User blog comment:HiddenVale/A Greatness of Tolkien's writing/@comment-68.188.157.46-20160217134338

Hmmm... Sounds like an interesting book! I should sit down and read it sometime... After I finish the Silmarillion. I really like the first paragraph, where it talks about the elements of a great story. As a writer wishing to forge his own epics, I found that part most interesting and useful. Sometimes one can get side-tracked in the process of developing a world, and go on your own little adventure of trying to get back on track (Sounds familiar; something about a certain Company in a certain forest). What we need to do is focus on the big picture, not just little areas that we think may excite readers. The majority of chapters in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit have to do with actually getting somwhere to do something, not the act of doing so.

Andrew