Scott Sauls Weekly

Scott Sauls Weekly

Share this post

Scott Sauls Weekly
Scott Sauls Weekly
Once Upon a Time, Tolkien Felt Like a Failure

Once Upon a Time, Tolkien Felt Like a Failure

Give your failure some time, and it may become your truest success

Scott Sauls's avatar
Scott Sauls
Feb 04, 2024
∙ Paid
150

Share this post

Scott Sauls Weekly
Scott Sauls Weekly
Once Upon a Time, Tolkien Felt Like a Failure
30
22
Share
Scott Sauls | Tolkien pen and journal

One time J.R.R. Tolkien wrote a short story to help him through some frustration with his own body of work. The story, called Leaf by Niggle, was about an artist who got commissioned to paint a mural on the side of city hall. Niggle spent his whole career trying to complete that mural as he envisioned a robust, color-filled tree that would inspire for g…

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Scott Sauls Weekly to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Scott Sauls
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share