Writing speed (OMG!!)

[Coragem]

Well, I've been reading a fair bit of David Weber lately, and I've enjoyed reading some interviews with him on his website. Much of what he says chimes with my own preferences:

* He believes a priority, or the priority in writing is to create characters that readers will care about.
* He likes writing characters with a sense of responsibility, and duty, and courage, whether their on the "good" side or not (so, no depressing nihilistic types).
* He takes world building very seriously, keeping detailed notes and "tech bibles" for his works.
* He encourages aspiring writing to (always) find their own voice.

Now, when he's asked about his own production rate my jaw just hits the floor. In numerous interviews he says he'll write and publish maybe 750,000 words per year. Or he'll write a 150,000 word novel every 2.5-to-3months, so one per quarter and four per year!!!

He likes to identify himself as a "production writer", or a "storyteller" rather than an "artist", but this kind of turnover still seems amazing.

And note that he does write well -- not with the close polished precision of an Alastair Reynolds (for example), but his dialogues and character reflections really key you into how his characters are feeling. And there's nice flowing narratives with occasionally good imagery.

Anyway, how long would it normally take you guys to write a novel? Recently, in view of writing my second, I went part-time at work, but I'm still thinking in terms of a three year (in contrast to three month) timeframe before I have anything really up to scratch.

Coragem

 

[Mouse]

I've not completed a novel for over ten years. I did manage to do the NaNoWriMo though. Write 50000 words in one month.

I'm working on a novel at the moment and um... it's slow going.

 

[MstrTal]

I have never finished writing a novel. Granted until recently I have never really sat down and truly devoted myself to doing so. Before now I would get up to about the 6th or iof I where lucky the 12th or 13th chapter and something would happen. I would either absolutely hate what I had written, I would have a completely different idea and shelf what I was working on or the dialog I had written was just trite and absolute crud.

 

[chopper]

Still hoping to have the first draft of the Curse done by June. That would make roughly 4 years in total, though at the same time I've put down 100k of space flannel as well (and 40k or so of short stories). Writing speed? top whack of 500 words a day, with more in holidays or days off work.

Let's be fair though, much as I like reading it, a heck of a lot of Weber's word counts could be healthily trimmed without losing any sense of narrative, character or plot.

 

[BolianAdmiral]

I don't time myself, or give any mind at all to word counts. I find it very amusing that people worry about these things. I just write the story that comes to me, and where it goes and how long it takes to get there is that. When you impose a deadline or numerical restriction to something, it becomes work, and more of a chore, and I don't write because I have to... I write because I want to.

It took me two years to write my Battlestar Urantia story, but that was mostly because I was working bad hours at my day job, and had little free time. By the time I finished it, it was 472 pages, with print on both sides of the page, so I had written quite a volume. But I never even knew it or even thought about it, because I was simply enjoying myself writing it so much. It wasn't until I held the story in my hands that I realized what I had done, lol.

The two original-universe stories I'm working on now I have no idea how long they'll be, or how long it'll take me to write them. But I do obsess over worldbuilding and all that, because a detailed universe is a believable one.

 

[Interference]

My biggest word count appears to be here, these days

 

[Ursa major]

At least it's in the public domain, Inter.


(Number 327 in the Making the Best of Any Situation List.)

 

[Coragem]

I have never finished writing a novel. Granted until recently I have never really sat down and truly devoted myself to doing so. Before now I would get up to about the 6th or iof I where lucky the 12th or 13th chapter and something would happen. I would either absolutely hate what I had written, I would have a completely different idea and shelf what I was working on or the dialog I had written was just trite and absolute crud.

I don't time myself, or give any mind at all to word counts. I find it very amusing that people worry about these things. I just write the story that comes to me, and where it goes and how long it takes to get there is that. .

MstrTal, perhaps more planning is in order? I think many of us are apt to get "lost" mid-way unless "everything" (plot, character progressions, revelations, world) is fairly well pinned down before we start writing. Of course, things change as you progress, but precision planning can really keep things neat and on track, so you're actually where you're "meant" to be by chapters 6, or 12, or whatever.

BA, I don't time myself either. I'm about quality and (at least for non-geniuses such as myself) that takes as long as it takes. It's just that as a semi-professional I have to be a little green with envy when I see people who can churn out enjoyable and saleable reading in short order.

It IS true that Weber's work contains superfluous material, and indeed material that may not require much thought on his part -- i.e., descriptive space battles that many-a-reader will skim over, and other episodes that are just pleasant or diverting without moving the plot on. Still, all credit, 150,000 words of often highly entertaining, or even thought provoking and moving science fiction in under 3 months!!!

Coragem.

 

[BolianAdmiral]

^

Aye, but like you said, first priority is quality... readers will tell is something feels rushed.

 

[chopper]

and for someone who prioritises characters, it's a poor showing when Weber finally unveils his conspiracy of Terran leaders in the latest Harrington book - they're all named after Hollywood film directors*, and it's not done discreetly either. That really put me off. The French Revolution names of the first few books were far more understandable given the literary analogy of the storyline, but this just seems plain lazy.




*Hitchcock, Kubrick, Tarantino, Polanski, Stone, Lucas, Ford.....

 

[Nik]

I've swung from writing *nothing* for a year or five, to turning out a modest 'PfP' chapter in about a fortnight to a crazy-mad, semi-automatic, compose-at-keyboard rush that had me complete a 'Project Lorraine' chapter every three or four days...

I'm currently writing 'PfP' day 36 and it is hard because nothing much happens...

IMHO, to sit down and write a steady '1000 a day' needs a more predictable life than mine...

