# How many books can you write in a year?



## Neil Ostroff (Mar 25, 2011)

I just finished my latest novel. It took exactly 374 days from start to finish. How long does it take you to write a full book?


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## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

For me a more accurate number is word count, since book (story) length can vary from 10k words to 120k words for me.

I can write, without killing myself or going nuts, about 1,750,000 words per year.  But that would be me focusing on writing and not my "other" job.

That's:

10,000 words
3.5 days a week
50 weeks a year

This year I wrote:  1,400,000 words (18 titles, 2 anthology contributions), learning a lot along the way, taking quite a bit of time off and working a part time job too.  That doesn't include the thousands of words in blog posts, blog comments or the myriad other writings I create in a day to market my business.  

Next year I'll probably hit somewhere in between my number this year and the number I'm capable of, and that's plenty good enough for me.


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## Soothesayer (Oct 19, 2012)

Depends. Are we talking 50k word novels? I'd say about ten, give or take. Maybe more, maybe less. That is doing it five days a week, about 3-4 hours per day.

Novellas? Double the amount, but of course I can't charge as much, and get gimped by the algorithms. Not sure which I enjoy more however it does seem the character options and plot paths are wider with a novel than a novella.

In 2014 I hope to write three mammoth epics, each 120,000 words. Wish me luck.


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## CaseyHollingshead (Dec 8, 2012)

I released my first novel not long ago. I shelved it for months due to stylistic issues and a crisis of confidence. It took about 25-days to write the bulk of it, but the heavy handed, archaic nature of the prose ate up a _lot _of editing time. I was happy it was finished, but so very ready to return to more, uh, mainstream writing, I guess. When I started my second novel I decided to focus on characters and plot over the writing itself. I began in late October and am 60,000 words in right now even though I've taken days off here and there. I think a novel every four months is something I could pull off. 2,000 words a day gets a lot of production out. Elle Casey (posted above) has churned out almost 4,000 words per day, by comparison. That's heavy duty productivity that probably equals writers like Brandon Sanderson -- a rare feat.


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## Cherise (May 13, 2012)

In 2012 I wrote and published two. One is 40,000 words, and the other 54,000.

I hope to double this in 2013, while still working part time as a substitute teacher and freelance editor.


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## LilianaHart (Jun 20, 2011)

I normally write 5 full length novels and 3 to 4 novellas in a year. That's a comfortable pace for me, and I can still take a couple of weeks off a couple of times a year to recharge.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Realistically, assuming we are talking full-length novels, which is what I write: two. That's the best I can do although more would be ideal.


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

I'll have written and published six (almost seven) books by the time the year wraps up.


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## Rick Gualtieri (Oct 31, 2011)

So far this year:
2 novels: 90K+ words
1 novel: 50K words
1 short: 15K words
2 novels in progress: about 90K between the two of them.

This is writing about 2 hours of day after work, usually 5/days a week with breaks in between books.


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## Raquel Lyon (Mar 3, 2012)

Neil. I don't know how long your 'latest novel' is, but hopefully I can make you feel a little less intimidated (as I am) by the mega wordsmiths above.

ONE...if I'm lucky!

First book, 15 months.
Second book, 13 months.
Third book, 11 months and counting. (Almost there though  )


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## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

Rlyon said:


> Neil. I don't know how long your 'latest novel' is, but hopefully I can make you feel a little less intimidated (as I am) by the mega wordsmiths above.
> 
> ONE...if I'm lucky!
> 
> ...


Oooh, I like "mega wordsmith". So much nicer than: cyborg, lunatic, freak, or ... well, let's just say "worse". lol 

Everyone has his or her own pace and system, so comparing one writer to another is a bit like apples and oranges. The key is to not set artificial limits on yourself. I suspect anyone who writes a book a year could write more than that with the right tools and training, but is that necessary? It just depends on what you want to do with your writing career and what you can manage in your busy life.


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## Claudia King (Oct 27, 2012)

In terms of word count I'd probably manage around 200,000-250,000 a year, so maybe two novels? Of course it'd take longer to get everything properly edited and tweaked to my satisfaction!
Now I just need to wait for the day when I'm ready to publish a full-length novel.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

1 short story
three novelettes
eight novellas

I hope to write one full-length novel and twelve novelettes/novellas in 2013. 

Maybe I'll throw in a graphic novel or two, but to do all that, I have to stick to my writing schedule pretty closely.


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## Kalen ODonnell (Nov 24, 2011)

I'm like a few of the others above in that I write across a variety of story lengths (some short stories, novellas, short novels, novels) so word count is a more accurate descriptor.  Comfortably, without burning myself out, I write 5K a day, with a couple 10K days thrown in here and there, so I average about 150K a month.


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## Caddy (Sep 13, 2011)

So far, I do one every 5 months.  That includes proofing and editing, which I do myself. (And, yes, I do know a lot of people on here frown on that.  However, I am quite good at both...and some books I have read that had "professional" editors have more mistakes. Do NOT edit and proof your own work if you are not GOOD at it and have solid knowledge of grammar, etc.)  I wish I could wirte more...and I could if I didn't do my own editing and proofing.  The books (all over 100,000 words, a couple quite a bit more) do not take long to write. It is the editing and proofing that take up 3/4 of my time. Months, actually of editing and proofing 5 days a week, at least 4 hours a day.  

And, please, before someone tells me I need to "set aside" money to hire an editor and proofer so that I can write more, pray tell what should I cut out then? Electricity?   We all do our best with what we have.  Nor do I need another part time job.  I have one. Doing that would ensure I had no time or energy to write. Eventually, I hope to find a proofer I can trust to actually be a good proofer AND be able to afford him/her.  Until then, one book every five months. (If people were finding my books poorly proofed I would be worried.)


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## NoCat (Aug 5, 2010)

I'm aiming to write 30-40 novels next year, with most being in the 40-60k word range (a few will be up in the 80-90k).


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## valeriec80 (Feb 24, 2011)

This year, thus far, I have written 650,000 words, which in my case is 6 (and a half--working on it now) novels, 7 short stories, and 90K of crap that didn't turn into anything.

