How long does it take to write a book?

Personally, I've been writing my novel for almost a year now and I just broke 50,000 words for my first draft. I don't write every day though, at least not n terms of fiction writing. I think a lot author's advice about writing every day is good, but its also discouraging for people who simply can't do that. Not all successful writers have written every day. Best example I can think of off the top of my head is JRR Tolkien. He wrote in spurts and took breaks.

Chasing the Horizon said:

/.../ I know this is an uncommon way to work, but I enjoy writing the actual prose most when I can focus on how to put my words together instead of worrying about what I'm trying to say, and also enjoy working out the plot and actions of the story most when I can just scribble it down however in an outline no one but me will ever see.

Click to expand...

I'm also a "how" writer, not a "what" writer; my interest is sustained not by the plot but by the prose and character traits that spring up over time, and during the initial drafting phase I also slap down some placeholder descriptions-of-the-descriptions-to-come. But still slow

Yeah, I forgot to say that I'm not a big believer in the need to write every single day either, even while actively drafting a project. Some days I'm busy or just don't feel like writing and that's okay. Trying to write a little every day could be a good goal for someone really struggling to finish projects in a timely manner, but it has never been something I needed or wanted to do.

Chasing the Horizon said:

Yeah, I forgot to say that I'm not a big believer in the need to write every single day either, even while actively drafting a project. Some days I'm busy or just don't feel like writing and that's okay. Trying to write a little every day could be a good goal for someone really struggling to finish projects in a timely manner, but it has never been something I needed or wanted to do.

Click to expand...

Yeah. But I feel like it is a little discouraging when you're told that you have to write every day or you will never make it. I mean you might not make it even if you do write every day so I think its kind of meaningless advice. If you want to write every day, you should. If you can only write a little, you should do that as well.

kaylim said:

Yeah. But I feel like it is a little discouraging when you're told that you have to write every day or you will never make it. I mean you might not make it even if you do write every day so I think its kind of meaningless advice. If you want to write every day, you should. If you can only write a little, you should do that as well.

Click to expand...

Eh, the writing world is full of advice that needs to be taken with a whole shaker of salt. I've had people tell me my writing must not be very good because I can knock out such huge daily word counts when I'm really into a draft. Just because they can't write 10k a day and maintain quality doesn't mean I can't, and just because someone else needs to write every day to finish things doesn't mean all of us do. I didn't write at all or even think about my manuscript yesterday because I was hung over from celebrating the Pirates of the Caribbean premier with too much rum, lol. Somehow I don't think trying to write while my brain was in a state that made using the microwave seem complicated would've gotten me closer to being published.

It helps to write every day if only because you are more likely to amass enough words to make a book that way. And yep, the more you write the better you get at it, so it makes sense to try to make it a regular habit. But the only rules are to do what works for you, and to not worry when people who work in different ways tell you you're doing it wrong. Just write. That's all.

I'm at the 1600 words a day, every day part of the spectrum. I've been at this pace for the last ten years now, which is about 50,000 words a month, every month. It quickly adds up to a lot of novels, novellas and short stories, even accounting for edits / rewrites and culling.

Count me into the "please you don't really have to write every day" camp. It's important to write regularly. That is not the same darn thing. And even then it doesn't mean you can't take breaks, sometimes long ones. Sometimes you're forced to. Life happens.

I treat writing like a job. A part-time job, yeah, because I have other responsibilities, which vary according to the seasons of my life (seasonal jobs, growing food for my family, childcare) and therefore my amount of writing time also varies, but I always make it a priority and whenever possible I spend 3-4 hours a day on it. But you know what? You do not work even at your full-time job every day. It would be a recipe for burnout. Weekends are important, vacation is important... paying actual attention to your kids is important and despite everything our culture tells us, enough sleep is actually freakin' important too.

This current novel will have taken me three years, if you count the wild-brain-fever-of-ideas stage (which oddly seems to be generally called "outlining") right down to the polishing. But that's because it's the best thing I've ever done and I want it to be perfect. And I have a 3-year-old.

Unimportant said:

Everyone is different. Blanket 'you must do xyz to be a writer' statements are really demoralising for anyone who doesn't fit into that mould.

Click to expand...

Yes! There's just one hard and fast rule I attach to writing: if you want to be a writer, you have to actually write. I've lost count of the number of people who have told me they are writers, but they don't actually write, they just think they'd like to be an Angela Fletcher sort of writer who swans around the world and knows lots of interesting people.

