Well, I'm excited and needed to share something...
I'm working on a story that is a departure from other things I've done in the past and wanted to find out from an author I like if my work was too similar to hers, as I didn't want any issues. She asked me to send it to her and she replied thus:
"I don't think it's too derivative of my stuff, so you can certainly put that off your list. Nice start, although if I were beta reading I would say you've condensed about six chapters worth into two so far. You may find yourself coming back doing some expanding to show things happening more directly, rather than just telling us it happened. Still, if you get your framework written you can always edit for detail. People have different writing strategies. Good luck with the writing."
I'm excited. An established author has told me my stuff didn't totally suck. That makes me happy. (Yeah, I know, it doesn't take much, but I'll grab what I can.)
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I couldn't decide if the story was going to be a short story or not, that's why there's a gap in what's been written. I may go back and expand it, but still not sure I have enough to fill a whole novel.
Here's the cover I'm using (temporarily) for the story:
= new reply since forum marked as read
I'd say you should write the story you want to write--get it down on paper--you can always go back and expand later if you think that will make the story stronger.
Keep going! 
I've tried to write fiction novels, and found it to be a tough gig. It seems to me that it takes a whole lot of long term discipline, focus, and dedication. Then add imagination, writing skills, and the ability to tell a great story to the mix.
I'm not sure if I have the talent to do it, but I believe my biggest obstacle with writing fiction is that it was not fun for me, in the way that playing music is fun for me. I simply was/am not passionate about writing.
Good luck with your writing Will, it's always nice to get some constructive feedback from folks who have been successful at your creative craft.
Kind of reminds me of The Pack, by David Fisher. Did you ever read that?
Good luck, and let us know how it works out! 
he once stated that he found it to be very difficult and timeconsuming to satisfactorily complete a story, even short stories. In fact, he claimed it took him approximately 600 hours to write "Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coat".
Because as others have said, characters sometimes seem to take on lives of their own, and stories need to be altered to make them more believable. That stories, he found, took twists and turns that made no sense, and it took him time to get it right.
That's about how long it takes me to read a book, lol. I suppose in reading them, I take too many twists and turns. 