It generally takes me about 4-6 weeks to write a book. I do about 20K a week. And I also usually need a week to plan out a new book, which I tend to do the week after I finish a draft. So that week generally gets no new words. The break is good, though.

This year, I got bad carpal tunnel, and I had to dictate a book. That took like... oh God... three months?? It was hell. I'm back to typing now. Sometimes I still get twinges, but a little stretching generally helps. Although 6K a day pretty steady is not a happy thing for my wrists, so it's better to stay at 4K.

Anyway, I think I might be able to do as many as eight novels in a year, but... I like six. Nora Roberts usually writes six. I'm happy with six. I could even be happy with four if I wasn't always trying to write _something_ that made money again. When I make more money, I might write less. We shall see. 

Caddy, do you use text to speech? I find that I can get all my typos and comma errors fixed just by having the book read to me. So, for me, the proofing is time consuming, but much less so than the content edit. But that's me. You could be different. Most of my proofing is finding missing words and fixing my screwed-up commas. On the other hand, I always change about twenty things by the time I get to the end, and I have to go back and rewrite the first scenes to leave hints that so-and-so is actually the Dark Lord's daughter or whatever.


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## Guest (Dec 17, 2012)

Doomed Muse said:


> I'm aiming to write *30-40* novels next year, with most being in the 40-60k word range (a few will be up in the 80-90k).


Wow... that sounds tough.


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## 48209 (Jul 4, 2011)

Over the last 3.5 years I just did the math LOL 

I seem to average 2.75 soup-to-nuts.


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## That one girl (Apr 12, 2011)

I've written over 700,000 words this year, which includes three novellas, three novels, six short stories, and one novelette. I will probably finish the year around 800,000 after I finish the novella I'm going to start writing on Wednesday. I'm not as fast as some here, but my goal was to publish at least twelve titles this year. So far I've published fourteen. Tomorrow that number will be fifteen and I'll finish the year with sixteen. I hope to publish at least twenty in 2013.


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## otterific (Jan 31, 2012)

I published my first novel on January 1, 2012. It took me three years to write. But after I finished it, within one year I wrote six more novels (between 70-90k words each) plus one novella. I'm hoping for six full length novels in 2013. If it wasn't for my full-time "other" job, I could probably write a lot more.


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## Cege Smith (Dec 11, 2011)

Since Jan. 1st, I've published:

5 novels (1 50K words, the other 4 are 60K-70K words)
1 novella (40K words)
1 short story (10K words)

In 2013, I plan to add in more shorts and novellas to keep me writing in between novels. I have a tendency to write like a banshee for a couple of months, and then do nothing for another couple of months until I get so disgusted with myself that I write like a banshee again. It's a vicious circle. I'd like to be a bit more balanced.


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## Mike McIntyre (Jan 19, 2011)

I pop one book out every 5.66 years; if I bear down on February 29, I can fast track it to 5.65. Didn't somebody (everybody?) say this was a marathon?


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## T. B. Crattie (Aug 6, 2012)

I can write one-half book in one year if I am working full-time at not writing. Which I am.


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## quiet chick writes (Oct 19, 2012)

I'd love to have 2 releases a year, but those will not both be full-length novels. In my limited experience, a 90K novel takes me about 2 years to complete from start to finish. I'd love to do a novel every other year, with novellas or novelettes every 6 months in between. That's my plan anyway.



cegesmith said:


> In 2013, I plan to add in more shorts and novellas to keep me writing in between novels. I have a tendency to write like a banshee for a couple of months, and then do nothing for another couple of months until I get so disgusted with myself that I write like a banshee again. It's a vicious circle. I'd like to be a bit more balanced.


^ Ha, I do this exact same thing! For me it's more like 3 weeks on, 3 weeks off... And holidays off... And any time my kid has a day off school... And the whole summer... It's not a wonder my novels take 2 years to complete!


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## Onedayatatime (Oct 14, 2012)

I'm averaging about 25,000 words a week right now but focused mainly on novella's and one full length book.

For 2013, I want to release at least 4 books and 10 novella's.


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## Hugh Howey (Feb 11, 2012)

Finishing my fifth novel of the year. I'm gobsmacked and impressed with how much some of you write in a year! Simply incredible.


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## Saul Tanpepper (Feb 16, 2012)

Words in the last year:
8-story collection: 88K
7-story collection: 85K
8-book series: 374K
1 NF title: 20K
Total: 568K

Becoming rich and famous: hopeless.


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## John Daulton (Feb 28, 2012)

Holy crap, these word counts you guys are putting up... Are you guys talking FINISHED books, like, going through them over and over, six, seven, ten times, editing, etc., and putting them out? Or just first drafts?


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## KMatthew (Mar 21, 2012)

In 2013, I'm shooting for releasing at least 96 more short stories. If I keep up with the pace I'm writing now, that should be easily enough achievable.


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## valeriec80 (Feb 24, 2011)

John Daulton said:


> Holy crap, these word counts you guys are putting up... Are you guys talking FINISHED books, like, going through them over and over, six, seven, ten times, editing, etc., and putting them out? Or just first drafts?


My process works like this. One read through, during which I make a jillion comments in MS word and fix glaring errors as I go.

Fix the comments--usually takes 1-2 weeks.

Send to betas.

Fix stuff betas talked about.

Have MS Reader read it to me, following along and fixing as I go.

The end.

I only read the whole thing through twice. More than that, I get sick of it and start changing things cause I'm bored, not necessarily because anything's wrong. Since I've started using text to speech, I haven't had one complaint about errors in my books.


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## Onedayatatime (Oct 14, 2012)

valeriec80 said:


> My process works like this. One read through, during which I make a jillion comments in MS word and fix glaring errors as I go.
> 
> Fix the comments--usually takes 1-2 weeks.
> 
> ...


This, this, this. I cannot read my whole books more than 2 or 3 times. I used to feel soo bad about it. I am glad that I am not alone. I just keep changing stuff that doesn't need to be changed.