 

[Ian Whates]

I don't time myself, or give any mind at all to word counts. I find it very amusing that people worry about these things. I just write the story that comes to me, and where it goes and how long it takes to get there is that. When you impose a deadline or numerical restriction to something, it becomes work, and more of a chore, and I don't write because I have to... I write because I want to.

Great sentiment, and it would be wonderful to have the luxury of such an attitude. Unfortunately, when you become a novelist and are commissioned to write novels, you have to deliver your work by a deadline. This isn't a date plucked from the air but one designed to meet publishers' schedules and ensure your book's available to buy on the date advertised for release. In order to deliver on time, some structure has to be imposed to the writing schedule.

I do set myself a very minimal daily wordcount. Not something I beat myself up over if I miss it, just a figure I know I have to get close to in order to hit deadline. For me writing is a job; it's one that I love to bits and feel very privileged to spend so much time doing, but it's still very much a job.

I'm a slow writer compared to many authors I know. I'm currently in the middle of writing my fifth novel (all of around 100,000 words). The first two took me eight months to write, the next two seven. This one I've been given less time for -- six months (for reasons too complicated to detail here) and I'm currently a little behind schedule but confident I can catch up.

Re: the OP's original post. I heard Brian Stableford talk a few years ago, during which he said, "It's easy to write a million words a year. The difficult part is getting paid to write a million words a year."

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

My biggest word count appears to be here, these days

Mine, too. In fact, I suspect we belong to a large and not very select club.

I once completed a novel in about three months -- after thinking about it obsessively for at least a year, and with main characters I had written about before and was very well acquainted with.

For a while, I used to finish a novel about every year and a half. Now ... well, it's five years and counting.

 

[iansales]

I took seven years to write a 200k word novel, although there was a lot of world-building required. And I did move 3,500 miles about halfway through, and start a new job, etc. The 175k word sequel took 4 years. I haven't written a novel, start to finish, since - because I haven't sold a treatment yet. But on a good day I could manage about 1000 words a day. Recently I've been focusing a lot on short fiction, and my stories have required lots of very deep research... which tends to cut down on the daily word-count.

 

[Interference]

Mine, too. In fact, I suspect we belong to a large and not very select club.

It's a nice club, though, and the members are good company.

 

[cornelius]

I write about 50K words a year, and since I've started to write in English about 6 years ago, that brings me to a total of about 300K, which includes a 200K complete storyline, a 75K follow up and a 25K of "plans and future storyline"... The second main reason why I don't head out to a publisher is because I want my second book to be finished.

the first? I don't think my work is "good enough" to make the cut.

 

[MstrTal]

MstrTal, perhaps more planning is in order? I think many of us are apt to get "lost" mid-way unless "everything" (plot, character progressions, revelations, world) is fairly well pinned down before we start writing. Of course, things change as you progress, but precision planning can really keep things neat and on track, so you're actually where you're "meant" to be by chapters 6, or 12, or whatever.

Oh This I know! I should of prefaced my initial contribution in this thread by mentioning that this was when I was much younger and quite less sure of myself. Before I would just get the kernels of an idea and start writing where as now I have a world-building file that is nearly a novel unto itself. One of my friends joked that I should forget writing a novel and focus instead upon selling my world building material either as is or cleaning it up and attempting to formulate it as a table top RPG.

 

[Susan Boulton]

If try to write, about 3,000 to 4,000 a week when I am working on a first draft. Sometimes less sometimes more. I reckon I have written about 40,000 words since Christmas on a re-write on a novel. I binned a third, edited a third and re-wrote the other.... That has meant a lot of late nights, weekends glued to my seat and holidays (I had a number of days to use up before the end of March.)

I have now to get a first draft done for August, some 90,000 words, but first drafts are easy, as I allow myself to waffle. The hard part is in the first, second.....100th edit... lol....

 

[Coragem]

IMHO, to sit down and write a steady '1000 a day' needs a more predictable life than mine...

Lifestyle does have a lot to do with it. David Weber talks of doing 16 hour days, and looking at him (no offence) maybe he isn't the most physically active type. Personally I wouldn't or couldn't sit down writing for more than 8ish hours per day, because I like moving around and burning off a few calories. I'm in the gym 3x/wk, and I also run, and that really eats into my time (as does the fact that I cook for my family, and have a day job, and walk everywhere rather than drive, etc.).

Coragem.

 

[Jake Reynolds]

Well, time to crunch some numbers. I've spent twelve years on my WiP, but to be honest I was absolutely terrible when I started. So, through a number of rewrites and restarts from scratch, I've taught myself the craft and ended up with the following:

1st Trilogy
1: 179,662
2: 190,493
3: 183,991

2nd Trilogy
1: 208,317
2: 183,890
3: 199,214

3rd Trilogy
1: approx 70,000

And all in my few moments of spare time over more than a decade- if I hadn't had the three or four complete 'new word document' restarts it may have taken less time, but when you're learning as well...

Still, how does the above effect anything? I'm still not published (perhaps because I'm an obsessive editor), but I'm okay with that for the minute. Reason being is that originally the first two trilogies above were a single trilogy that I was forced by word count to split into two completely separate stories taking place in different parts of the world at the same time (with the same over-arching antagonist). The third trilogy above is when the four characters meet (two from each trilogy) and go after the big bad.

Though I might wish I'd spent less time on it, the story is the most important thing to me, and doing justice to the characters. I might be able to have more impressive figures if I was content to whip soemthing out and let it go off into the world, but I want to take my time and tell their story the best way I can.