How long does it take you to write a short story?
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This is another question with an answer that will vary from person to person. I doubt there is an average to be found. What works for one person may not work for you.
Most of mine are done in one sitting, or at least in one day. A 2,000 - 3,000 word story or shorter is probably one sitting. A 6,000 - 7,000 word story can be two sittings in the same day or a couple a day or two apart. Some I've written in part and set aside to finish days, weeks or months later because something just wasn't working.
A story takes as long as it takes, which for me usually isn't very long. Others work on one story for weeks or months, a little at a time--some of which are prizewinning stories, I should add. There is no one right way or time period, despite what some people will probably tell you.
Shelley
Most of mine are done in one sitting, or at least in one day. A 2,000 - 3,000 word story or shorter is probably one sitting. A 6,000 - 7,000 word story can be two sittings in the same day or a couple a day or two apart. Some I've written in part and set aside to finish days, weeks or months later because something just wasn't working.
A story takes as long as it takes, which for me usually isn't very long. Others work on one story for weeks or months, a little at a time--some of which are prizewinning stories, I should add. There is no one right way or time period, despite what some people will probably tell you.
Shelley
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Anywhere from two days to two years, so far. 
On average, I'd say two to three weeks. My "shorts" (haha) tend to clock in above 7k.
That's for what I consider a semi-finished draft. Once I think I've got it pretty much done, it goes off to my beta readers, and I usually have feedback back from them within a week or so, and then it's another day or two to think about the comments, make changes, tighten stuff up, make a last pass through it out loud to check the word flow, and then decide where to send it off to.
It's also worth noting that I have a full-time job and three kids, two of whom are under the age of 3, so my available time (and energy) for writing is fairly limited.
-Suzanne
On average, I'd say two to three weeks. My "shorts" (haha) tend to clock in above 7k.That's for what I consider a semi-finished draft. Once I think I've got it pretty much done, it goes off to my beta readers, and I usually have feedback back from them within a week or so, and then it's another day or two to think about the comments, make changes, tighten stuff up, make a last pass through it out loud to check the word flow, and then decide where to send it off to.
It's also worth noting that I have a full-time job and three kids, two of whom are under the age of 3, so my available time (and energy) for writing is fairly limited.
-Suzanne
The short story i just wrote took me 2 hours from beginning to end of first draft. Just under 1700 words. I predict it'll need another hour of edits (next month sometime) before it's ready to party.
But that's on the quick side. I've had this story on the backburner (with beginning, middle and end in me head) for a good eighteen months, so it was really just a case of getting it down.
Typically, i'd say an average short takes me 6-12 hours to draft and edit. Was a lot longer before W1S1. Had a couple take me close to two years to get right. I'm not sure my W1S1 stories are better than my previous stories, but i'm willing to take a slight downturn in quality now because i think it'll pay off with better, quicker-written stories in the future.
But that's on the quick side. I've had this story on the backburner (with beginning, middle and end in me head) for a good eighteen months, so it was really just a case of getting it down.
Typically, i'd say an average short takes me 6-12 hours to draft and edit. Was a lot longer before W1S1. Had a couple take me close to two years to get right. I'm not sure my W1S1 stories are better than my previous stories, but i'm willing to take a slight downturn in quality now because i think it'll pay off with better, quicker-written stories in the future.
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It all depends on what you mean by 'write.' If you mean the actual putting of words to paper, I just wrote about 5,000 words over two days for a short story I'm working on, with about 4,000 - 5,000 more to go. So maybe a total of 4 days for the first draft of a 10,000 word story. Then there will be a few days of editing/re-writing. Then I might sit on it for a week without looking at it or working on it. Then I'll go back and re-read it and make more edits/re-writes. Finally I'll have someone else read it and make suggestions and followup with any last edits/re-writes that need to be done. Also, if you consider the conceptualization of the story to be 'writing' (which I do), than I've been working on it for months.
-J. Mark Byrnes
-J. Mark Byrnes
11,000 words took me four weeks. That included doing research, planning and writing it up. I was working full time so most of the writing was done at weekends.
It can take me about five weeks if I have everything already planned out in my head. I think about maybe 9,000 words or more done in those weeks.
Anything from an hour to a month or more.
I just looked at one that I wrote last week. It took forever to get it out of me and now I read it I find that it's rubbish.
That's sort of depressing, but I'll rewrite it (I think it needs a pig in it, I think that would help), and then when I've done that it will have taken even longer.
I just looked at one that I wrote last week. It took forever to get it out of me and now I read it I find that it's rubbish.
That's sort of depressing, but I'll rewrite it (I think it needs a pig in it, I think that would help), and then when I've done that it will have taken even longer.
To write it down? One sitting for a short one, two sittings for a long one. To finish polishing? Minimum 6 weeks, sometimes much longer.
If you want an average, write 3 or 4 and then average how long it took you.
Other people's stats are worthless in determining your writing capacities.
Other people's stats are worthless in determining your writing capacities.
I can usually have a short ready for submission in 24 to 48 hours. Now, add in time for rewrites, rethinks, revisions, etc then I have some stories I've been sitting on for years and still aren't published.
If a story takes me more than a week to write, from word one of the first draft to word last of the final draft submission, I can almost guarantee it won't sell.
Most of the stories I've sold to really big magazines were written in two days or less.
Short stories run from 2,000-7,500 words, and when I break down writing time according to this, it's pretty clear. With short stories, I write pretty darned close to 3,500 words per five hour writing day, so anything within this word range seldom takes more than two days.