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## Saul Tanpepper (Feb 16, 2012)

John Daulton said:


> Holy crap, these word counts you guys are putting up... Are you guys talking FINISHED books, like, going through them over and over, six, seven, ten times, editing, etc., and putting them out? Or just first drafts?


Finished books, read ad nauseum by me, then once by a couple betas, then once by my editor, then edited ad nauseum. It helps to have a tight publishing schedule and a healthy failure complex that gets triggered if the deadline passes.


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## CarlG (Sep 16, 2012)

I'm aiming for 50 novels in 2013


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## jvin248 (Jan 31, 2012)

.
Those 30-50 book targets are blazing!
. 
I guess I crawled at 450,000 this last year. Six books and three shorts (maybe the shorts out this week, pending editing turnaround).
Rough drafts I do on my walking desk .. about a thousand words a mile but only for the last six months.
.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

John Daulton said:


> Holy crap, these word counts you guys are putting up... Are you guys talking FINISHED books, like, going through them over and over, six, seven, ten times, editing, etc., and putting them out? Or just first drafts?


I only go over a book once. Any more than that and the nasty little voice in my head tells me it's no good, I'm no good, I never was any good, etc. etc. I did have one book that needed a serious rewrite ... twice. But that's a rarity.


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## ChrisRachael (May 21, 2012)

Wow. I am seriously impressed with everyone who can write over a million words of fiction a year. I only write about 3/4 that much for my day job as a journalist, and that doesn't require any world building. 

When it comes to self publishing, this year I'm hoping to get out a meager 200,000 - 250,000 in the form of 1 book per quarter.


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## John Daulton (Feb 28, 2012)

ChrisRachael said:


> Wow. I am seriously impressed with everyone who can write over a million words of fiction a year. I only write about 3/4 that much for my day job as a journalist, and that doesn't require any world building.
> 
> When it comes to self publishing, this year I'm hoping to get out a meager 200,000 - 250,000 in the form of 1 book per quarter.


Wow. I spent an entire year (11 months anyway) producing a 900 page sequel (roughly 250k words) and thought I was, like, this amazing example of discipline and rigor. Just... wow. Not sure if I just type too slow (80 wpm doesn't seem that bad), or if I'm just a slow thinker... or what (yes, I'm the first to admit I am a slow thinker, but, like, I didn't realize it was THAT bad). But, I mean, from my limited perspective, that is just absolutely colossal and staggering production. Serious kudos to you guys for being able to do that. Please, please, please share some tips on how you manage it. What am I missing?


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## Revolution (Sep 17, 2012)

I'm put to shame, I manage maybe one book a year. Though I do hope to increase production to maybe two or three, when I really start getting stuck in to my series(es). 

So far, in 2012, I managed to finish off last years project and complete the first draft of my stand alone, and I'm happy with that.


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## NoCat (Aug 5, 2010)

30-40 books won't be that much work as long as I'm consistent. I aim for 8 "sessions" a day on weekdays and whatever I feel like doing on weekends (and am aiming to take December off again next year like I'm doing this year).  My sessions are 45 minutes with a 10-20 min break between. So we're talking 8 hours of work counting breaks. You know, like a day job.  

My process is pretty simple. By the time a story is ready in my head for the page, I can write about 98% final product the first time. I then send it to a first reader or two and fix anything they point out. Then it goes to a copy editor and I do one last check to approve those edits and see if there is any last minute thing that needs fixing. Then I format and publish.  The whole process takes me maybe an extra 5-8 hours per book.  So for a 50k word novel, I spend about 40-50 hours of work, or about a regular work week's worth on it.  It's really not as insane as it sounds like.

For what it's worth, I couldn't do this when I started. I think writing is like a muscle in some ways and it helps to just keep building up consistency and quality over time.  I've put almost 2 millions words on the page between 2009 and now, so that's helped me immensely.


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## Guest (Dec 17, 2012)

Every book is different, but my current goal is two 90k-120k novels a year, which I view more as a floor than a ceiling.  This is from blank page to rough draft, though, and it takes me anywhere from 6-12 weeks.  Revisions can take anywhere from three weeks to three months.  I don't usually do more than 3 or 4 drafts per book.

For novelettes/novellas, I can usually go from blank page to rough draft in 2-3 weeks, provided I have a clear ending in mind.  Revisions usually take 1-2 weeks, and I've usually fixed everything by the third or fourth draft.

My publishing goal is to put at least one new title (novel/novelette/novella) out every quarter.


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## Aya Ling (Nov 21, 2012)

Wow. I am really in awe of the productivity of many of you. I have a full-time job (but it's not too demanding), and still I only manage to write 20k during Nanowrimo, so that's only like, 666 words a day. And I'm still working away at editing.

Besides the amazing writing speed many of you maintain, how do you keep each book varied and refrain from being repetitive? I have several ideas jumping around, and I'm already worried that the plot and protagonist of each will become too similar


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## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

John Daulton said:


> Holy crap, these word counts you guys are putting up... Are you guys talking FINISHED books, like, going through them over and over, six, seven, ten times, editing, etc., and putting them out? Or just first drafts?


My numbers did not include any of the words that got deleted in the editing process. But my first drafts are very nearly final draft quality, so the number wouldn't change too much. Maybe add another 100,000.


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## ChrisWard (Mar 10, 2012)

Until this year I'd never written more than one book in a year.  However, I gave myself a push this year and since June I've written 240k.  In general my books tend to run long and I consider anything under 100k to be a short novel.  Mine tend to hit the 150k mark without too much fuss.  I work full and part time but drafting I can get 2 to 3k a day, however once I start editing my monthly word counts drop through the floor.  I'm pretty envious of these people who don't have other jobs or only work part time.  Three days of the week I leave the house at 7.30am and get home at around 10pm.  My job is dead easy (I'm an English teacher in Japan) but the hours can stack up when you factor in private classes.  Recently I've been getting around 50k a month which considering my work hours is pretty decent.


