# How long does it take you?



## Blueblade (Feb 2, 2011)

I'm new to all this writing goodness, and at my current pace, the novel I want to produce will take years.  I know I've got to step it up, but that's not the reason for this post.

How long does it take _you_ to complete a novel, from idea in your head to final draft?  I'm sure the answers will vary.  It would be helpful to tell whether you're writing professionally or for your personal enjoyment.  If you could break the time down into the various phases of writing, that would be even more helpful.

While you're plugging away at a novel, do you do any writing besides?  Short stories, other novels, etc.?

I want to get an idea of how others write, and what to expect out of myself.  Thanks for your answers!


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## Slugfly (Feb 2, 2011)

There's a few members here who have published several novels, and can probably give you good ideas on setting a timeline for novel writing.  Myself, a years-long project doesn't scare me, but I write a lot of short stories along the way to keep my stamina up and to refresh the feeling that I'm accomplishing something.  It can be a daunting thing to work for so long and still not have something completed in your hands.  When I write short fiction, I typically work on it for about a week to produce about 3-6000 words.  I'll also work on a poem for about a week usually.

If you look at successful and prolific writers like Stephen King, that machine pumps out like 2 or 3 novels a year.  Of course, most of us also have to have jobs at the same time


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## Ditch (Feb 2, 2011)

My first took me about 14 months, mainly because it began as a series of short stories that I was entertaining a few people on a forum and not seriously writing. The second took about 6 months because I stayed on it. I find that it helps if people are waiting to read the next chapter. Through forums, I found people that enjoyed my writing. I made a private forum, then got about 6 chapters ahead of them, then let them read a chapter each morning.

My last book I used a friend as a main character a well as his wife. They live deep in Mexico and books a few, she is also a voracious reader. Knowing that they were waiting each morning for the new chapter so this motivated me to stay on it.


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## FalconsHonour (Feb 2, 2011)

The novel I'm working on at the moment -- my first serious attempt, discounting three and a half years of NaNoWriMo efforts -- has been germinating for, I kid you not, seven years or more. Long enough that I know those characters better than I know most of my friends. Long enough that I know that even if I never finish the book, or if I finish it but don't publish it, it will _always_ be a part of me, no matter what. Long enough that I have character art stretching back long enough to track my artistic progress since I was about fifteen, before they even deigned to coalesce into the cast of a novel! And long enough that I was stupid enough to get the protagonist's name tattooed on my upper left arm... in his own language... according to a (slightly adapted) custom in his culture. Both of which I invented. Along with an alphabet for the language. Even worse, despite my previous phrasing, I don't actually consider that 'stupid' at all! ;P

Actually _writing_ the thing, though... we're on draft five or six now, and I've been working on this one since about October last year, plus another two weeks or so before that to crack out a really solid, detailed summary -- almost an over-long synopsis, if you like -- so I had a plan to work to. At that pace, I reckon I should be done by the end of 2011... it's a _long_ story, one which will probably require one heck of a lot of editing before it's anywhere near a decent length for pitching to agents and publishers. 

I think I'm an extreme example, though, and also perhaps a touch too involved in this particular fantasy world I created way back when. I should also add, since you ask, that at the moment I'm very much a hobby writer (though looking for publication one day, as I mentioned), and a lot of my time gets eaten up by university lectures and assignments, so that probably contributes to my slowness.

Short stories, now, those I can knock off in a day or two (3,000-5,000 words). That doesn't include editing (I've got one I'm hoping to submit to a magazine competition for publication in the mag which has been awaiting editing for two weeks now; I'm sick of the sight of it and can't find an RL friend who's willing to give me any decent crit, so I suppose I'm going to have to just knuckle down and red-pen it myself some more), but getting the actual thing down, from idea to finished first draft, takes anything from an afternoon to three days or so. I can knock out short stories, character-study pieces and goodness knows what else all over the place while I'm working on the novel-that-isn't-yet, but I couldn't bear to work on another novel alongside. Just one has taken up more than enough brainspace!

Funny thing, looking at that, apparently I'm a case of extremes either way -- quick on the short stories and faaar too long on novels. Maybe I should try to average it out...!


