means you are working in your dream world, and the details are the same, but perhaps you focus on some minor characters or an adjacent kingdom. Or even the main character's parents. You are still generating material in the world. If you get a short story published in the world, that's something that will look good to a publisher. Publishing ANYTHING in the field will help you immensely, and if your novel is related to something publishe, even better.
I think of Shards of Honor, by Lois Bujold, where she wrote her first novel focusing on the two characters that would become the parents to the main character in The Warrior's Apprentice. At the time, she couldn't get her novel published, but later went on to get that first noel published after success (and lots of editing, as I understand).
Even if you decide after working on it a bit that it's not going anywhere, you've practiced, developed a deeper storyline in your world with outside characters, and who knows, maybe you have the makings of a sequel/prequel to your dream novel. I have read critics who think first novels are the place novelists make all their mistakes. Material is never wasted, and if you are anything like me you'll ALWAYS have energy for your dream novel.
That's not to say you can't write your dream novel first, or even WHILE you write a side book. Sometimes your passion for that dream is too intense, and the vision in your mind is so clear that you can't see the gaps.

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