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## JFHilborne (Jan 22, 2011)

I put out one book per year. It takes me about 8 months for the first draft, then copious rounds of editing, before the professional editing. Any less, and I'd be worried I released it too soon.


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## Danielle Kazemi (Apr 2, 2011)

Wow. That's all I can say to some of those numbers. Amazing.

I did for 2012... 
12 novellas from 23-31 k range.
No shorts. 
1 novel around 95k.


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## Guest (Dec 17, 2012)

No offense, but I have a feeling that many "authors" simply put out crap work because they're forcing themselves to pump out bland material they haven't really ruminated on.

If you really can pump out 50k words a week or something insane like that, I would assume that other areas of your life would be completely empty and void due to the mental energy required to produce that much.

How much time do you really put into the story, the art, and the general craftsmanship of your work when you rush through it so fast? For example, I've read my book out loud at least ten times from start to finish. I want each word to flow, allowing the tongue to craft a picture for the listener as much as the eyes paint the scene for the reader. How many of you even read your entire book out loud once?

Preparing myself for marketing the novel takes time, too. I'm releasing my first novel February 14th, 2013, 1.5 years after I sat down, hungover, and started writing it.

Then again, we're all different. If you compared musicians with authors, it would seem Lil Wayne can pump out an album every couple years, while Guns and Roses didn't exactly keep the hits coming after Use your Illusion.


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## Neil Ostroff (Mar 25, 2011)

My latest is 55,000 words. Only problem I have is I get burned out after threes hours a day.


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## NoCat (Aug 5, 2010)

sicklove said:


> No offense, but I have a feeling that many "authors" simply put out crap work because they're forcing themselves to pump out bland material they haven't really ruminated on.
> 
> If you really can pump out 50k words a week or something insane like that, I would assume that other areas of your life would be completely empty and void due to the mental energy required to produce that much.
> 
> ...


Heh. You are right, we are all different. Each of my novels spends anywhere from 3 months to many years percolating in my head. Sure, I've got about 96 ideas in development at the moment to the point where I could probably sit down and write pretty much any one of those novels (hence the pushing myself with my schedule next year, since this year I had to deal with too much life stuff and didn't get nearly as much writing as I'd hoped). Writing is my full time job. I write about 1,000-1,500 words per 45 minute session. 8 sessions a day (which is about 6 hours of work) gets me anywhere from 7k on slow days to 12k on good days. It's not really that arduous. I'm sitting in a chair making stuff up. It's actually pretty darn fun.

As for putting out "bland material" or "crap work", I let my readers decide. I just try to write the best novels I can. And frankly, I do think I'm doing a decent job or am on the right track. I have over a dozen sales to pro magazines and anthologies for my short fiction. It doesn't hurt to find reviews that say things like this about my novels, either:


> It is great when a writer can pull off one genre well. Bellet shows her writing chops in that she is not only able to write a great homage to a police detective story but to combine it seamlessly with the swashbuckling, magic and world building of a fantasy novel. With great aplomb, Bellet manages to give both genres their due.


 -Erik Wecks, Wired.com

My job is to write the best books I can. It's my full time job, so I try to spend full time hours at it. Nothing strained or rushed or weird about that, for me.


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## Guest (Dec 17, 2012)

Much of the time I spend "writing" is actually in my head, coming up with the concepts and message I want to deliver in the book, and figuring out the characters that become the relatable vehicles for that message. 90% is daydreaming, 10% is actually finger on keyboard.


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## vrabinec (May 19, 2011)

0.2


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## Caddy (Sep 13, 2011)

Sicklove, you asked how many read their books out loud. Isn't it surprising how much you find when you do that? Reading my novel out loud is imperative to my process. I will suggest something else (which you may already do) that someone else once mentioned on here. One of those 10 times through should be backwards. Start with the last sentence of your book, and read each sentence from the end forward. That keeps your head out of the story and sentence structure, grammar, etc all become stark and clear.

Let's keep in mind many here to do not write long novels. A novel over 120,000 takes longer than a 60,000 word book.  Also, if you have proofers and editors doing the majority of that work you can write more books. Style also plays a large part of it. Some are deeper than others, some have a formula that gets easy to follow, some use easier language. Good books come in all kinds of packages because there are all kinds of readers. What one reader excepts as good literature another considers trash. It could be a book that took 5 years or 5 weeks to write and publish, it will have fans and it will have critics.

Also, some simply can't write as fast as others or spend as much time.  I could spend more time but my brain shuts down.  Still, I can write 5,000 in a day. That is frist draft.  I keep going until the book is done and then polish it.  That is part of the 5 months. I am sure there are brains that put out more polished work the first time around and fingers that type even faster. There are brains that can sit at the keyboard and stay energized for 8 hours.  If I could do that I would have a minimum 10,000 words a day. My brian rebels, though, so I can't. Does that make me a better or worse writer? No. It simply makes me, well, me.

I am also at a point in my life after having had cancer that I realize life is short. I don't want to spend 8 hours a day at a keyboard. I want to also paint, enjoy my grandchild, make love to my husband and have fun with him, experience the joy of outings with friends, read, hike, spend time with my parrots, enjoy food. I want to be a successful author, but not at the expense of forfeiting all of the joy of being on the planet this time around. This time I am supposed to be learning more about relationship. To do that, I must be present and involved with more than my novel writing.  My evenings are spent with my husband.  He is so much fun!  Sometimes with friends.  They are fun too. Variety is very important to me.

Also, I write drama. Without experiencing life I can't write drama well.   I am sure there are some on here that cram as much into life as I do and still write more. Great! We are all different.


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## Guest (Dec 17, 2012)

Caddy said:


> Sicklove, you asked how many read their books out loud. Isn't it surprising how much you find when you do that? Reading my novel out loud is imperative to my process. I will suggest something else (which you may already do) that someone else once mentioned on here. One of those 10 times through should be backwards. Start with the last sentence of your book, and read each sentence from the end forward. That keeps your head out of the story and sentence structure, grammar, etc all become stark and clear.


That's a great idea!