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## Foxee (Feb 2, 2011)

Next November you could try NaNoWriMo. That's National Novel Writing Month which is a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. I did it this year and completed the word count in the required time. Unfortunately the manuscript is not only unfinished, it is more of a complicated outline considering how much I want to go back and cut out of it and re-do. Still, it was a good experience and taught me that I actually can write faster and more than I thought I could.


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## NoaMineo (Feb 2, 2011)

I think it's a matter of practice. My first novel took 5 years, the second one took 2, the third one took about 7 months, the fourth was spread out over so long I can't even say, but the last novel I wrote took about 3 months to write and another to polish. I'm currently sending that one to agents and publishers.

It just takes practice, you have to develop a process.

Personally, I'm always juggling 6 or 7 writing projects in various stages of completion, and seldom work on any one thing to the exclusion of all others. I could probably write a novel in a month(most people could), but since I am primarily writing for my own edification I'd rather spread my focus.


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## Sam (Feb 2, 2011)

It really depends on the size. The above poster mentioned writing a novel in a month. Yes, it's possible to write a 90K novel in a month if one really sets their mind to it. Most of my work, however, ends up in the echelons of 150 - 250K, so they usually take longer. When you add in real-life matters and other things which get in the way, it ends up taking anything between six months to a year to write and finalise a novel for sale. 

Some people are slower than others, though. I mentioned in another thread that Thomas Harris has only written five novels in the last thirty years. That amounts to one novel every six years. Personally, I couldn't look myself in the mirror if I produced that kind of output, but he is one of the most successful psychological thriller writers out there. Everyone has their own pace, however. I once wrote a 250K novel in four months. That's around 60,000 words a month, which is 10,000 above what NaNo asks you to do. It works out at 2,000 words a day. If you make 1,000 (and that's a very achievable goal) you will have a novel-sized work within three months. 

I concentrate on one piece at a time. You can get bogged down with switching from one novel to another, and it often instils a habit of never finishing anything. If you concentrate on one thing at a time and endeavour to finish it, you'll be okay. If it takes two years for the first one, okay. That's normal. You're cutting your teeth right now. It took me twenty months to write my first novel. Now I can hash one out in twenty weeks. It takes practice and self-discipline. Every day you spend writing is a day you get closer to the finish line. Paradoxically, every day you don't is a day you move farther away.


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## NoaMineo (Feb 2, 2011)

Sam W definitely has some good points, there. The hardest thing about the first novel is having the patience to get it done, and get it done well. If you write a novel in a month, you're probably going to need several just to polish it. I know I write slower and revise as I go so there's fewer massive re-reads to get it from first draft to "finished".


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## Blueblade (Feb 2, 2011)

Thanks for the replies.  It is motivating to hear about practice.  Sometimes when I can't get it right I think, "maybe I'm not cut out to be a writer", but I just have to get into the habit and get better.  I'd like for writing to be a significant part of my income some day.  Six months to a year for a novel sounds good, I can do that.

I don't know about NaNoWriMo; the idea of people reading something I've written without much chance to edit and refine bothers me a little.  Maybe in the future.

One more question:  when you are writing each day, do you know what you are going to write?  Do you have an outline first, and details in your head?  Right now, I have a general theme, and bits of plot material, but I'm pretty much making it up as I write.  That causes me to stop often to think of what to do next.


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## NoaMineo (Feb 2, 2011)

I say avoid things like NaNoWriMo, it's mostly about building confidence but most of the work it produces is rushed and sloppy. Just my opinion, though, feel free to disagree.

My own process basically involves working on whatever part happens to be formost in my mind. I write out-of-order most times and have to arrange things. When making a novel, I typically create a very rough, informal outline that is usually no more sophisticated then "This happens, then this happens, then something, then cake, then this happens"  just to help me arrange the order of events.

You should probably have the entire story-arc for the novel thought-out ahead of time(and idealy written down), otherwise its easy to get lost or write yourself into a corner. Also keep in mind that just because you decide on it now, doesn't mean you have to stick with it. The entire plot for my first novel changed two or three times from concept to completion.

Story arcs, notes, and outlines are extremly helpful if you aren't writing full-time, because we all know real life tends to get in the way. Part of the reason my first novel took 5 years to write was because i kept shelving the project either to work on other things or to cry in a corner(figuratively speaking). Because I had everything I needed written down, I was able to keep coming back to the project. I actually started the second one while working on the first, and shelved it for a while as well. Even now, I have a few half-finished novels shelved but easy to pick up again at any time.

