I think songwriters are more related to fiction writers. The Odyssey was a story in song. To me, that's so beautiful, all those painted characters, all those travels and adventures.
I go to readings by fiction writers like Alice Walker, and I'm envious of the level of attention they generate.
I think most fiction writers naturally start by writing short stories, but some of us don't. When I first started writing, I just started writing a novel. It's a hard way to learn to write. I don't recommend it to my students, but it just happens that way for some of us.
Fiction writers tend to err either making people more than they are or less than they are. I'd rather err on the side of the former.