Reading your work out loud has got to be the most sobering experience. The first time I read mine out loud, it had no flow. As I tweaked it, and tweaked it some more, it began to become silky smooth. There are parts of my novel now that I read in Morgan Freeman's voice, and it feels like the first bite of brunch on a sunny day.


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## Caddy (Sep 13, 2011)

Yes, reading it out loud is truly eye opening.  Here is a great example: I found out that first draft, for some reason, I use very few contractions! Man, when you read something and all dialog is without contractions it sounds crazy. The first books have less contractions added as in that time in history  people talked more formal, but I'm telling you...I couldn't believe that I'd done that.  I'm tring to break myself of that habit. I don't talk that way, why do I write that way?    I have to even go back and add contractions to some of my posts.


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## KVWitten (Apr 11, 2011)

Caddy said:


> Sicklove, you asked how many read their books out loud. Isn't it surprising how much you find when you do that?
> [...]


Caddy - I agree with your entire post but especially this. And also what sicklove said about the 'flow' of the work. Reading your book aloud can make such an incredible difference.

And the genre of your story can make a huge difference, along with how realistic you want it to be. The amount of research I've done for my historical novel is incredible, ranging from the foods the characters could have eaten in rural 1870 Prussia to the value of amber (which was much more valuable than it is now because of how it's mined) to actual streets/restaurants/buildings in Berlin. All this takes time.

If I were writing full-time (which I'm not), I'd be happy with two books/year. As it is, I think one book/year is my limit, considering everything else I have on my plate.


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## Guest (Dec 17, 2012)

Caddy said:


> Yes, reading it out loud is truly eye opening. Here is a great example: I found out that first draft, for some reason, I use very few contractions! Man, when you read something and all dialog is without contractions it sounds crazy. The first books have less contractions added as in that time in history people talked more formal, but I'm telling you...I couldn't believe that I'd done that. I'm tring to break myself of that habit. I don't talk that way, why do I write that way?  I have to even go back and add contractions to some of my posts.


Interesting. Do you find that you write fast and that leads to errors which you must correct?

I've had the idea that I should just lay down quick words and ideas, an outline without trying to smooth it out before the editing process. I always end up writing very slow, as I lay down the descriptions and read them out loud to gauge their individual eloquence. Sometimes taking an hour to get 500 words down as I spend time imagining the scene, the motives, the sound, the emotional temperature of the room, the feelings of the people involved. There's so much to account for when trying to convey the consciousness of your characters. Contractions are funny. "You are such a XXXXX" seems to be so much more serious and convicted than "You're such a XXXXX."

I tend to actually "hear" the voices of characters when they speak through my words. I'm working on a novella about lizard aliens and a lonely space DJ right now, and when the momma-lizard speaks in the book, I can somewhat hear her thick, wheezing voice. This affects the grammar for sure. I think it also affects the way I write, because I have to be in a quiet mind-state to listen to my background thought processes. Writing, for me, comes from a deep, deep place inside my mind. I can't just skim the surface and put it into words, I need to listen to the underground chatter in my brain to find it.

I think it's fascinating to hear how other people actually pull the words from them and get it onto the screen/paper.

Interestingly enough, I can write sex scenes with incredible ease. I'm guessing because I have a lot of memory to draw from, and sex is such a driving force in the life a single urban male. It's so boring to write about though, I'd rather be doing it, or discussing why sex is such an acceptable way to manipulate people.


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## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

sicklove said:


> Interesting. Do you find that you write fast and that leads to errors which you must correct?
> 
> I've had the idea that I should just lay down quick words and ideas, an outline without trying to smooth it out before the editing process. I always end up writing very slow, as I lay down the descriptions and read them out loud to gauge their individual eloquence. Sometimes taking an hour to get 500 words down as I spend time imagining the scene, the motives, the sound, the emotional temperature of the room, the feelings of the people involved. There's so much to account for when trying to convey the consciousness of your characters. Contractions are funny. "You are such a XXXXX" seems to be so much more serious and convicted than "You're such a XXXXX."
> 
> ...


Oh geez. And all this time I thought you were being serious. Hilarious!


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## vrabinec (May 19, 2011)

ellecasey said:


> I was too busy writing. I just wrote another 2,500 words. Good ones. Like brunch-with-Morgan-Freeman good.


I can't do that, so you must be cheating.


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## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

vrabinec said:


> I can't do that, so you must be cheating.


I am. I have oompa loompas doing all the work while I ply them with everlasting gobstoppers. Luckily, they function on one group-brain, so they can all be typing at the same time, and the story remains cohesive. I have three who just edit the entire time, sweeping up behind the ones who craft the story. It's a brilliant set-up. I recommend it highly.


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## vrabinec (May 19, 2011)

ellecasey said:


> oompa loompas


Tears running down my cheeks. Seriously.


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## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

vrabinec said:


> Tears running down my cheeks. Seriously.


*curtsy*


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## vrabinec (May 19, 2011)

I could come up with a line like that, but it would take me 6 months.


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## Guest (Dec 17, 2012)

Well, I'll give you this, it takes less time to make a Big Mac than a Filet Mignon.


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## vrabinec (May 19, 2011)

Can't wait to see your fillet mignon, sicklove. You almost done with it?


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## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

sicklove said:


> Well, I'll give you this, it takes less time to make a Big Mac than a Filet Mignon.


Nope. Even without butterflying that bad boy, the filet will be done long before you bake a bun, pick some lettuce and a tomato, and defrost that patty. And that's not even taking into consideration the secret sauce on that Big Mac. *shudder*


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## Guest (Dec 17, 2012)

vrabinec said:


> Can't wait to see your fillet mignon, sicklove. You almost done with it?


February 14th, 2013.


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## AmberC (Mar 28, 2012)

LOL.


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## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

vrabinec said:


> Can't wait to see your fillet mignon, sicklove. You almost done with it?


Fred. Fred. FRED. Do you realize ... that you just ... told sicklove ... THAT YOU CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HIS FILET MIGNON?

Dude, you need to read your posts out loud before you hit "Post". lol


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## Ian Fraser (Mar 8, 2011)

I write between 4 and 6 novels annually - but because the editing process is so exhaustive, I'm lucky if I get 2-3 ready and shipshape for public consumption each year.