You are usually going to be making stuff up as you write. I can type at about 50 words per minute, but I definitely do not average that while writing. The biggest rookie mistake I caution you to avoid is the belief that you must write in order. I have seen this happen dozens of times to aspiring new writers: they assume they must begin on page one and end on the last page, when the story is not neccessarilly coming to them in that order. I myself made exactly this mistake plenty of times.

So unless the story specifically comes to you in the perfect order, just write whatever part you feel like writing today.


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## Sam (Feb 2, 2011)

I sound like a broken record at this point, but I've never outlined a single novel I've written. I also write them linearly. By that, I mean that I write chapter one first and each subsequent one after that. I believe it's the best way to write. I think writing chapter ten now is all well and good, but what happens if, when you get around to writing numbers one through nine, chapter ten does not correlate with them? 

The way I write is rather simplistic. I get an idea for a beginning and I start writing. I often have no idea what the next sentence is going to be, never mind the middle or end. I let the novel sort that out. Believe it or not, you will find that the novel starts telling you to go a different direction that you may have planned. Run with it. Sometimes I write things in chapter five that seem irrelevant, but by chapter eighty I get an idea which ties it in. 

As for NaNo producing sloppy work: Sorry, I don't buy it. Some of the best work I've produced has been done in NaNo-like environments. I once wrote 20,000 words in a day with very little editing required afterwards. There's a belief that NaNo novels are bad because they were written fast. They're not being written fast. 50,000 words in one month amounts to 1,600 a day. My average is 2,000 words in any given writing session. 1,600 words a day does not equate to poor or sloppy writing.


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## Blueblade (Feb 2, 2011)

Lots of good advice there, Noa, thank you.  One of my blocks has been getting the beginning down, even though I have ideas for other parts of the story, so writing out of order will be a help to me.  I don't have the whole story planned out, just a vague theme, but I will start.  I have found a program recommended by a poster here to be very helpful.  It's yWriter5 yWriter5 - Free novel writing software to help you write a book.  You can create your story chapter by chapter, scene by scene, character by character.  I'm working on filling in all the scenes so that I have my outline.  Then I can go to work on any scene at any time.  The program just helps keep everything organized and easily accessible.  I think another huge help will be coming to this forum every day.  It's encouraging and motivating to hear what others are doing.  Thanks again!


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## Blueblade (Feb 2, 2011)

Sam W said:


> I've never outlined a single novel I've written. I write chapter one first and each subsequent one after that.



That's how I've always thought to write.  I can see a benefit to both methods.  Writing chapter five might give you ideas for chapter one.  Writing out of order would certainly mean lots of changes down the line.  I think out of order will be helpful to me when I hit a stumbling block, but know what I want to happen next.  I'll have to experiment to see what works for me.

I need more practice before I'd be ready to try NaNo.  Also, I can't help but fear, what if I wrote something great, now I can't use it for publication!  Maybe you still could, I don't know how that works.

Anyway, good to hear from different perspectives, thanks!


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## NoaMineo (Feb 2, 2011)

Sam W said:


> I sound like a broken record at this point, but I've never outlined a single novel I've written. I also write them linearly. By that, I mean that I write chapter one first and each subsequent one after that.



Sam, I'm quite jelous of you, I wish I could write a 250,000-word novel linearly. My hat's off to you if you've mastered that style. Although, as to whether or not it is the "best", I really think that's a matter of opinion. I certainly respect your ability, but it is a style, and is not write for everyone. 



Sam W said:


> I once wrote 20,000 words in a day with very little editing required afterwards. There's a belief that NaNo novels are bad because they were written fast. They're not being written fast. 50,000 words in one month amounts to 1,600 a day. My average is 2,000 words in any given writing session. 1,600 words a day does not equate to poor or sloppy writing.



I have also written 20,000 words in a day with very little editing required afterwards. But you and I have been writing for years, we're not beginers. 1,600 words a day is nothing, when I haven't got work to deal with I, too, will average 2,000-2,500. Again: not new, have developed a process.

