I have completed my first short. It's about 2500 words. The first draft took me a couple days and then redrafting has taken about a week and a half. I was just wondering how many short stories you guys would average per year?
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I dunno; in my best years, dozens.
It doesn't take me but a day, maybe a weekend, to write a story.
I don't tend to do much "redrafting".
It doesn't take me but a day, maybe a weekend, to write a story.
I don't tend to do much "redrafting".
So far this year I have done finished and subbed 15.
It will be 16 when I tidy up the one I'm working on.
I've sold one of them, but all the rest are subbed out and I have hopes that I will sell more.
I only started seriously in March or April.
It will be 16 when I tidy up the one I'm working on.
I've sold one of them, but all the rest are subbed out and I have hopes that I will sell more.
I only started seriously in March or April.
That sounds like a flair clip. What sort of length are we talking about here? I am a slow re-drafter is why I ask...
Out of my 15?
3-4000 - 4 stories
2-3000 - 2 stories
1-2000 - 1 story
750-1000 - 6 stories
400 - 1
12 - 1
The one I'm doing right now is about 1300 words, but I'm going to edit it down to under 1000 so it can go out as flash.
3-4000 - 4 stories
2-3000 - 2 stories
1-2000 - 1 story
750-1000 - 6 stories
400 - 1
12 - 1
The one I'm doing right now is about 1300 words, but I'm going to edit it down to under 1000 so it can go out as flash.
I did the first two flash fic challenges, so I ended up with 28 rough stories.
So far I have sorted out and subbed 7 of them. 5 stayed as flash, and two got longer.
As for productive, I don't know. I've only managed to sell one thing so far.
So far I have sorted out and subbed 7 of them. 5 stayed as flash, and two got longer.
As for productive, I don't know. I've only managed to sell one thing so far.
The first year, I managed one a month. I wrote more the next year. This year, I've cut back a lot, as I'm spending more time writing a novel (so probably one every 2-3 months).
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I'm in the same boat...taking time this year for novels, but I think I generally get 11-12 new stories out in a year. Mine run the gamut of lengths, though, anywhere between 1000-20000 words.
I would say I write about 20-25 new short stories per year, on top of writing 2 novels.
Ranges anywhere from 1K to 9K, although sometimes I will do a series of them which can end up being about 15K for the whole thing. Almost novellas in some respects.
Average length? Usually around the 2K mark. I can pump it out in a day or two and spend a few days editing it.
Ranges anywhere from 1K to 9K, although sometimes I will do a series of them which can end up being about 15K for the whole thing. Almost novellas in some respects.
Average length? Usually around the 2K mark. I can pump it out in a day or two and spend a few days editing it.
So far in this, my first year seriously writing short fiction: 15 stories (since January).
It's very likely I'll be done with another before August is done so I'm averaging 2 stories per month.
Word count breakdown as follows:
600-999 words: 5 stories
1000-1999 words: 3 stories
2000-5000 words: 7 stories
It's very likely I'll be done with another before August is done so I'm averaging 2 stories per month.
Word count breakdown as follows:
600-999 words: 5 stories
1000-1999 words: 3 stories
2000-5000 words: 7 stories
It depends on what else I'm writing. Novels and nonfiction really slow down short story output. In a year when I'm really busy with novels, screenplays, and nonfiction, I may write no more than four or five short stories. In a year when I want to concentrate primarily on short stories, I may write thirty or forty.
I've found my best short stories never take more than a couple of days to go from initial idea to final draft. Several of my most lucrative short stories took only four to five hours to go from initial idea to final, submitted draft.
But I've never had a year I could devote entirely to short stories, so I have no idea how many I could write if I did. I've been tempted to try just this for one year, but other forms of writing always seem to get in the way.
So next year I'm going to go on the Ray Bradbury plan of writing and submitting one story per week, using one writing session per day to get this done. I'll use my second writing session to do novels, and all the other writing that usually gets in the way of short stories.
I've found my best short stories never take more than a couple of days to go from initial idea to final draft. Several of my most lucrative short stories took only four to five hours to go from initial idea to final, submitted draft.
But I've never had a year I could devote entirely to short stories, so I have no idea how many I could write if I did. I've been tempted to try just this for one year, but other forms of writing always seem to get in the way.
So next year I'm going to go on the Ray Bradbury plan of writing and submitting one story per week, using one writing session per day to get this done. I'll use my second writing session to do novels, and all the other writing that usually gets in the way of short stories.
It...depends. If I push myself, I can write ~1 per week (if I'm not writing anything else), which = 52 a year.
