Last updated by Chrome Oxide on 11/23/2025
Under the pen name of Chrome Oxide I write humorous science fiction and fantasy. However, I've been accused of writing murder mysteries since I murder the English language and it's a mystery how I get published.
When people ask why I write what I do, I explain that my reality check bounced.
As authors we write what we know, so writing science fiction makes me a space cadet.
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November 16, 2025 - You might hate this (but you need to hear it),
by Tim Grahl from his November 16, 2025 newsletter.
Reprinted with permission from Story Grid
Let’s say I told you I had decided to climb Mount Everest.
I’m all excited. I’ve been watching YouTube videos, gathering supplies, taking online classes. I’ve got the whole thing planned out.
There’s just one problem: I’ve never climbed a mountain before. Never even gone on a hike. Never set up camp. Zero survival skills.
What would you tell me?
Probably something like: “Tim, maybe start with a small mountain you can climb in one day. Then work your way up to something where you camp overnight. Make sure you’re in cell phone range in case you break your ankle.”
Good advice, right? Start small. Build your skills. Build your confidence. Then work your way up over time.
You’re not saying I can never climb Everest. You’re just saying don’t start there.
—
So why are so many writers deciding their first novel is going to be a nine-part epic series with seven protagonists whose stories are all intertwining, set in this huge fantasy world with a brand new magic system that’s never been conceived of before?
That’s the same thing as setting out to climb Everest when you’ve never even gone on a hike.
Did you know George RR Martin didn’t write Game of Thrones on his first try at writing? His first published piece was a short story in 1971. His first novel came out in 1977 (it was called Dying of the Light—ever heard of it?). He didn’t publish Game of Thrones until 1996.
That’s 25 years after his first short story.
He had to build up his skills as a writer and storyteller to create something truly epic.
—
Writing a book is hard. Writing a really good book that works on multiple levels and gets the reader to catharsis at the end? That’s even harder.
So why are we making it worse by adding layer after layer of complexity?
Because here’s the thing: every time you add a new element, it doesn’t just get a little bit harder. It gets exponentially harder.
If you can’t write a simple story, you definitely can’t write a big, complex one.
So here’s my advice for your first novel:
- Pick one protagonist. Only one. If you can’t tell a story and get me to care deeply about one protagonist, you definitely can’t do it with seven interweaving storylines.
- Make the protagonist a fictionalized version of you. I was talking to a writer recently who was almost embarrassed about this. “Well, you know, this is really just kind of a fictionalized version of me.” That’s perfect for your first book! You won’t have to wonder what the person would do in any situation. Just ask yourself. It makes everything easier.
- Write it in first person. This is how we’re used to telling stories. When you tell someone about something that happened to you last week, you tell it in first person. Switching to third person adds complexity because we’re not used to pulling back and telling a story from that view.
- Keep it under 100,000 words. You don’t need to write the 269,000-word Finnegans Wake (which took James Joyce 17 years, by the way). If you can’t get a reader excited to read 60,000 words, you’re definitely not going to get them excited to read 200,000.
- Limit your cast of characters. Make sure every single character is there for a really good reason. You should not have three dozen named and described characters that you’re trying to keep track of.
- Pick one antagonist—preferably another person. Forces of antagonism can get complex fast. Keep it simple. One protagonist fighting against one antagonist makes your job so much easier.
- Narrow the world. Do not create a huge, sweeping landscape of a brand new world. There are fantastic books written where everything takes place in one very small location. Even if you’re writing science fiction, limit it to one spaceship. There are fantastic movies and stories set in a single location.
- Bonus: Pick a masterwork. Find a book you love that you wish you could have written. Make sure it has one protagonist, a small cast of characters—all the things we just talked about. When you get stuck in your own story, you can see how a great author solved the same problems you’re facing.
If you’re resisting this advice, rolling your eyes, thinking “he doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” I want to ask you something:
Why are you feeling that way?
Really sit with that question.
Are you using all this complexity as a way to put off actually writing your book?
I’ve talked to so many writers who spend months or even years on character development and world-building and figuring out their magic system. Years researching and thinking and considering and taking more classes.
But they never actually write their book. They never actually publish anything.
They’re using complexity as an excuse.
—
And I’m not just giving this advice… this is what I did!
Here are some details from my book The Shithead:
- The protagonist is a man in his mid 30s with two young boys and a wife, just like me.
- The story is based in Nashville, TN, where I live.
- The protagonist runs a small web marketing business, which I used to run.
- The main antagonist is based on an old client of mine.
- The protagonist owes the IRS a lot of money .
- Part of the storyline is meeting with a therapist, which I have a lot of experience with.
If you can’t write what you know, you definitely can’t write what you don’t know.
—
So if you’re setting out to write your first book, don’t try to climb Mount Everest.
Start with a simple project. Limit your choices. Finish something you can be proud of.
And here is the truth I have seen over and over: when you have someone in your corner who can look at your scenes each week, tell you what is working, what is not, and what to do next, your progress stops feeling mysterious. You stop spinning in circles. You stop guessing. You start improving.
When you have clarity about what to practice, accountability to keep going, and honest feedback from someone trained to actually help you get better, everything gets easier. You build confidence. You build skill. You build momentum.
Then in your next project, you can take on a little more. And the one after that, a little more still.
Maybe someday you will write your own version of a sweeping epic. But first, you have to start with the book that will teach you how to write.
If you want guidance as you take that first step, you can tell me a bit about yourself here:
Click here to fill out an application.
I would love to see what you are working on.
Talk soon,
Tim Grahl
CEO of Story Grid
Author of The Shithead and Running Down a Dream
END OF DOCUMENT
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