So I have a sizable backlog of works. 
(My Editor works at a snail's pace, which I don't mind too much, as they're really good) I'm all about the quality of the product over the quantity. 
_Slowly, slowly catchee monkey_ as the old saying goes.


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## Caddy (Sep 13, 2011)

> And the genre of your story can make a huge difference, along with how realistic you want it to be. The amount of research I've done for my historical novel is incredible, ranging from the foods the characters could have eaten in rural 1870 Prussia to the value of amber (which was much more valuable than it is now because of how it's mined) to actual streets/restaurants/buildings in Berlin. All this takes time.


Oh, yes! Mine are historical fiction, too. I think I spend more time researching after I have written the first draft than on the writing itself. Historical fiction is not a quick type of fiction to write.



> Do you find that you write fast and that leads to errors which you must correct?


Yes, I write the story from start to finish without correcting, unless I wake up and say "No, that is NOT how it would happen for that character." Then I will change it quickly and carry on. I believe (for me) that it is more important to get the first draft down and finished. Until you have a story there is nothing to polish and edit. So, boom, the first draft gets written. Then the polishing and historical research to add authenticiy and color and the making sure sentences don't read like bullets. Another round for contractions. Another for typos. Backwards for structure and grammar. Out loud for flow. I suppose I do 10 "going overs" myself.

This is my way. For someone else it is different. For instance, I am also very seat of the pants. I don't use storyboards or plan out my story. Of course, wiritng a series gives me some idea where it is going. I will write down single words to remind myself that something or someone from previous novels needs to tie in, etc.

Oh yeah, the characters do have voices in my head. For my first two books, Gastien spoke with less contractions. He was schooled at home by a mother who was a school teacher. Although a peasant, he was talk the classic French at home although their area had their own French dialog. It stands to reason he would use a more "stilted" formal tone speaking French that was not used in day to day work on the farm when he was growing up. BUT because he is a cutting edge artist, he uses phrases and curse words that are not at all formal and not usually part of that culture. The bohemian artists were decadent and free spirited. I chose to use more base language to show them that way. Plus, he was 18 in the first book. Boys will be boys! I don't care what era they are in, males talking with males talk trash. 

I did, however, make sure that words were in use somewhere at the time. If beta readers were jarred I pulled it. For example, the word "gig". (Not a racy word, but an example of a "modern" word). That word WAS in existence. Since Paris was the center of the artworld and artists from all over the world had gathered there, it stands to reason "gig" came along. Artists would have known the word and perhaps used it for their painting commissions at homes. But every single beta reader questioned me, asking if I had checked to make sure the word was in existence then. Because it bothered every one of them I pulled it. It was obivousl it would jar readers.

Sometimes being right is not in our best interest.


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## Guest (Dec 17, 2012)

ellecasey said:


> Fred. Fred. FRED. Do you realize ... that you just ... told sicklove ... THAT YOU CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HIS FILET MIGNON?
> 
> Dude, you need to read your posts out loud before you hit "Post". lol


Adults are trying to have a conversation.


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## NoCat (Aug 5, 2010)

All right, all right. You caught me. I actually just inhale huge amounts of shark glitter.  It gets the writing done for me.  If you don't know what shark glitter is or how it works, I'd be happy to mail you a novel worth of supply and detailed instructions for the low cost of three payments of 99.99.


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## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

sicklove said:


> Adults are trying to have a conversation.


Adults are trying to have a conversation.


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## Guest (Dec 17, 2012)

Caddy said:


> This is my way. For someone else it is different. For instance, I am also very seat of the pants. I don't use storyboards or plan out my story. Of course, wiritng a series gives me some idea where it is going. I will write down single words to remind myself that something or someone from previous novels needs to tie in, etc.


Do you find that chapters find their own natural ends, or do you find yourself looking for places to cut the scene?

For me, it's like a candle, it burns until the wick is gone. Once I feel a chapter has reached it's conclusion, I never add anything at the end or beginning of the chapter, but rather go back and add more to the "meat" of it.


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## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

Doomed Muse said:


> All right, all right. You caught me. I actually just inhale huge amounts of shark glitter. It gets the writing done for me. If you don't know what shark glitter is or how it works, I'd be happy to mail you a novel worth of supply and detailed instructions for the low cost of three payments of 99.99.


Could you imagine ... my oompa loompas, and YOUR shark glitter? I could write, like, 100 books next year! (They're little, I could spread that one dose out over more than one book, right?)


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## Caddy (Sep 13, 2011)

> Do you find that chapters find their own natural ends, or do you find yourself looking for places to cut the scene?


I just get a feeling when it is the end of a chapter. But, again, since that first draft is quicker, I sometimes find later that I think "What were you smokin'?" and take out a page break or move it.


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## Harriet Schultz (Jan 3, 2012)

What a prolific bunch! I have no idea how anyone can write a full-length novel with a complicated plot in a month or two. My first, at 96,000 words, took more than a year, with about the same amount of time to edit, polish, rewrite, choose a cover, blurb, etc. Its sequel, nearing 70,000 words, is still a couple of months away from beginning the second part of that process. I envy those who can just churn them out, but weaving a tapestry takes time and a lot of thought -- for me at least -- so that all the threads are gathered into a semblance of order.


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## Guest (Dec 17, 2012)

Caddy said:


> I just get a feeling when it is the end of a chapter. But, again, since that first draft is quicker, I sometimes find later that I think "What were you smokin'?" and take out a page break or move it.


I know exactly what I'm smoking, hehe.










You just changed my Monday. I'm going to read my entire novel, out loud, backwards.


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## vrabinec (May 19, 2011)

ellecasey said:


> Fred. Fred. FRED. Do you realize ... that you just ... told sicklove ... THAT YOU CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HIS FILET MIGNON?
> 
> Dude, you need to read your posts out loud before you hit "Post". lol


Come come now, don't tell me you're not curious what kind of a yarn the mighty sicklove can spin. If he has a best seller in him, then he gets the right to claim victory. Now, if on the other hand, he puts out his fillet mignion, and he doesn't outsell your books, then...well, ouch. The proof is in the sales. On your mark, get set, go!


