How long does it take you to write a novel?

DivaNicoletta said:

How long does it take you to write a novel, before editing, so really the first draft? I just completed a shorter one (65,000 words) in about two weeks, and started right in on another one.

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Two weeks? Holy cow.

That shoots down my very recent "finished your book yet?" topic in the other section then.

Time

I wrote my first one, start to finish, in exactly twenty-one days on a typewriter. There wasn't time for a second draft, so it sold as was. I'll never write one that fast again. For first drafts only, I think about three months is right for me, if it's an average size novel. Then another month for the next draft, which may be the final one.

I've been working on my current novel since Sep 20, and I've got 35k words done. But I've also written one novella (20K words) and one long-short story (10K) in that time, plus I've been working on edits. I figure if I gave all my attention to my current novel, it would have been finished by now.

I tried writing a couple of clunkers when I was younger. The ideas seemed interesting in the time but turned out to be duds. The first one took about 6 months. It really did suck though. The second one was this crazy space/horror/conspiracy epic that I never finished. I never intend to. So that time frame is indefinite.

The one I'm working on now after years simmering in the back of my skull has taken me about a year from first draft...a long pause...some reworking...another pause...and now as I'm tinkering with it. No excuses really. I just don't want to rush it. Plus I get distracted from my task easily...oh look another new thread!

I wrote my first one, start to finish, in exactly twenty-one days on a typewriter. There wasn't time for a second draft, so it sold as was. I'll never write one that fast again. For first drafts only, I think about three months is right for me, if it's an average size novel. Then another month for the next draft, which may be the final one.

This is just about identicle with my pace, but I get to write all day long every day, so my books take nine weeks, with one month for doing 3 revision drafts.
I avarage 2,500 words a day seven days a week with no time off.

Tri

triceretops said:

I wrote my first one, start to finish, in exactly twenty-one days on a typewriter. There wasn't time for a second draft, so it sold as was. I'll never write one that fast again. For first drafts only, I think about three months is right for me, if it's an average size novel. Then another month for the next draft, which may be the final one.

This is just about identicle with my pace, but I get to write all day long every day, so my books take nine weeks, with one month for doing 3 revision drafts.
I avarage 2,500 words a day seven days a week with no time off.

Tri

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That 2,500 words per day is what I shoot for. My novel writing time is often interrupted by time I have to spend writing short stories and articles, especially the last four years, so novel wriiting pace is much slower right now.

But there seems to be a fairly large number of pro writers who aim at the 2,500 word per day mark. For me, it's enough to produce a decent amount of writing, but not so much that I burn out, or simply wear out.

Of course, if all the forum words I wrote were novels, I'd be incredibly prolific.

But this is ever so much easier than writing fiction.

But there seems to be a fairly large number of pro writers who aim at the 2,500 word per day mark. For me, it's enough to produce a decent amount of writing, but not so much that I burn out, or simply wear out.
Yep, that's the ticket. That 2,500 is a good long push with a lot of satisfaction. But not so much that I'm weary at the end and start hackin' it. When you're tired is the time to stop, other wise I find myself cheating and writing lean.

James, I'm surprised you have time to knock out some shorts along with this routine. I've been thinking about some magazine fiction, or e-fiction, cause I used to write a lot of it 15 years ago. Matter of fact I'd love to get back in the SFWA again, and I also need the quick sales for postage money, seeing as how I'm broke all the time. But I dread the market research here--most of my fav zines are gone except for Amazing, Not One of Us, Space and Time, and a half dozen others. Are the shorts for zines still paying around 1-3 cents per word? I know Analog is still out there along with the mag of Fantasy and Science Fiction. I seem to remember they paid a little more.

Tri

I'm so jealous! I have two kids under four, plus my dh works 12 hour days, six days a week. I have to do 100% of everything around here so that when he's home, he can sleep or play with the kids. My first novel took six months, and I'm still working on the fine tuning. I write greeting cards and short stories while the kids play, but I can't really concentrate on anything detailed. Then at night, (like now) I can work for about an hour before my brain starts turning to mush and my writing reverts to that of a two year old. So....I don't think this novel will go much faster than the first. My goal is 50 pages in a month. Plus trying to keep up on the little stuff (gretting cards, magazine articles, etc).
Someday if I get to where I'm making money at this, my sweet dh will be able to cut back his hours and I'll get to make this a real career. Or, I'll hire a mother's helper. If I ever REALLY make money, I'm going to hire a maid. I hate cleaning with a passion. I'd love to have someone come clean for me a day or two a week. Well, my brain is way past mush mode, so I ought to quit rambling now.

I'm with you Stacey. I have a five year old who is so active, just watching him makes my muscles hurt. Trying to keep up with him pretty much takes up most of my time. The first draft of my first novel (written when he was a new born) took me about 6 months to write. The first draft of my second, (when he was about two) took 5 months, and my third, which i'm currently writing, took me 4 months. I don't really have a time frame i work with, I just like to make the story as interesting as possible, however long it takes to write.

