How long did it take you to complete the first draft?

gem1122 · Jun 17, 2007

Just curious. I understand that not everyone works through the first draft at a regular pace. I also understand that drafts may be 150 pages or 900, etc. Finally, I understand that many of you have more than one novel draft completed. So, with all that mind...

My first novel's first draft (80k words) took me one year to complete, pretty much straight through, taking off only a few days here and there. That was eight years ago.

Working on my current WIP has been a very different process. About three years ago, I started the novel at a week-long workshop. The first draft is about 1/2 way complete (probably end up being 50k words). I have walked away from the book for long periods of time, for various reasons. Hopefully the first draft will be complete by the end of this year.

justpat · Jun 17, 2007

I think one year is about average. I know that's how long it took me, and I've read about several best-selling authors who say it still takes them about a year per book. That is, except for Stephen King, who is a human word-processor.

Siddow · Jun 17, 2007

First book: 45 days
Second: three months
Third: 15 days (it was YA)
Fourth: 10 days (another YA)
Fifth: three months and counting.

Death Wizard · Jun 17, 2007

For a book of around 125,000 words, three months for the first draft and three more months of revisions.

sadron · Jun 17, 2007

My first? Umm.. it has over 100 pages and it took some 2-4 years or more. Still working on it.

Shady Lane · Jun 17, 2007

First drafts generally take me two or three months.

RG570 · Jun 17, 2007

two months or so for a 100k draft.

reenkam · Jun 17, 2007

First book: 3 years 110k
4th: 1 month 50k
5th:1 month 50k
7th: 2 months 120k
8th: 13 days 65k
9th: about a month 62k

I don't know about my others because I took breaks and wrote other things in between.

I also just passed a 3 year mark on a first draft that's 780k and still going...

underthecity · Jun 17, 2007

It took me about five months, give or take a couple weeks, to write my 100k word first draft. I was also unemployed for two of the months, so my daily word count sometimes topped 2,000. After I got my job, I averaged up to 1,000 words a day.

allen

JamieFord · Jun 17, 2007

About two months.

scarletpeaches · Jun 17, 2007

I don't know how anyone could take a year to write a book, even working full time. That's less than 250 words a day on average.

The first draft to my very first novel took me 6 months and it was 150k words. And I wrote half of that in a fortnight. The rest was sheer laziness. And it was handwritten.

The first draft of the novel I'm rewriting now only took a month. And yes, that was while working - part-time voluntary work, but still, I was working.

Dancre · Jun 17, 2007

gem1122 said:
Just curious. I understand that not everyone works through the first draft at a regular pace. I also understand that drafts may be 150 pages or 900, etc. Finally, I understand that many of you have more than one novel draft completed. So, with all that mind...

My first novel's first draft (80k words) took me one year to complete, pretty much straight through, taking off only a few days here and there. That was eight years ago.

Working on my current WIP has been a very different process. About three years ago, I started the novel at a week-long workshop. The first draft is about 1/2 way complete (probably end up being 50k words). I have walked away from the book for long periods of time, for various reasons. Hopefully the first draft will be complete by the end of this year.

It took me a year to complete my 1st draft, but I didn't work on it every day. I work for an accouting firm, so feb-april was taxes only. After the tax season, I was able to get back into writing. I started my novel in June 06. I don't write in Nov and DEc b/c of the holidays and family stuff, so I guess it would have been 6 months minus taxes and family stuff. I think it's different from everyone since life does seem to get in the way. I think it's the finished product that matters, not how long it takes to write it.

kim

JoNightshade · Jun 17, 2007

Depends on what's going on in my life. Right now I'm working very part time and working pretty much just on writing. I think it's been about 6 weeks since I started the WIP, and I've got just over 45K, so double that and it's 3 months total.

Jamesaritchie · Jun 17, 2007

First draft

First novel, first draft took twenty-one days. Last novel, first draft took four months. Current novel, first draft, should take about ninety days.

justpat · Jun 17, 2007

scarletpeaches said:
I don't know how anyone could take a year to write a book, even working full time.

I'm sorry, I didn't realize that the question was about 1st drafts only. I was talking about completing the book, including edits and rewrites.