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## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

sicklove said:


> You just changed my Monday. I'm going to read my entire novel, out loud, backwards.


Don't forget to use your Morgan Freeman voice.



vrabinec said:


> Come come now, don't tell me you're not curious what kind of a yarn the mighty sicklove can spin. If he has a best seller in him, then he gets the right to claim victory. Now, if on the other hand, he puts out his fillet mignion, and he doesn't outsell your books, then...well, ouch. The proof is in the sales. On your mark, get set, go!


Ew. Nothing could gross me out more than the idea of sicklove's filet mignon.

And as much as a little writing challenge intrigues me, I'm quite sure we have MUCH different audiences. It will be apples and oranges. Or filets and Big Macs, maybe. Besides, it wouldn't be fair. By the time he has his book out there, I'll have nearly twenty. lol


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Folks,

try to have a discussion without sniping at each other.  It's the holidays.  I'm throwing a yellow card...

Betsy


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## NoCat (Aug 5, 2010)

ellecasey said:


> Could you imagine ... my oompa loompas, and YOUR shark glitter? I could write, like, 100 books next year! (They're little, I could spread that one dose out over more than one book, right?)


Hmm. I haven't tested it on oompa loompas, but we could be on to something amazing here...


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## vrabinec (May 19, 2011)

Interesting article on some best-sellers that were written in just a couple weeks.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/in-just-30-days-you-too-can-write-a-masterpiece-2121214.html


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## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

vrabinec said:


> Interesting article on some best-sellers that were written in just a couple weeks.
> 
> http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/in-just-30-days-you-too-can-write-a-masterpiece-2121214.html


The prosecution rests. Thank you, Fred. You are so very brilliant.


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## Caddy (Sep 13, 2011)

> Now, if on the other hand, he puts out his fillet mignion, and he doesn't outsell your books, then...well, ouch. The proof is in the sales. On your mark, get set, go!


Not really. As so many have said 50 Shades has bad writing, sales don't necessarily mean good writing. I don't know if 50 is written badly as I haven't read it. Having read The Story of O it suprirses me that people are so worked up about a book about bdsm. I thought we had gotten past the Oh My God of that.

But, many well written books never sell well. The OP asked how many we write in a year. That doesn't mean how many sell in a year. Nor does it mean how many are well written, come to think of it! 

Sicklove, you will find reading backwards is t-e-d-i-o-u-s but well worth it.

Betsy, thanks for stepping in. I will agree that sickloves first post was destined to make some people retaliate because none of us can decide what "speed" well written novels should be done at. However, a few on here are beating their own drums a wee bit too much and it makes them look arrogant.

Elle, I read a couple of your samples. You have books that read well. They sell decently. You are a good writer. Why make yourself look immature by continuing to honk your horn about how many more books you can put out than others? So what? Your point was made long ago and continuing the sniping is childish. The cliche "two wrongs don't make a right" is a cliche for a reason.

Could we all please be a bit nicer? In the scheme of things that have happened in the world recently, posts that hurt ones ego are pretty small indeed. Points have been made, let's get back to discussing writing.


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## Guest (Dec 17, 2012)

vrabinec said:


> Interesting article on some best-sellers that were written in just a couple weeks.
> 
> http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/in-just-30-days-you-too-can-write-a-masterpiece-2121214.html


Interesting to note the year(s) released.

In 2012, daily life is probably far, far, far more distracting and stimulating. I think it's reasonable to say that it was easier to tap into the deeper parts of your mind in times gone by. Less distractions.

Alternatively, more culture, information, and experiences to draw from.


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## vrabinec (May 19, 2011)

sicklove said:


> Interesting to note the year released.
> 
> In 2012, daily life is probably far, far, far more distracting and stimulating. I think it's reasonable to say that it was easier to tap into the deeper parts of your mind in times gone by. Less distractions.
> 
> Alternatively, more culture, information, and experiences to draw from.


In a way, I really envy people back in the days when their sole source of entertainment was persona interaction with other people. Right up until it's time for a football game, at which point I want my 80" high def.


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## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

Caddy said:


> Elle, I read a couple of your samples. You have books that read well. They sell decently. You are a good writer. Why make yourself look immature by continuing to honk your horn about how many more books you can put out than others? So what? Your point was made long ago and continuing the sniping is childish. The cliche "two wrongs don't make a right" is a cliche for a reason.
> 
> Could we all please be a bit nicer? In the scheme of things that have happened in the world recently, posts that hurt ones ego are pretty small indeed. Points have been made, let's get back to discussing writing.


Caddy, be careful. You might twist your ankle when you try to step down off that very high podium you're on.

I post my experiences for the purpose of sharing and maybe even motivating - to break down barriers and suggest that there isn't just one way to do things right, just like you are trying to do. Note that this thread was not about editing but about how many novels a person writes in a year, a thread I resurrected after being buried on page 3 with zero responses. I support fellow writers by answering their questions, especially newer members, but I also call baloney on baloney. If you don't like my contributions, you're welcome to block my posts. As you've made it clear you don't find them valuable, you won't be missing much.


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## NoCat (Aug 5, 2010)

Seriously, this thread is about how many books each of us is capable of writing in a year. So it kind of naturally follows that some of us who are more prolific and able to devote more hours to writing will finish a lot more than those who aren't/can't. Also, goals vary by writer.  Some people only want to write a book or two.  Others want to make a living. Still others want to be the next "insert big name author here". 

As long as you, personally, feel you are working toward whatever your goal is, who cares what anyone else is doing.  But if you aren't satisfied with what you are accomplishing, then I think having examples of what other people do and how they work can be really useful, because it shows us all what is possible.