Sometimes all frickin day!
Seriously it depends on the prep time and when I've accumulated enough fact to mix with my fiction. 3-6 months 3 months on rewrite and editing. 90,540 words

My novels tend to all come in at around the same length for some reason, around 75000 to 80000 words, and each takes around 10 weeks .... 8 weeks to get it all down, 2 weeks to edit and polish.

I do take anywhere from 3 months to 6 months rest between novels though.... working on ideas, articles, short stories, and the occassional screenplay during this time.

Willie
http://www.willie.meikle.btinternet.co.uk

DivaNicoletta said:

How long does it take you to write a novel, before editing, so really the first draft? I just completed a shorter one (65,000 words) in about two weeks, and started right in on another one. I think my problem is that I have way to many things that I would like to write, and I get in a sort of 'zone' where things just pour out of me, and I am writing like 5,000 words a day, my mind moves faster then my hands that are typing.I've never experianced writers block. Anyone else have this experiance? How long does it take you to write the first draft of your novel? Does it all gush out of you, or do you plot it out?

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I recently finished 82,000 in a month - but I stop occasionally to make sure my plot's OK and go back and rewrite earlier pieces.

Then I leave it for 6months/a year before going back to it, so it seems fresh & I can see problems.

DivaNicoletta said:

I just completed a shorter one (65,000 words) in about two weeks

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Well, then I would say anywhere from 2 weeks to 65 years.

Stacey Sweeney said:

I'm so jealous! I have two kids under four, plus my dh works 12 hour days, six days a week. I have to do 100% of everything around here so that when he's home, he can sleep or play with the kids. My first novel took six months, and I'm still working on the fine tuning. I write greeting cards and short stories while the kids play, but I can't really concentrate on anything detailed. Then at night, (like now) I can work for about an hour before my brain starts turning to mush and my writing reverts to that of a two year old. So....I don't think this novel will go much faster than the first. My goal is 50 pages in a month. Plus trying to keep up on the little stuff (gretting cards, magazine articles, etc).
Someday if I get to where I'm making money at this, my sweet dh will be able to cut back his hours and I'll get to make this a real career. Or, I'll hire a mother's helper. If I ever REALLY make money, I'm going to hire a maid. I hate cleaning with a passion. I'd love to have someone come clean for me a day or two a week. Well, my brain is way past mush mode, so I ought to quit rambling now.

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That sounds familiar, my kids are now 7& 8 but there is homework, baths, and extracurricular activity to shuttle them too, it leaves very little time to write, oh yeah let's not forget the 5 horses, a barn that need cleaned every day, 4 cats, 2 dogs and a husband who works 12 hours and I am still work part time.

Two and a half years for a novel of around 200,000 words, including research and related stuff. I write 5-6 days a week, for anywhere from 2 to 8 hours a day, with a couple of weeks off here and there for good behavior.

I edit as I go. It takes me longer to produce a finished draft, but once I'm done, I'm done.

- Victoria

triceretops said:

James, I'm surprised you have time to knock out some shorts along with this routine.

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I have to break my time up accordingly. For the last four years, writing anything has been a struggle, but while my health is still dreck, I have, just in the last two months, reached the point where I seem to be able to write full-time again.

Two sessions for writing, a long one in the morning, and another long one in the afternoon, broke by an hour and a half for lunch and a long walk. The morning session is used for novels, and the afternoon session for short material.

I take a couple of hours late in the evening to read, and an hour to research markets and the like. I ought to let my agent handle my short fiction and articles, but with the exception of some handful of places that really demand an agent, I prefer to do this myself. I like handling short material, and interacting with editors.

Are the shorts for zines still paying around 1-3 cents per word? I know Analog is still out there along with the mag of Fantasy and Science Fiction. I seem to remember they paid a little more.

Tri

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There are still plenty of 1-3 cents per word markets around, but the pro rate for science fiction and fantasy is now a minimum of five cents per word.

Analog, Asimov's and F&SF are still around, and pay from 6-9 cents per word, depending on whether or not it's your first story, and on the length of the piece. The best paying SF market is probably sci fiction, an online deal. http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/ They pay twenty cents per word. Realms of Fantasy http://www.rofmagazine.com/ is a good magazine, and pay starts there at a nickel per word, and moves up as you make more sales.

Orson Scott Card has just started an online mag that pays six cents per word up to $500. http://www.intergalacticmedicineshow.com/cgi-bin/mag.cgi?do=content&article=submissions

But I usually write for the children's markets, where pay starts at twenty cents per word, and write even more for the outdoor market where the pay ranges from twenty-five to seventy-five cents per words. Some of the mainstream markets also pay very well, with pay going up to about $1-2 per word.

I like to write for many very different magazines, but most of my money comes from the children's market and the outdoor market. Children's fiction is pretty short, so the average story there brings me roughly $200-400, depending on length and pay rate. The outdoor market pays better, and takes longer stories, and stories there range from $500-1,500, with my best ever being just over $2,000.

