Writ-with-Hand

Is three years a long time to spend on a novel?



YouTube - Stewie Talks About Brian's Book

YouTube - Stewie Talks About Brian's Book Pt 2

Sam Winchester

Some people have spent twice and three times that amount of time on a novel. Even when you finish a novel, there's still loads of work to be done, like editing and changing scenes.

My first took me two years to finish, and I'm not, nor never will be, happy with it. In fact, I'm going to do an entire re-write.

So, yeah, three years isn't unheard of.

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Perception of reality is not the same thing as reality itself.

tepelus

I've been working on mine on and off for ten years...still I'm not completely happy with it but it's getting there.

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tucanbundy

The first full novel I wrote took four years to write.The one I'm working on now I've been working on since 2006, but planning/etc. since 2005.

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Writ-with-Hand

So, you've got Brian beat a little bit huh, Tep?

A-L

I've been working on mine for a bout a year now, but I've been planning and writing parts of it for about 2-3.

CroZ

Ugh...
I always avoid watching that episode just for that part.

Actually, I have trouble watching Barton Fink cause the main character's a struggling writer.

tepelus

Yup, just a wee bit!

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L.C.Mills

Working on my first one. At the current rate of progression, I'll have the first draft done in 6-8 months. After that, do some self editing and revisions (I'm aiming to need very little of either. Why not write a first draft that doesn't need revised much?), and then I'll start looking for representation.

I'd say a year to a year and a half to have it ready to shop around. Hopefully less, I'm kind of on a self made deadline and that'd be cutting it close.

-E.

moderan

My second novel took 25 years to finish. My third took two weeks. Go figure.

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Destroyer

I started writing Karmenren when I was sixteen. I'm twenty-one now and I'm only just happy with it. The others will probably take less time because I have the flow for it now.

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"It's always fun until someone gets hurt, and then it's just hilarious"
Ricochet - Faith No More

"Walk softly, and carry a big gun."
Force Commnander - Dawn of War

Loulou

I'm at 70,000 words on my first novel, which has thus far taken three months. I figure the first draft will be done in a month or so, but then, of course, the real work starts. Luckily for me I enjoy editing and playing around with my words. But I hate reading off a computer screen, so I think I'll print the whole thing and get out a red pen...

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You attempt to pull four story lines together in two-thousand words and nearly pull it off - Eggo
We rarely buy unsolicited manuscripts, but my editor and I thought that this was a superior piece of fiction - Sunday Express magazine

Tiamat10

I've written two novels. Each took less than six months for the first draft, but I've yet to consider either of them finished.

And I'm with Loulou, I love editing but I hate doing it on a computer.

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StephenP2003

I just dont have the patience to extend a project that long. I'm a "get it done in two weeks or it's not worth doing" kind of guy. Hence, I've never written a novel. It took me 4 months to write my nonfiction relationship book, and that was hard enough.

HarryG

A year to write, edit and get into shape for the alligators is probably about average, and for another year to elapse before it gets into the book shops is probably about average too.


And I'm sure we've all got unfinished projects that have been kicking around for much longer.