But usually I'm writing something else and/or I'm not pushing super hard, so I'm more like, maybe...12?
But usually I'm writing something else and/or I'm not pushing super hard, so I'm more like, maybe...12?
I'm not sure because I've just started to concentrate on the short story form. I usually have a novel or two on the go, but I imagine that I could get about 6 finished and submitted in a year if I wanted to. The possibilities could be endless if I chose to concentrate on short stories alone.
Chagrined and slow. I started writing again in March (after long break) and have finished three stories so far (7000, 3000, and 250 words). I'm hoping to pick up the pace as I gain more confidence, but I've always been painfully slow, writing and rewriting, rewriting, rewriting. It takes a long time for me to consider a story finished. I'm probably too much of a perfectionist, and yet somehow I've yet to achieve perfection... funny that! 
I'll never be a one-a-weeker (or even monther?), but I hope to become a bit more productive as time goes on.
I tell myself quality not quantity, but it would be nice to have both!
I'll never be a one-a-weeker (or even monther?), but I hope to become a bit more productive as time goes on.
I tell myself quality not quantity, but it would be nice to have both!
I've completed nine in the past six months so not that impressive. But much better than I used to do...which was maybe 1 or 2 a year (and most of those were complete crapola).
Anyway, congrats on completing your short story.
Velcro, in my world nine in six is very respectable. In fact, I'd be over the moon with that kind of productivity.
I'm with you on that one, squeaky. If I had as many as nine written and finished, to my satisfaction, in six months, I'd feel pretty pleased with myself.
But satisfaction is relative.
Am I the only one who feels that they're writing complete tripe most of the time?
Hee hee, Wattsi! Lordy Loo, how those thoughts dog me!
They actually drove me out of Writingville with pitch forks and torches and tar and feathers. I've come back in disguise (shhh... don't tell the sheriff!) and am quietly trying to talk back to those thoughts. Finding the fine line between a keen, alert internal editor and a destructive, nay-saying internal nag is not easy. Despite having had publications and other kinds of positive reinforcement, that nag remains my major obstacle. I fight it every day. And, in case you were wondering, it ain't yeller. It's one tough gunslinger.
Ok. Wild West metaphors aside, the answer is yes, but I think it's a destructive tendency. Maybe you/we are writing tripe. So what? At least we're writing and therefore have the chance to improve, or to even come across a stroke of brilliance, from time to time. I think this is the best anyone can ask for.
A question: why do you feel it's tripe?
I just got back into writing seriously within the last month. I've also been on a maniacal writing tear, so these #s are probably peak-output for me for short fiction, or nearly so.
In August I wrote 10 stories, for a total of slightly over 25,000 words.
Lengths:
0-250 words: 1
251-1000 words: 1
1001-2000 words: 2
2001-4000 words: 3
4001-5000 words: 3
I expect this month to be a lower total as I spend more time going through revisions to these stories post-critiques.
In August I wrote 10 stories, for a total of slightly over 25,000 words.
Lengths:
0-250 words: 1
251-1000 words: 1
1001-2000 words: 2
2001-4000 words: 3
4001-5000 words: 3
I expect this month to be a lower total as I spend more time going through revisions to these stories post-critiques.
Sure, but just because you think it's tripe doesn't mean an editor will. Likewise, just because you work on it forever, and finally believe it to be as perfect as you can make it, does not mean an editor won't think it's tripe.
It's been my experience that tripe usually takes much longer to write than quality.
I feel that way at least once on almost everything I write. Which is probably why I'm focusing more on short stories than novels right now. It's hard enough to ignore the feeling and just keep writing. Still, I agree with squeaky pram, who cares? Even if I'm writing tripe, I'm still writing, still practicing, and maybe it just needs to be gotten out of the way so that I can get to the gold that's buried somewhere.
As to the original post, congrats on finishing your first! I just started seriously writing last spring in May. Since then I've written 6 short stories, am partway through a novella ( started in June; need to finish that) and in the beginning of another short story. I've also reviewed/rewritten one old novella and one old short story for publication. My goal is one story a month, which for me isn't too difficult (I don't do much rewriting). Originally I was shooting for one a week but found that was a little much. So that's 6 in 4 months, which would go to 18/year if it stays consistent. My story length varies widely, from 1500 - 4000 being pretty typical.
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I just finished the first short that is sufficiently flaw free for me to submit it. It took about 2 months for me to write it. 3000 words. Believe it or not, I'm getting faster.
johnnysannie
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My short production dropped as I shifted focus to novels but even now I've penned a dozen new short stories this year.
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