Many authors are able to write their books fairly quickly; especially since they're on a deadline. There are some—such as bestselling author Karen Kingsbury—who can write an entire novel within a two week period. This is very beneficial for those who would like to keep coming out with new books for their readers. I've also heard that writing fast can help a writer to stay in the "flow" of the story. It can also help those who may become distracted easily, or those who seem to never complete their books once they start.
Personally, I have never tried to write a book fast. I've found many benefits to writing slow as well—such as having time to brainstorm, coming up with new plot elements, and not becoming burned-out from writing so much. Usually, when I do go through a period of time when I am able to get a lot of writing done, I feel drained afterwards. I am often left with no inspiration to work on the story for a while. And while it is important that writers learn how to write even when the inspiration is not there, I have found that I can think a lot more clearly when I take my time on a story. However, I hope to—some day—become one of those authors who is able to write multiple books in one year.
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What about you? Do you write fast or slow? Do you think one is more beneficial than the other?
Much as I want to write FAST, I write at the pace of a turtle. (Am reading at the pace of a turtle these days also!) If I LOVED a book or movie, I can write a rough draft up quickly but with stories, forget it. Part of it is I am just not yet getting serious about that writing project.
ReplyDeleteIt takes me approx. half a year to write, and another half or so to rewrite/edit. However, I just finished the first draft of the book that I started last summer (I've gone for weeks without touching it due to PM edits), and now I have two and a half months to rewrite/edit. I have no idea how that's going to work!
DeleteI can only type 350 words an hour, so it won't be fast no matter what I do. But I usually spend several months on the outline, perfecting and fine-tuning it. Once I begin the first draft, I can usually finish in six to eight weeks. (At my slow typing pace.)
ReplyDeleteSix to eight weeks is pretty impressive also! It usually takes me about 6-8 months to finish a manuscript. I get distracted pretty easily. ;)
DeleteWell, I write rather quickly, but for me it depends. If I'm writing quickly, I can write 2,000 words an hour, but generally I've been writing slower. I find that for my first drfts, either works well, because at that point I'm really just trying to get whatever scattered thoughts I may have into a document; I don't plan much, so it doesn't make much of a difference.
ReplyDeleteI plan a lot and write a terrible first draft. But even though I don't write a good first draft, it still takes me a while for some reason, lol. =)
DeleteWell, I've always thought that writing slowly was better, but I haven't had much progress with it. So, I may give a fast draft a shot. Can't hurt, right? :/
ReplyDeleteI would actually recommend trying to write a fast, terrible first draft instead of a slow, outstanding first draft. The rewriting and editing stages is usually what turns a draft into a story.
DeleteAlso, I know you read the Scribble Chicks blog, but I'd recommend GoTeenWriters.blogspot.com as well if you have yet to check them out. They have great tips for writing a first draft and all that.
WHOA! I write fast/ish, but I don't think I could whip out a (decent) book in 2 weeks. That's incredible. I think the fastest rough draft I wrote was 2.5 months. And it wasn't that long of a book either--under 200 pages. :)
ReplyDeleteI know! I have no idea how she is able to pull that off. Just the thought of starring at the screen for that amount of time makes my head hurt! And her books are usually pretty long too.
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