Things don't always go this smoothly, but when a story takes more than a week from initial idea to submission, it's almost certainly an unsalable story.
Most of the stories I've sold to really big magazines were written in two days or less.
Short stories run from 2,000-7,500 words, and when I break down writing time according to this, it's pretty clear. With short stories, I write pretty darned close to 3,500 words per five hour writing day, so anything within this word range seldom takes more than two days.
Things don't always go this smoothly, but when a story takes more than a week from initial idea to submission, it's almost certainly an unsalable story.
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Short stories (2,500-7,500 words) take maybe a few hours maybe a couple of days before they're done. I'll spend some time editing after, but that's really not time writing them. Flash fiction (anything up to about 2,000 words) takes maybe a couple hours total, if that.
You have to come back a while later and polish, like with anything else, but the basic writing should go very quickly.
You have to come back a while later and polish, like with anything else, but the basic writing should go very quickly.
For some people. For some, not so much. And either one is okay -- it's the finished story that matters.
-Suzanne
For any writer who wants it to. Yes, it's the finished story that matters, but there's a point where you're just being lazy and procrastinating.
Time spent writing always produces a pretty fair quantity of words, no matter who the writer is. Time spent not writing is simply not writing. It isn't writing under the name of research, it isn't writing under the name of planning, it isn't writing under the name of thinking, etc. None of this is writing, but just excuses for not writing.
Writers do come set to different speeds, but not very much different. When the difference gets too great, it can only be attributed to not writing enough.
I wrote the first draft of the story that got me published in one sitting on a train journey of less than 1 hour. Add to that a couple of hours of editing and tweaking, and I think it took about 4 hours overall, but that excludes the time it took to bubble and cook around in my mind.
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Even my first story (2000 words) was written in two sittings, but I tweaked it forever.
Now, I can get a good draft of that length down in one sitting, and longer stories work out pretty much pro rata. Editing time has dropped dramatically because I am putting out better stuff first time.
On occasion I do get stuck, and it's usually best to move onto something else until you get that "aha" moment and know how to tackle your problem. If I am stuck for over a week, it goes into that file on the bookshelf that I always think I will return to, but rarely do (with any success at least).
There's one idea in that folder that is killing me. I must have written five different versions of that story, and still get stuck in the same place. I tried everything before realising it's a half-idea, which is often the worst kind of an idea because it usually ends in a dead-end, but you bash your head against that brick wall anyway. It rarely gives.
Now, I can get a good draft of that length down in one sitting, and longer stories work out pretty much pro rata. Editing time has dropped dramatically because I am putting out better stuff first time.
On occasion I do get stuck, and it's usually best to move onto something else until you get that "aha" moment and know how to tackle your problem. If I am stuck for over a week, it goes into that file on the bookshelf that I always think I will return to, but rarely do (with any success at least).
There's one idea in that folder that is killing me. I must have written five different versions of that story, and still get stuck in the same place. I tried everything before realising it's a half-idea, which is often the worst kind of an idea because it usually ends in a dead-end, but you bash your head against that brick wall anyway. It rarely gives.
Ah me.
Writers do come set to different speeds, but not very much different. When the difference gets too great, it can only be attributed to not writing enough.
Dear James, as didactic as ever.
People are different and always will be. There are people who take a year to get a story written and edited to their satisfaction and people who take a couple of hours. Both types will write every day and are serious about their craft.
Writers do come set to different speeds, but not very much different. When the difference gets too great, it can only be attributed to not writing enough.
Dear James, as didactic as ever.
People are different and always will be. There are people who take a year to get a story written and edited to their satisfaction and people who take a couple of hours. Both types will write every day and are serious about their craft.
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I have spent an entire summer working on one story.
I also wrote one story in two days during an ice storm.
On average, though, about one-two weeks. The next two stories I am submitting took two weeks and I worked on them both at the same time, back and forth.
I am finishing up another story I started two days ago. It should be done by tomorrow.
So, no consistent or clear answer from me, hehe.
I also wrote one story in two days during an ice storm.
On average, though, about one-two weeks. The next two stories I am submitting took two weeks and I worked on them both at the same time, back and forth.
I am finishing up another story I started two days ago. It should be done by tomorrow.
So, no consistent or clear answer from me, hehe.
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Very true. And speed comes with practice. I would guess that everyone who has a few hundred thousand words under their belts could look back and see they probably write much faster than they did at first.
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For short stories, I usually have an intense clarity of what I want to end up with. They're whipped out as fast as my fingerscan go. Then there's the couple of days spent polishing and editing. For my novels--about nine months from start to third draft.
Sorry, but you're wrong. I'd take your characterization of my own working speed (as well as that of many other writers I greatly admire) as "lazy" with more offense if I had any regard for your opinion, but thus far I haven't seen any evidence yet to convince me it deserves any.
-Suzanne
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A great example of a slower working speed is Ted Chiang. I count a total of 12 published short works on his Wikipedia page (since 1990). For the 11 published before 2010, he received 4 Nebula Awards, 3 Hugo awards, 2 Locus Awards (3 Locus Awards if one counts the Locus Award he got for the collection), a Sidewise Award, and a Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award. His 2010 piece is a Nebula nominee, and I hope it wins; it is spectacular. He turned down a Hugo nomination for one of his stories because he felt it was "rushed".
I admire him, and think he is one of the greatest SFF writers living today. His work changed my life.
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