The NaNo environment is extremly rushed, it's designed to help new writers build confidence by hammering out a first novel under a deadline, thus proving they have the ability to string together 50,000 words. Some people may write masterpieces like that(I understand A Clockwork Orange was written in just a few weeks), but I'd be willing to wager most begining writers will have a very hard time producing quality work at that pace.

All I'm saying is, experience makes a difference, and there are many different styles.

And Blueblade, neat software, I might even have to use it. Anything to stay organized, you know?


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## InsanityStrickenWriter (Feb 2, 2011)

The ammount I write varies, not depending on how much time I allocate to it but rather whether I get stuck or not. Some days I'll write 1,000 words, some days I'll write a miniscule 100.


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## Sam (Feb 2, 2011)

NoaMineo said:


> Sam, I'm quite jelous of you, I wish I could write a 250,000-word novel linearly. My hat's off to you if you've mastered that style. Although, as to whether or not it is the "best", I really think that's a matter of opinion. I certainly respect your ability, but it is a style, and is not write for everyone.



Of course. What works best for you may not work the same for me. There are no right or wrongs in writing. If your method is conducive towards creating a novel, then that's the best method for you. Likewise for me. You find your own way of doing it, and if it works you run with it. 

I've had college professors shake their heads at me when I told them I don't plan what to write in an essay. I start off with one point, do a little reading around it, and my other points come to me as I'm writing the first. It's not for everyone. I think you need good self-discipline and patience to keep everything together and seamless. It can become hairy, especially when you write the kind of novels with multiple characters and plot-lines, which I do. But I've been doing it so long that it's become second nature now. 



> I have also written 20,000 words in a day with very little editing required afterwards. But you and I have been writing for years, we're not beginers. 1,600 words a day is nothing, when I haven't got work to deal with I, too, will average 2,000-2,500. Again: not new, have developed a process.


What I will say to Blueblade is this: Don't write for the sake of it. That 20,000-word spree was one of my most productive 'in the zone' moments. It's very rare. It's probably a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. Before that, 10,000 was my plateau. But I would still rather 2,000 words of solid prose than to try to sacrifice quality to achieve a high word-count for one sitting. I know that sounds like I'm going back on what I said about NaNo, but consider that 20,000 words is almost half a NaNo novel in one day. To produce that amount of words regularly is improbable without sacrificing quality. To achieve 2,000 words of quality is, however, not. It's not about how much you can produce in one sitting, though. Aim for a solid count of 1,000 per day. It sounds like a lot, but in reality it's just 3 6x9 standard novel pages. Do that, and you'll have a 100,000-word novel inside four months. 



> The NaNo environment is extremly rushed, it's designed to help new writers build confidence by hammering out a first novel under a deadline, thus proving they have the ability to string together 50,000 words. Some people may write masterpieces like that(I understand A Clockwork Orange was written in just a few weeks), but I'd be willing to wager most begining writers will have a very hard time producing quality work at that pace.


Perhaps, but I still think it's feasible. And not to throw the cat among the pigeons, but the reality is that you shouldn't be worrying about quality with novel #1. I know -- and will readily admit if asked -- that my first two novels are tripe. They were the learning curve. Mastering novel-writing takes time. I'm on my eleventh right now and it's only in the last few years that I've made _any _of them available for public consumption. They say you have to write a million words before you get to good stuff, and I think that's a fair assessment. Might be less for others, might be more for some, but the first couple are used to cut your teeth in the whole game. I hope that doesn't dishearten anyone. It doesn't mean that people don't get their first ever novels published, but that it tends to be rare. 



> All I'm saying is, experience makes a difference, and there are many different styles.


I agree.  See my above point.


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## elite (Feb 3, 2011)

It's really refreshing to hear all of this. Lately I've been a little insecure about my output, which is around 500 to 1000 a day. It bothers me, because back when I was just starting I had written roughly 10000 words in three days. Of course, the difference in quality and consistency is abysmal, but it gets on my nerves sometimes. I'm still a novice, but I now believe that getting your plot right is more important than the output, even if you have to stop and think every few sentences.


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## dwellerofthedeep (Feb 3, 2011)

I find I write a little slower as I learn more about writing.  My output could be up to 3-5k on a good day in the past.  Now I struggle to do 2k.  Hopefully as I get used to the skills I'm developing I'll get some speed back.  Getting a rough draft done in a month or two would be nice.