Unimportant said:

Everyone is different. Blanket 'you must do xyz to be a writer' statements are really demoralising for anyone who doesn't fit into that mould.

Click to expand...

Very much agreed. And what's more, trying to follow something that doesn't suit your way of working can lead to problems further down the line. I tried doing the "write x words a day" method, and ended up focusing on this at the expense of re-reading and editing, and the result was a total and utter mess that was a nightmare to edit and is probably going to end up being axed and rewritten altogether.

I've gone back to the method whereby if I sit down to write for an hour and do nothing more than correcting yesterday's punctuation and spending a lot of time thinking about what's going to happen next, it's totally fine. Because for me, re-reading, editing as I go and spending a lot of time thinking about what's going to happen next is how I work best.

Regarding having a very busy life, driving to and from work is a good time to think about what's going to happen next in a story and try out different scenes in my head before they get committed to paper (well, type on a screen lol).

That's not to say that writers shouldn't experiment with different methods as you might find something that works better for you. And when something's not working right, finding out what works for other writers is a good idea. Just don't feel pressured to meet any artificial standards of what writers are supposed to do or use methods that you can tell aren't going to work for you.

I've been writing for a long time but have never really actively considered putting proverbial pen and ink to paper until about October* of last year. I believe that's about when I joined this forum to gain the wisdom and insight of others.

Very quickly I recalled the axiom of reading more to become a better writer. So, I changed my goals. Now my goal is to read something new every day, and to write as often as I can. In the past 8 months I've read about ten books, participated in the FFC year-end countdown and compiled at least a dozen WIPS that are either stalled, dead, brewing, or finished.

Is this pace too slow? For me, it feels glacially slow, but I have to remind myself to be patient and that I'm still learning. Learning to write, writing, and reading to become a better writer all takes time and it will happen when it happens as long as I keep my mind open to new things and ideas and my eye on the prize.

That's entirely one perspective and will likely not fit anyone else's timeline. How long to write a novel? Ask 12 writers and you'll get 12 different answers. At the end of the day, its not the destination that matters, it's the journey.

*ETA It was the end of October (just looked), so been a mere 7 months! LOL

I typically write 700-1500 words in a good day. Lowest is obviously zero, highest was around 12k in 24 hours.

The only time I really get stalled is when I decide something doesn't work. Right now, I'm on my second draft of a story, I like much of it very well, but the way I 'resolved' one of the secondary story arcs isn't sitting well. So, what to do? It's fortunate that this is one of the resolutions so of course it comes towards the end of the story. Unlike another issue I had with this story that came at the very start and therefore the change I made, after four or five scrapped attempts, affected everything that came after.

While I agree everyone has to get a style that works for them I think people are jumping on Old Hack unfairly. I think sometimes writers can kind of get into, excuse my french, but "circle jerk" when it comes to being positive and encouraging. Yes, it is important to have support as writing is such a solitary thing that until you've tried and completed a novel, just don't understand the monstrous endeavor of not only completing one but a GOOD one. Unless, you are born a prodigy, or just naturally gifted at writing, it takes time. Usually, lots of time. It is a steep learning curve and the only way to get better is to write, edit, and read a ton. What Old Hack is trying to say is that you need to write at a speed to get there. Why yes, it is great to write a novel in three, four, five, etc. years, if you could've written three, four, five, etc. novels in that time and edited them you could have learn a lot more too. And no, I don't feel that is a blanket statement because by writing a new story, you are having to construct new plot lines, new characters, different types of dialogue, and honestly have different problems and issues that will arise that you will have to mitigate.

I think one of the best thing people can do is not set a writing daily goal but an overall goal to finish a draft and then timelines to finish the edits and stick to it. But the goal should hurt a little, in the sense of it isn't easy, you have to sacrifice a little to meet it. Because only by that, will you know that you are pushing yourself. It is like working out, if you only do weights that don't tire you out you will never get stronger. It is only through pushing yourself, through pain and uncomfort that you get stronger.

playground said:

While I agree everyone has to get a style that works for them I think people are jumping on Old Hack unfairly.

Click to expand...

Thank you! But I don't feel jumped on at all. I wonder if you meant someone else?

