I think I'd rather be a Tolkienist than a From Here to Eternityist.
If you thoroughly study James Jones (From Here To Eternity) you will discover the key to writing GREAT fiction. I find James Jones to be the most fascinating author I have ever come across. And I discovered a great secret of his on how to write good fiction. I won't reveal it here because I plan to use his ideas in future writing contests and I don't want more competition than is necessary. BTW, a lot of divers who don't even know anything about James Jones consider his Go To The Widowmaker to be the BEST novel about scuba/skin diving ever written. I am always amused when divers tell me about that book yet they are unaware of the background of the author.