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## Slugfly (Feb 3, 2011)

Sam W said:


> I believe it's the best way to write.



Come now.  After calling me out for "must?"    I'm just playing though. Many novels I've loved were written as they are read, starting at the start and ending at the end.  Then, I've also loved many novels that were meticulously planned and designed.


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## NoaMineo (Feb 3, 2011)

I think most novels are probably written out of order, with the author putting all the pieces together as they work. However, I don't actually ave the statistics to back that up, its just how a lot of authors I've met tell me they write. There's no "best" way, obviously, but it works well for impatient hyper people.

I couldn't find it earlier, but this is the workbook I learned from: Book Details you can kill it in an afternoon and it's insanely helpful. I adopted that process between novels 2 and 3, which is why number 2 took 2 years and number 3 only took 7 months and number 5 took only about 4. I actually know the author personally, and before you smirk at the POD publishing she has a large number of tradditionally-published works, and only put this one out that way to save time.


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## REBtexas (Jan 21, 2020)

This is a good question that I was going to ask, myself.  But doing an advanced search brought me here to your thread. Time is a funny thing.  Sometimes it seems to be taking forever and then time seems to be just flying past us.  At least for me, writing puts me into a sort of space where time doesn't exist. But later, looking back, there can be a record.  My first book started back around 1988.  All I had was a story and some paper to write on.  I was living in a monastery-like setting.  I had no money.  No home.  Not even a typewriter. So this is how I began. Eventually I was hired to run a kitchen for homeless veterans in Philadelphia and had a little money to by a Panasonic word processor.  I knew nothing about types of files and just trusted the machine and the little square disc to keep everything stored.  I don't remember the exact details but eventually that broke; the disc apparently had some files that only Panasonic could read; and by the time I moved to Texas, got married, obtained my first computer, bought a scanner that could read the only typed copy of my book and finally save it all in a proper format - well, 7 or more years went by.  But my Philadelphia experience ended up to be a blessing because I found myself with enough free time after work and on my days off to finish the last 3 chapters (six in all) that were most difficult. Remember, I was feeding the homeless and actually I was living around the corner to this shelter right in the ghetto.  The apartment I was renting didn't have one stick of furniture in it.  No refrigerator.  Only a third-story view and pretty decent hardwood floors.  I did have plenty of cardboard boxes from the kitchen, which I eventually lined up in two neat rows to put all my notes on; by bed rolled up for my chair; another box in front of me for my desk and Panasonic.  As far as the ghetto; not exactly a place to be walking around and after work I'd zip right on home and lock the door, sit down and suddenly like magic it would be nearly midnight.  I'm sure any writer will tell you the same thing about this special "time zone" that writing can put you in.  To sum it all up quickly, then I had to learn how to work a computer, learn how to become a Front Page webmaster to control and publish my book myself, and of course, all the time re-reading it for errors.  I even paid two proof readers to go over it.  Then my father read it.  He found a misspelled word. After obtaining my own URL and turning to my wife one day, I said it was time to publish it on the World Wide Web. She then mentioned that Jan 1, 2000 was just a few days off and why not publish it at the crack of midnight and at least I could lay claim to have published the first book of the 21st Century.  And this is exactly what I did with great care to hit the enter key at precisely the right second on the right time zone. By the way, the book mentioned in my signature is what I wrote next.  I wanted that to be much less tedious and take way less time.  Well, you can imagine how that worked out. But because I'm not a very good writer, I always figured that most people don't even take a year to write their entire book.


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## indianroads (Jan 21, 2020)

How long does it take to write a book? I'll give what I feel is the universal answer: It depends.

It depends on what you measure. Do you only look at the time spent deliberately writing, either on a keyboard or in a notebook, or do you include the time spent away from it doing unnecessary trivial stuff such as working at your job, sleeping, eating, and socializing? 
What sort of writer are you? (Plotter or pantster - one may take longer than the other.) 
Which processes to you measure? Do you include working on the plot, and character development, or do you only count the time writing out the story? 
Do you include time in edits? Beta reads? The time your work spends with a professional editor?
What about cover design, do you include that?