I think sometimes writers can kind of get into, excuse my french, but "circle jerk" when it comes to being positive and encouraging. Yes, it is important to have support as writing is such a solitary thing that until you've tried and completed a novel, just don't understand the monstrous endeavor of not only completing one but a GOOD one. Unless, you are born a prodigy, or just naturally gifted at writing, it takes time. Usually, lots of time. It is a steep learning curve and the only way to get better is to write, edit, and read a ton.

Click to expand...

I agree with you so far...

What Old Hack is trying to say is that you need to write at a speed to get there. Why yes, it is great to write a novel in three, four, five, etc. years, if you could've written three, four, five, etc. novels in that time and edited them you could have learn a lot more too. And no, I don't feel that is a blanket statement because by writing a new story, you are having to construct new plot lines, new characters, different types of dialogue, and honestly have different problems and issues that will arise that you will have to mitigate.

Click to expand...

Yes, I'm sure you are referring to someone else now, and not to me. But if you were referring to my posts I'd be grateful if you wouldn't tell people what I am trying to say. It's patronising and mansplainy. And it's particularly ironic here seeing how you are explaining what someone else said, not what I said.

I agree that you'll probably know more about writing once you've written five novels than you did once you'd only written one. Of course that's true. No one is saying otherwise. But what you seem to be missing is the point that not everyone can write at speed. It would be nice if we all could. But it is simply not possible for us all.

I think one of the best thing people can do is not set a writing daily goal but an overall goal to finish a draft and then timelines to finish the edits and stick to it. But the goal should hurt a little, in the sense of it isn't easy, you have to sacrifice a little to meet it. Because only by that, will you know that you are pushing yourself. It is like working out, if you only do weights that don't tire you out you will never get stronger. It is only through pushing yourself, through pain and uncomfort that you get stronger.

Click to expand...

This is a relatively common opinion but the research I've read suggests that it's wrong.

The trouble with people pushing themselves in the way you suggest is that when we fail to meet those goals we begin to associate writing with failing. And we begin to feel bad about ourselves. And that means our writing--both in quality and quantity--suffers.

Whether a novel is completed in twenty days or twenty months or twenty years, I think it's the quality of what is written that matters -not the speed or method by which it was written.

I myself do my best to be a slacker in any part of life in which I can afford to be. Sacrificing this and hurting that I leave to enthusiasts into those things, which includes a younger me, but definitely not the current me. For current me, enjoying life every minute is very important, and this includes setting my own pace whenever possible.

With lifting weights, for example, I do not push for increased endurance or bigger muscles--staying mildly toned is all I ask for. Running is also great, but I'll do the power walk, thank you.

Likewise, going army sergeant on myself about writing, and pushing myself through stiff necks and bleary eyes in the name of appeasing the astral phallus of some grim writerly god, is something I no longer feel the need for.

Important caveat: I felt the need for that when I was starting out, and perhaps doing all that back then helped me develop as a writer. Park your ass and give me twenty! Pages! Maggot!

But after a certain point I prefer to switch to cruise, with everything, not just writing. Given the choice between manically focusing on one thing and slackingly poking at five things, these days I tend to chose the latter. I reach the level I'm comfortable with at doing X, and then just stay there, while perhaps branching out into Y. Which not only allows to have a more tension-free existence, but also, IMO, brings other benefits. When you are passably good at more than one thing, the different parts of the mind that develop doing those number of things, then combine into Captain Metaphysics an individual mental porridge which you and no one else or almost no one else has, not to this precise degree, so this allows for some mild innovation to happen naturally, without pressure, in your chosen fields, in spite of you not being a total master of them.

In writing, as in the other arts and crafts, I think it's very important to be able, after the initial months or years of getting the hang of the basics, to figure out what your natural aptitudes are, and what your natural style is. Often enough those will not overlap completely with your tastes as a consumer of the same art or craft, but this is where the road forks. Go down one branch--and you follow the path of least resistance and produce the best you can at the lowest cost to yourself. Go down the other branch--and you commit to inhuman* efforts of fighting every inch of the way, trying to maintain a passable imitation of something that does not come naturally to you. And here I think the issue of speed also comes into play. One's natural style will likely lead to faster written stuff**.