Sean D. Schaffer · Jun 17, 2007

gem1122 said:
Just curious. I understand that not everyone works through the first draft at a regular pace. I also understand that drafts may be 150 pages or 900, etc. Finally, I understand that many of you have more than one novel draft completed. So, with all that mind...

My first novel's first draft (80k words) took me one year to complete, pretty much straight through, taking off only a few days here and there. That was eight years ago.

Working on my current WIP has been a very different process. About three years ago, I started the novel at a week-long workshop. The first draft is about 1/2 way complete (probably end up being 50k words). I have walked away from the book for long periods of time, for various reasons. Hopefully the first draft will be complete by the end of this year.

Just for my first draft, I would say with this novel it took me a little more than a month. I'm on my second draft now, and it might take me a little longer, because I'm not working at so mad a pace.

BTW, the first draft of my present manuscript is 344 pages long, double-spaced.

scarletpeaches · Jun 17, 2007

Oh good god, a FULL edit? That would take me...let's see, I'm 31 now, so...yes, 31 years.

Nah, seriously. Altogether I'd say about four or five months start to finish. Then I start fiddling and think, "Stop. It's done. Leave it."

Andre_Laurent · Jun 17, 2007

First draft of 93K took four months. Spent another eight months doing rewrites and edits.

christinex · Jun 17, 2007

My first drafts usually take me about three to four months, depending on how much time I have to put into them (this is for novels in the 90K-100K range). The book I have out to an agent right now (101K) took me a month, but that was because I wrote it during NaNoWriMo last November and averaged 3K a day. By the end of the month I felt as if I'd been run over by a steamroller.

kristie911 · Jun 17, 2007

First novel: 3 months (handwritten)
Second novel: 1 month (typed)
Third novel: 2 months (typed and handwritten)
Current WIP: 1 year and counting but the plot is far more complicated and I haven't had time to write lately...not to mention I went through a long bout of depression and a divorce and didn't write at all for nearly 5 months!

jordijoy · Jun 17, 2007

scarletpeaches said:
I don't know how anyone could take a year to write a book, even working full time. That's less than 250 words a day on average.

The first draft to my very first novel took me 6 months and it was 150k words. And I wrote half of that in a fortnight. The rest was sheer laziness. And it was handwritten.

The first draft of the novel I'm rewriting now only took a month. And yes, that was while working - part-time voluntary work, but still, I was working.

That just proves inspiration comes in different degrees for each writer. It took me about a year to write a 163k ms long hand. Getting it typed was another matter altogether. I was working full time and caring a kindergartener and keeping tabs on two teenagers to boot. My second ms 80k took less time under like conditions. My third is really slow going. I’m trying my hand at SF.

JoNightshade · Jun 17, 2007

It occurs to me that all of these times are subjective anyway-- because a first draft for each of us is going to be totally different, regardless of length. Some peoples' first drafts are a complete mess and will need lots of edits, rewrites, etc. Other people are more careful the first time around and turn out something closer to done.

Prawn · Jun 17, 2007

It's all in my sig:

jordijoy · Jun 17, 2007

JoNightshade said:
It occurs to me that all of these times are subjective anyway-- because a first draft for each of us is going to be totally different, regardless of length. Some peoples' first drafts are a complete mess and will need lots of edits, rewrites, etc. Other people are more careful the first time around and turn out something closer to done.

You summed that up nicely

gem1122 · Jun 17, 2007

scarletpeaches said:
I don't know how anyone could take a year to write a book, even working full time. That's less than 250 words a day on average.

In response, I'd second JoNightshade's point that everyone goes about writing the first draft differently. I am careful (too careful, perhaps) when first putting words together. I outline and sketch and map and let things take shape. I'm patient. When I hit a roadblock, I step away for a while to mull things over, as opposed to just plowing through it. (I would be no fun at all on a cross-country road trip.)

Personally, I don't know how anyone could write an entire first draft in only a month. I don't/never have written every single day, even when I was single and had no children (in other words, when I had lots of free time). I suppose I've always been a binge writer. Also, I have several other interests that I can't imagine going without so that I could hyperfocus on writing. Sometimes I wish I didn't, but that's just me.

It's very interesting to see such differences here. Thanks, everyone, for sharing.

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