As of recently I decided to learn the art of writing fantasy novels. Rather than becoming just another amateur or low level indie novelist, the desire to become an elite top G novelist in the fantasy genre is what I wanted to aim for. Whether I take the traditional or the indie route means little to me right now. One step at a time. For, now whether it takes 5 years, 10 years, or just 1 or 2 years, I'm gonna work towards that goal.
But novel writing is a very complicated craft to master. How am I going to get to that level in a craft that is so complex, takes so much practice, and effort to get great at. Well, here is how I'm going to start. The first advice I'm going to take is from George RR Martin. Write short stories before writing novels as practice. This is why I've started a Wattpad account. This way I can get feedback from the readers of my blog on my work, and see what is successful writing and what could improve.
In the book the “The Success System that Never Fails” by W. Clement Stone it says that it's important to make a system for success. I intend to eventually have a system for how I put a novel together that works for me and appeals to the readership. A system that works for me. Not that I would be repetitive in how I write stories or anything like that, but I would have a system with goals in how to get things done and to be organized enough to maximize output in the most quality way possible. I am not scared to share that system eventually because what works for me won't work for you. Were all individuals and we all have different ways of getting things done. I am a plotter for example, and many people are discovery writers or pantsers. I guess it all depends on the person and how their mind works. I also plan to study the top novelists in my genre without sacrificing my own unique voice so that I won't be another copycat living in someone else's shadow.
But before I can make a system for writing my novels, I have to learn how to write them. And not just how to write them, but how to write them like an elite top G novelist. A best seller. That's my end goal. This is not an easy task. The Fiction writing craft is extensive and complicated. So how will I learn all of this information?
There is an author, which I've read some of his books, that teaches the science of self learning and learning retention. Peter Hollins is a psychology graduate that studied and wrote books on the science of learning and is an expert in the topic of how to learn. However, I don't have time to read or reread his books again to figure out a plan to how to learn how to write. The “gift and curse” called Chatgpt was a great assistant in helping me make a plan based on his work. I basically got a plan from the prompt I made asking Chatgpt to tell me how to learn to write fantasy novels based on Peter Hollins books on self learning and learning retention. So, I've been blessed with a shortcut to get into action as soon as possible. If you want to learn how to learn then be sure to check out his books on Amazon.
Here's the scoop on how I can learn to write fantasy novels in the most efficient way possible. I'm not going to waste your time, I'm just going to copy and paste what Chatgpt told me to do. You can thank me later.
Based on Peter Hollins’ books and courses, the best way to learn novel writing is not to “study writing” endlessly. It’s to build a self-directed system that combines:
Deliberate practice
Active analysis
Immediate application
Feedback loops
Progressive skill stacking
That sounds abstract, so here’s what it looks like specifically for learning to write novels.
The Peter Hollins-Style Method for Learning Novel Writing
1. Deconstruct Novel Writing Into Subskills
One of Hollins’ biggest ideas is:
Don’t learn a giant skill all at once. Break it into components.
Most beginners try to “write a novel.”
That’s too broad.
Instead, divide novel writing into separate learnable skills:
Character creation
Dialogue
Scene structure
Plotting
Conflict
Suspense
Description
Prose style
Pacing
Theme
POV
Worldbuilding
Openings/endings
Revision
Genre conventions
You deliberately practice them individually.
Example:
Week 1 = dialogue only
Week 2 = suspense scenes only
Week 3 = character introductions
Week 4 = horror atmosphere
This is much faster than writing random chapters and hoping improvement happens.
2. Learn Through Active Reading, Not Passive Reading
Hollins repeatedly emphasizes that rereading and passive consumption are weak learning methods.
So don’t just read novels for entertainment.
Instead:
Reverse-engineer them.
Ask:
Why does this chapter work?
Why am I emotionally invested?
Where does tension rise?
How long are scenes?
How is dialogue broken up?
When does exposition appear?
What information is withheld?
Treat novels like engineering blueprints.
For someone interested in horror novels, this is especially powerful.
Read:
It
The Shining
House of Leaves
Dracula
Then dissect:
fear escalation
pacing
dread
psychological tension
reveal timing
3. Use Deliberate Practice Instead of “Writing a Lot”
This is probably the MOST important Hollins principle.
“Practice” alone is inefficient.
Deliberate practice
targets weaknesses.
Bad method:
Write 300 pages randomly.
Better method:
Write 10 dialogue scenes focused ONLY on subtext.
Rewrite one scene in 3 POVs.
Write 5 horror openings.
Write a scene with zero exposition.
Rewrite a weak chapter from a favorite novel in your own style.
That creates rapid skill gains.
4. Build Feedback Loops
Hollins emphasizes self-testing and feedback instead of passive review.
For novel writing, feedback loops mean:
Internal feedback
reread after 48 hours
compare against professional fiction
identify weak spots
rewrite intentionally
External feedback
critique groups
beta readers
editors
writing communities
posting short fiction online
Without feedback, improvement slows dramatically.
5. Learn by Producing, Not Consuming
A major Hollins theme:
Learning sticks when you actively use information.
So your ratio should roughly become:
30% study
70% writing
Many aspiring novelists invert this and stay stuck forever.
You learn storytelling primarily through:
drafting
revising
failing
fixing problems
—not through infinite theory consumption.
6. Create a Personal Curriculum
Hollins strongly advocates building your own syllabus.
A strong self-taught novelist path might look like this:
Phase 1 — Foundations
Learn:
scene structure
conflict
character desire
POV
dialogue
Books:
Story
Steering the Craft
On Writing
Phase 2 — Genre Mastery
Study horror specifically:
suspense
dread
monster design
psychological fear
pacing
atmosphere
Analyze successful horror novels deeply.
Phase 3 — Deliberate Exercises
Daily drills:
dialogue exercises
scene rewrites
flash fiction
tension exercises
viewpoint switches
Phase 4 — Complete Novels
Write full novels even before you feel “ready.”
Hollins-style learning depends on:
iteration
feedback
adaptation
You learn massive lessons only from completing projects.
7. Use Retrieval Practice
Hollins repeatedly discusses self-testing and recall.
For writing, that means:
Instead of rereading notes:
explain concepts from memory
summarize story structure without notes
recreate a scene structure you admired
outline books after reading them
This strengthens deep understanding.
8. Alternate Study and Recovery
Hollins also emphasizes that absorption requires space.
Many beginners binge-study writing advice for 8 hours and retain little.
Better:
focused study
focused practice
rest
reflection
repetition over months
Consistency beats intensity.
Best Overall Hollins-Style Strategy for Novel Writing
If I compressed all of his self-learning ideas into one writing formula, it would be:
Analyze professionally → isolate subskills → practice deliberately → get feedback → revise → repeat.
That is essentially how many professional novelists actually improve.
Not by “waiting for inspiration.”
Not by only reading craft
books.
Not by endlessly outlining.
But through targeted repetition with feedback.
This is my strategy so far. Please google follow me on my blogspot to join in on the conversation and to be up to date on new articles and short story releases. Good luck readers, writers, and bloggers and thanks for reading.
-The Sinister Librarian
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