I don't write many articles these days, partly because of time, and partly because I don't enjoy article writing nearly as much. I mostly write columns, essays, and personal opinion pieces, and pay there is all over the place.http://www.rofmagazine.com/

The best I ever did was this last ms. 100K in 17 days. Deadlines don't permit frailties, even when unexpected (like multiple brown recluse spider bites that kicked my proverbial butt.) But never again. It took three visits to the chiropractor to get my neck back in shape. I don't care HOW ergonomic your workspace is, eventually the shoulders will give out.


My preferred rate is 3,000 per day (keeper words, of course.)

DivaNicoletta said:

How long does it take you to write a novel, before editing, so really the first draft? I just completed a shorter one (65,000 words) in about two weeks, and started right in on another one. I think my problem is that I have way to many things that I would like to write, and I get in a sort of 'zone' where things just pour out of me, and I am writing like 5,000 words a day, my mind moves faster then my hands that are typing.I've never experianced writers block. Anyone else have this experiance? How long does it take you to write the first draft of your novel? Does it all gush out of you, or do you plot it out?

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Depends...

If not being interrupted by Life, The Universe and everything else, I can produce an 80,000 word novel in two to three weeks...

But, since I have a full time job and a social life, and often get interrupted by editors asking for rewrites of previously sold novels, it might take me a month or two.

And I am one who usually has three or four projects going...

I wrote a 2500 word short story in a little over an hour yesterday.

Laura J. Underwood

God, all you people make me feel incredibly inferior. I'm very aware that one reason my career isn't in better shape is because I can't write quickly. I never have been able to; all the tricks that people advise (word count logs, rewards) just slow me down. As do deadlines. Sometimes I'm OK with that, but most of the time I have to struggle with the ugly little voice that whispers, "If you were a real writer, you could write a book a year."

I guess you can only do what you can do.

- Victoria

I wrote my first novel over a summer break when I was 14. It took about 3 months and was pretty lengthy, but since I pounded it out on an Apple IIe I was never sure of the word count. Novel #2 was about 75,000 words finished in three weeks, but that was also a summer break, when I wrote a chapter a day.

A chapter a day! I laugh at myself now.

My current (and rebranded "first") novel is 90,000 words (105,000 before revisions). I worked on it actively for about four months, but those periods of activity are summed up since June 2004 when I first scratched out a thread of plot on a napkin while flying to Toronto. Work and moving into a new house curtailed a lot of my time in the middle.

When I'm in an "active" period, I write about 2,500 words daily.

I'm also a slow worker. Took me about 3.5 years to get a usable rough draft of the current WIP. However, there were a couple of major stall-outs during that time, so probably about two years of BIC to generate roughly 150,000 words of prose. (It's shrunk with revision... somewhat...)

At this point I can write about 1500 words a day before my brain slows down. (When I started getting back into writing, I'd be lucky to get 500 words in a day.) I intend to attempt NaNoWriMo this year to see if I can push that pace up a little bit.

victoriastrauss said:

God, all you people make me feel incredibly inferior. I'm very aware that one reason my career isn't in better shape is because I can't write quickly. I never have been able to; all the tricks that people advise (word count logs, rewards) just slow me down. As do deadlines. Sometimes I'm OK with that, but most of the time I have to struggle with the ugly little voice that whispers, "If you were a real writer, you could write a book a year."

I guess you can only do what you can do.

- Victoria

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I can't speak for anyone else, but the reason I write fast is because I have to write fast. When you count on writing to put food on the table and a roof over your head, and you aren't Stephen King or J. K. Rowling, writing fast and regularly is the only way to keep the wolf from teh door.

But I don't really consider myself a terribly fast writer, at least not compared to many. About seven to eight hundred words per hour is my limit under the best of conditions, and five hundred words per hour is much more like normal.
But even four hundred words per hour easily give me the first draft of a novel in three months.

I've heard it said that a pro writer should be able to write 1,000 words per hour, day in and day out, but I can't begin to do that.

Most of my speed comes from how many hours I put in, rather than how much I write per hour.

I can't remember the math exactly, and I'm too tired be be sure I'm getting it right in my head, but I think one word per minute, five hours per day, still gives you more than 100,000 words in eleven months.

So I concentrate on getting enough hours in, rather than worrying about how many words per hour I write.

Yipes!

Wow!

Well I operate much more slowly than some of you. I average 1000-1500 a day for 6 days of the week when I'm able to concentrate. My job fluctuates from full time to full time plus, so if I have the chance to get an hour in a day of solid, creative writing time, I'm happy.

That still works out to around 300,000 words annually if life, universe and everything do not get in the way, but they do, and on a regular basis.

My goal for the year is to get my first novel written, edited and ready for pub within one calendar year. The icing is that I'm also concurrently working on novels two and three. Number three will get a boot camp workout due to NaNo. Maybe one novel this year, two next year, and more the follow year if I can learn to streamline. Who knows.

Thanks for sharing everyone, this is a great motivator and educative thread!

victoriastrauss said:

God, all you people make me feel incredibly inferior.
I guess you can only do what you can do.

- Victoria

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With all that you have accomplished it is I who am humble in your presence.