>
> > Start small, with a short story.
>
> I can't agree more. Start small. Gosh, I
>wrote somewhere around seventy short stories
>before I completed my novel, and I'd have never
>done it otherwise. And those short stories can
>be a huge sentimental asset ten years later.

And I say write to your natural length. Each tale will dictate how long it must be, and it musn't be a single word longer (or shorter) than that. Too many people have fallen into the "write short stories first" trap only to realize that they are natural born novelists and have intense difficulty writing short stories. Short stories and novels are two entirely different beasts. Skill in one does not always predict or even translate to skill in the other.

Don't try to cram a novel idea into ten pages, and don't try to pad a ten page idea into a novel. Write to your natural length, and all will be well.