My name is Indianroads, and I'm a plotter. My process (in broad strokes) is:
* Write out the idea, and form it into a rough plot.
* Develop the world of the story. (History, science/technology, social structures, current affairs)
* Character profiles.
* Refine and enlarge the rough plot into a map of what will happen, when, and to who.
* Take a deep breath and write the first draft.
* Usually about 8 editing passes.
* Send it to my editor - this is usually concurrent with sending sketches/ideas to my cover designer.
* Weigh the feedback from my editor, decide how much of it to use - and make the changes.
* Final editing pass.

I self publish, so from there it's a fairly straightforward process of formatting the book, and uploading everything.

Overall, the entire process takes me between six and nine months. I'm retired though - if I were still working it would take MUCH longer.


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## EntrepreneurRideAlong (Jan 21, 2020)

Blueblade said:


> I'm new to all this writing goodness, and at my current pace, the novel I want to produce will take years.  I know I've got to step it up, but that's not the reason for this post.
> 
> How long does it take _you_ to complete a novel, from idea in your head to final draft?  I'm sure the answers will vary.  It would be helpful to tell whether you're writing professionally or for your personal enjoyment.  If you could break the time down into the various phases of writing, that would be even more helpful.
> 
> ...



I write a lot of non-fiction, and I find I can write that much faster. I wrote my first book in about three months. I wrote one chapter per week (10 chapters total) + editing and revising, so it was published after three months. 

I make sure that I do other more fun writing in between, I like to keep my self entertained and rewarded by letting myself write fun blogs and other articles while cranking out a nonfiction book.


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## Cephus (Jan 21, 2020)

I complete a book about every two months, more or less. Last year, I completed 6 books and could have done more, but several of them were quite long. It isn't about how long it takes, it's about finishing. If you have no deadlines, then you just have to worry about getting it done. Once you have a deadline, that's when the fun begins and you have to get it done on time.


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## sunaynaprasad (Jan 27, 2020)

It can take me at least a couple years, although I want to change that. For my current, WIP, I started it 4 years ago and it's still not done. While there have been authors who have worked on their projects for 10+ years, my goal is to try working on two novels at once, but focusing on one story draft at a time.


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## indianroads (Jan 27, 2020)

Cephus said:


> I complete a book about every two months, more or less. Last year, I completed 6 books and could have done more, but several of them were quite long. It isn't about how long it takes, it's about finishing. If you have no deadlines, then you just have to worry about getting it done. Once you have a deadline, that's when the fun begins and you have to get it done on time.



Dang!! I'm impressed. Are these full novels, or novelettes? Either way... wow!


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## JJBuchholz (Jan 27, 2020)

Blueblade said:


> How long does it take _you_ to complete a novel, from idea in your head to final draft?



The only novel I ever started to write was begun in 1998 near the end of my tenure in high school. I plugged away at it for a few years,
pushing past an idea sheet to rough draft, and had written fifty pages (on lined paper in a binder) until the idea disappeared from my
mind. 

Just last year (21 years later), the idea reappeared, and I took said incomplete novel and reworked it into a novella in one of my
short story series, using most of the original ideas, while swapping out some of the characters.

I had no way of knowing it would take that long when I started it, and perhaps that is why I always went back and looked at that
binder every couple of years or so. It was quite a ride, for sure.



Blueblade said:


> While you're plugging away at a novel, do you do any writing besides?  Short stories, other novels, etc.?



Mainly short stories and novellas, either one-offs, or entries in several different series/universes that I have created.

A short story usually takes me a week or two, and a novella anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of months, depending
on how much of it has already been created and mapped out in my mind.

-JJB


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## Cephus (Jan 27, 2020)

indianroads said:


> Dang!! I'm impressed. Are these full novels, or novelettes? Either way... wow!



Full novels, averaging 100k. Just did 8600 words today. Should be finished with my latest in the next day or two.

I'm not really that fast either. There are plenty of people who put out a 100k novel a month.


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## indianroads (Jan 28, 2020)

Cephus said:


> Full novels, averaging 100k. Just did 8600 words today. Should be finished with my latest in the next day or two.
> 
> I'm not really that fast either. There are plenty of people who put out a 100k novel a month.


Again, I’m impressed. I’m happy with 1500 words a day.


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## luckyscars (Jan 28, 2020)

I just wrapped on a novel that I began in 2017. 