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## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

Doomed Muse said:


> Seriously, this thread is about how many books each of us is capable of writing in a year. So it kind of naturally follows that some of us who are more prolific and able to devote more hours to writing will finish a lot more than those who aren't/can't. Also, goals vary by writer. Some people only want to write a book or two. Others want to make a living. Still others want to be the next "insert big name author here".
> 
> As long as you, personally, feel you are working toward whatever your goal is, who cares what anyone else is doing. But if you aren't satisfied with what you are accomplishing, then I think having examples of what other people do and how they work can be really useful, because it shows us all what is possible.


I agree with this 100%. I think the reason I write so much, one of the reasons, is that my first exposure to writing in this industry was an article about Amanda Hocking. She put a very detailed blog post up about her process and how she started and then eventually got to her publishing contract. As soon as I read it, I started working on my first novel, finally inspired to finish something I'd tried to start twenty times. Then I read about Samantha Young and talked to her by email. I also read a detailed post on her blog about her history as an author.

Both of them are very prolific, so it never crossed my mind that it wasn't possible to write this many books in a year, just like they did. If I had read that writing a good novel takes a minimum of a year, I'm not sure I would have even bothered. I'm an impatient person by nature. And if I had written the book fast, not within that required year, I would have doubted myself so much, I probably wouldn't have published just out of fear.

So I'm incredibly grateful to those authors who've shared their process, when their processes are so much different than the mainstream; and that's why I continue to do it, on the off chance that there might be someone out there who is looking for inspiration or "another way".

And as a result of so many people sharing, I think the mainstream is changing. I'm hearing from more and more writers who write as much or more than I do. And you can't argue with the face that voracious readers love it!


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## Caddy (Sep 13, 2011)

Elle, I am not on a podium. You can baloney a baloney and I call drum banging drum banging. I actually complimented you, too, but whatever. I'm sorry if you find my feelings upsetting.  Most of the time I find your posts interesting. Anyway, as I said, there are more serious things to get upset about, so I am not going to worry about it.  I wish you success in every book you put out there. 

I also agree with DoomedMuse's last post.  What difference does it make how many?

Oh, as far as Hocking goes, she is from the same state I am. An interesting article ran about her in our papers a few years ago.  She was not successful for a few years and was on the verge of losing her home (rental? owne?  can't remember) and then huge success hit. So, a writer can sit for some time without success and all of a sudden catch on fire.  

Here's to more fires by authors on this board.


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## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

Caddy said:


> Oh, as far as Hocking goes, she is from the same state I am. An interesting article ran about her in our papers a few years ago. She was not successful for a few years and was on the verge of losing her home (rental? owne? can't remember) and then huge success hit. So, a writer can sit for some time without success and all of a sudden catch on fire.
> 
> Here's to more fires by authors on this board.


Amanda was like so many, unable to find an agent interested in representing her work, so she blazed her own trail. Thank goodness for that! Without her doing that, I probably never would have tried.

I'll raise my glass to more fires. Hear, hear! Let's see some indie infernos!


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## 56139 (Jan 21, 2012)

I'm going for five full length novels (@90-100K), a novella (@30K), and as many shorts (@10K) as I can produce - hopefully one a week.  I plan on being very busy.

I did this for two years in my non-fiction stuff.  I just kept pumping out more and more and more and sales just kept going up and up and up.  I have a few that made the highest best-sellers list at that marketplace, but most are on the second or third tier of bestseller status.

You don't need best sellers if you have a lot of books.


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## StrokerChase (Mar 4, 2012)

I'm trying for 10k words a day, but I've found that I've only able to hit 7k usually. I think once I start writing different novels in different genres at the same time, my productivity will increase. I'm experimenting with working on more than one work at once. It helps to be able to jump around if you're not feeling that particular story at that moment.


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## Hugh Howey (Feb 11, 2012)

My best work comes in manic 12-hour sessions where I write 10,000 or 15,000 words in a day. The months-long grinding of 500 words a day produces hamburger by comparison (to continue a metaphor from earlier).

My three bestselling works are all from NaNoWriMo. I think we all work differently. And so when one person says they can produce a bestselling masterpiece in a month, that sounds impossible to someone who spends years on a novel. And when someone says they spend years on a novel, those who write swiftly wonder what's taking them so long.

Both methods can produce fine works.


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## John Daulton (Feb 28, 2012)

vrabinec said:


> Interesting article on some best-sellers that were written in just a couple weeks.
> 
> http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/in-just-30-days-you-too-can-write-a-masterpiece-2121214.html


That was interesting. I'm glad you posted that.


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## arvel (Jun 23, 2012)

It depends for me. I have books I've written in a month and some that took years. I have one epic fantasy that is going to take me years to work on, because there are so many nuances I want to put into it. The book I'm most proud of took a month to write. Followed by a break. Then another month to revise. My bestselling title took me a week to write. The title that was picked up by a publisher took me a month to write. So all different. 

I'm a pretty fast writer. I usually can write 5-10k a day. I work using an outline too, so that helps me to keep moving quickly through a draft. There's lots of quality books out there that are written quickly or takes years to write. 

As a reader I really don't care how long a story did or didn't take to write. All I care about is whether I enjoyed it. I figure that's what most my readers care about too.


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## TexasGirl (Dec 21, 2011)

I write about 130,000 words per year. Generally one adult and one middle grade book, plus a short story or two for anthologies or loss leaders.


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## Kalen ODonnell (Nov 24, 2011)

sicklove said:


> No offense, but I have a feeling that many "authors" simply put out crap work because they're forcing themselves to pump out bland material they haven't really ruminated on.
> 
> If you really can pump out 50k words a week or something insane like that, I would assume that other areas of your life would be completely empty and void due to the mental energy required to produce that much.
> 
> ...


As I said, I write on average 150K a month. That doesn't mean I put out a 150K book every month, or even a book every month at all. That's just word count, and doesn't say anything at all about my editing approach, time spent on that, marketing, preparing a book for launch, etc.

But I write full time, and I write 1K an hour. 150K a month is simply 5K a day, or 5 hours a day for me. That's not strenuous at all when its routine and less than a full work day in and of itself, and leaves me plenty of time and mental energy for other areas of my life, thanks.


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