[methodover]

I have the same ambition. Though I haven't written a novel (other than timelines, outlines, descriptions, and other notes), I have set some goals for myself:

If writing stories is like any other difficult skill, the important thing is just do it. Practice, practice, and practice some more. Knowing this, I've focused on completing short stories. Once I feel ready, I try my hand at a novel.

This also might be relevant to your interests. It's a snippet of Ira Glass talking about the difficulty of being a beginner getting into story-writing for the first time: http://vimeo.com/24715531