In fairness, I wasn't writing on it non-stop since then. I wrote a (bad) first draft that year and idiotically decided to send it out. In the meantime I completed a draft of another novel in 2018 which I ended up not liking much. Frustrated, I decided to go back to basics. I spent all of 2019 writing short stories, published eight in anthologies and magazines, upped my reading and generally decided to stop fucking around. 

In late 2019 I discovered the 2017 novel had received some surprisingly good feedback from online betas, and also my wife, who read it out of obligation. At her behest, I decided to reengage with it. I rewrote the thing between September and November 2019, stripping away a ton of baggage and generally honing a very long novel into a very short one of 70,000 some words. I then took a week off and wrote flash fiction, then began the third and final draft in mid-December 2019, where I effectively combined the heavy-cream immersion of the first draft and the almond-milk storyboard that was the second draft into a third draft that I just completed the other day at 92,000 words (having taken a hiatus from short stories other than as a stress-reliever). Am now in editing hell.

I'm not advocating my process here, it's been a friggin' nightmare at times, but I can finally say I have a novel I am cautiously optimistic about. Which is nice, being that this is my sixth 'completed book'. I've come to realize we writers are our worst critics. So 'how long does it take you' is probably more about how much you're prone to hobble yourself with self-doubt than about how much you *can* write in a given period of time. When I'm comfortable, I can easily get down 20,000 words a week, but I have to like and believe in what I'm writing, which is...sometimes difficult.


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## REBtexas (Jan 28, 2020)

..."from idea in your head to final draft?"  Personally, I would be make a big mistake in calculating how long it would take if I thought reaching that final draft was a nice clean ending point.  I guess a person can write multiple "stories, other novels, etc." but I have found my novel ideas so exciting to write that any other writing project failed in appeal. I don't write in phases, that comes later.  I just tell the story.  When I write "The End" perhaps this is the final draft you are speaking about.  Not sure what your definition of a "final draft" is. Regardless, getting to that point is a pretty big deal.


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## MagaliQueen (Jan 30, 2020)

From idea to first draft? A month and a half for a 100,000 word manuscript.
From first draft to final draft? I don't know because I'm waiting for a beta reader to make suggestions so I can get to my second draft.


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## Cephus (Jan 30, 2020)

MagaliQueen said:


> From idea to first draft? A month and a half for a 100,000 word manuscript.
> From first draft to final draft? I don't know because I'm waiting for a beta reader to make suggestions so I can get to my second draft.



It's always the betas that slow you down. I give my betas a month to get their critiques back to me. That's a month that I'm working on other things. It also helps that the betas I work with are cognizant of the time pressures that writers are under, most being writers themselves, so they don't tend to screw  around.


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## Fiender (Jan 31, 2020)

For me, it varies heavily on the project.

I started one manuscript early in 2016 and finished the first draft 2-3 months later. Then I went on revising and doing the beta-reader routine for a year and a half and started querying mid 2017. When I got no bites, I revised it for another year, sent a bunch of queries in 2019, before finally shelving this project.

In the downtime of working on the above, I wrote another book, starting... sometime in late 2017/early 2018 (Apologies for the lack of helpful exacts, my files have been backed up and moved so I don't have the original dates). I didn't start finding betas for this one until early 2019, but I'm already confident enough in it to start querying this year (once a couple final beta readers give me their feedback).

2018, meanwhile, was my first NaNoWriMo, and that first draft took 2 months to complete, and in the downtime of the above projects I've been revising and tweaking it, and I will be getting my first beta readers while querying the above project.

So, generally, I finish a first draft in 2-3 months, revise and beta-hunt for another year, and then begin the querying process.


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## Newman (Feb 3, 2020)

Blueblade said:


> I'm new to all this writing goodness, and at my current pace, the novel I want to produce will take years.  I know I've got to step it up, but that's not the reason for this post.
> 
> How long does it take _you_ to complete a novel, from idea in your head to final draft?  I'm sure the answers will vary.  It would be helpful to tell whether you're writing professionally or for your personal enjoyment.  If you could break the time down into the various phases of writing, that would be even more helpful.
> 
> ...



Just depends on how dicsiplined I am at sitting down and writing pages every day/week. If I lose that discipline it takes forever.


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