There are writers and musicians and painters and directors who have succeeded in both--either by following their natural styles, or by choosing to subjugate them to a different vision. Of course, sometimes one realizes that one's natural style shall not produce a hit (as some natural styles do), but rather promises to be a complete commercial failure, and if one sticks with it one will at best become a cult writer or musician, mildly appreciated by eight Brazilian weirdos and one eccentric Slovak, and if one is not content with that (although why not, with a day job?) and wants more, then one has no choice but to try and enhance one's natural style with some artificial additives that make life much more difficult, but may expand the fan base.

Thus the natural style and the unnatural style are more ideal categories than anything else, and the degree of actual overlap is what decides where one stands. Being the current slacker that I am, I definitely stand at the 'least resistance' end of the spectrum, which, among other things, allows me to write slightly faster than otherwise.

_____
*Or at least "inhumane".
**Which in my slackerly case is "very, very slow" as opposed to "impossibly, nerve-grindingly slow".

I think asking how long it "should" take to write a novel is like asking how long it "should" take to cook dinner. There are so many variables, such as:

- Whether we're talking about a first draft or a completed, submission-ready novel (I think this is especially relevant as I think a lot of beginning writers don't consider what comes after writing the first draft).

- The length and genre of the novel.

- Whether pre-writing activities such as outlining or research are included in the time.

- How your writing style affects your speed. For example, are you someone who has either a very solid idea of your plot before you start writing or someone who can find your direction very quickly when pantsing, or are you someone who needs to take your time to figure out how to make a plot work?

There's really no right or wrong answer there. It depends on the writer and the project. I think speed is only a problem when you're unhappy with your rate of progress. But also, I think it's a mistake to assume that faster is automatically better. If I rush through a draft, I often find that there's not enough there holding it together.

playground said:

I think one of the best thing people can do is not set a writing daily goal but an overall goal to finish a draft and then timelines to finish the edits and stick to it. .

Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with having goals, but it's often more effective to establish habits rather that goals. Or in addition to goals. Because it's the habit of writing that will enable the writer to reach his goal. If the writer becomes very focused on the goal, but has no realistic plan or habit of work that will make it attainable, then he is setting himself up for failure. But if he focuses on developing the habit of writing regularly (whatever "regularly" means to that particular writer), then the goal will take care of itself, particularly if it's based on that already developed habit and not on some idea of what the writer "should" be producing.

Bufty said:

Whether a novel is completed in twenty days or twenty months or twenty years, I think it's the quality of what is written that matters -not the speed or method by which it was written.

Click to expand...

This is something I've had to accept, since I'm in the slow category.

I used to think I was failing if I didn't get a draft finished in three months, like Stephen King says in On Writing. My latest projects have become more complex in terms of structure and therefore, cannot be done as quickly. Then there's real life always nipping at my heels. I've adopted the idea that "it takes as long as it takes." Right now I'm letting a 40,000 word draft cool before going back (took me just about three months, but I stopped short when I realized I was burning out). I know it needs work, but I'm too close to the manuscript to make a good choice right now. Will I find a way to add more words or will it be a novella that I might be able to serialize? Who knows? Too early. So, back to short stories! I usually try to pen 1000 words if I'm actively writing a first draft, and these days I don't give too much thought to mistakes since it's only a first draft anyway. I don't even have correcting film in my electric typewriter because I know I'd use it too much for trivial mistakes and not get on with the text. I've also stopped obsessing with the age of people who publish their first book. I'm only 28, so if I take care of myself, I still have at least 50 years to live!

One thing I've learned is that the old adage of "the key to writing is to write" is the truest and best advice I've ever gotten. Only through regular practice will you learn as much about yourself as these people commenting here.

Lakey said:

The key thing for me is to aim for working on it every day, but to be compassionate with myself if I don't. I have seen the advice to write every day, even if it's only fifteen minutes. I have seen the admonition that if you can't find fifteen minutes to write, "you don't really mean it" or "you aren't serious about being a writer." I can't fall into the trap of believing those admonitions. I won't get anywhere with such all-or-nothing approaches. All I can do is the best that I can do.

Click to expand...

This is SO true.

Self-compassion is very important when writing. Writing is such a solitary occupation; and we're all set up for failure, in that we're all bound to experience multiple rejections along the way. The research I've read on writers' block indicates that a lack of self-compassion is at the heart of blocking problems, too. We must treat ourselves kindly and with respect--both physically and emotionally--if we want to make a success out of being a writer.