Making comparisons

I am reading one of Steven Erikson's novels at the moment. It is called 'Deadhouse Gates' and it is part of his 'Malazan book of the fallen' series.

Like his other books this one is riveting and very well written. I am learning a lot from it.

One thing I have noticed is the different approach Steven Erikson has to writing scenes to the way I have done it with my books. Erikson progress a single story line forward through multiple scenes before shifting the viewpoint. I tend to chop and change more.

I may amend my style according as I see a quite a bit of merit in his writing.

There is one danger in making close comparisons to authors like Steven Erikson. Established authors have had time and resources to perfect their craft. They made most of their mistakes years ago behind closed doors and have had the benefit of the resources of publishers to edit and produce books of, generally, high quality. There is no point judging our own 'rough drafts' against the finished products of writers at the peak of their powers.

But we can learn valuable lessons.

I think confidence in our own storytelling ability is absolutely essential. It is not a sprint to the finish but a long hard slog to learn the craft of writing a novel. I think that when we study other peoples work we should not fall into the trap of thinking 'I can't do that'. Instead say 'I can learn to do this.'

Everyone on this planet has the potential to be a good storyteller. Writing well is something we all can do. I intend to be the best I can be. So should everyone else.