How Long Will It Take To Write A Book?

A long time. There’s no sugar coating how long it will take to go from idea to published work. My current novel I’m working on has been ten years in the making - and it’s not even published yet!

But yours doesn’t have to take that long. 

I’ve also written a book in four weeks time, but that one has been shelved for now. 

Writing a book and the time it takes is subjective and personal to every writer, but there are a few stages that every writer must walk through before their book is done:

1. The planning/idea stage:

When that little spark hits your brain and you are fired up with energy to imagine this world you wish to create- the characters come alive and easily jump from your imagination and into your reality.

Some writers like to write all their ideas down at this stage, draw maps, create character profiles… Planning. You can follow the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet, the 3 Act Structure, 5 Act Structure, Dan Harmon’s Story Circle… There are so many to choose from.

Blake Snyder Beat Sheet = https://savethecat.com/beat-sheets

3 Act Structure = https://blog.reedsy.com/guide/story-structure/three-act-structure/

5 Act Structure = https://www.masterclass.com/articles/five-act-structure

Dan Harmon Story Circle = https://blog.reedsy.com/guide/story-structure/dan-harmon-story-circle/

There are so many ways to plan out your novel. When you’re just starting out, I highly recommend trying out every plot structure you hear about and seeing what works for you. 

For me, I’ve meshed all the different plot structures together and created my own. I call it: 

Obstacles, obstacles, obstacles.

1. Ordinary world - you start at the end of an ordinary day for your main character. Seconds before their life is about to change. To them, the day is no different to any other. 

2. They are faced with a challenge to disrupt their ordinary world and will be made very uncomfortable if they do not rise to the challenge. 

3. They make their choice - is their choice to keep their world the same as always or is their choice to rise up to a changing world. Whichever one they pick, they get hit with the most challenging challenge of their lives. 

4. They are just about to overcome this challenge when you hit them with another one - and this one is now the most challenging one of their lives. 

5. Just as they are about to over come it - BAM!!

6. Of course the middle is the best part. This is where they do overcome their challenge. Now, the author has two choices here - either they let the character win, but because they won everything else in their world goes wrong and they have to fix it… But…

7. BAM

8. BAM

9. BAM

10. OR the character thinks they got what they want and then their world gets turned upside because of it - think Gone Girl for this one. 

11. And then BAM

12. BAM 

13. BAM

The point is - no matter what the character does, they won’t have any success; from day-to-day tasks to big earth shattering goals. It just ain’t gonna be easy. 

2nd Stage) Writing The Damn Thing. 

No one likes this stage. This is where you have to actually sit down and write the book. Like, the whole thing. I know, I was shocked too at first, but there are lots of techniques to get every single world down to make the book a reality. 

• Set up a routine. Have a specific time in the day where you sit to write and little habits that you do to lead up to this time. If you have little habits before you start writing, this will send singles to your brain to get warmed up and start sending those ideas to your fingertips.

For me, I grab a coffee, grab my cheap-as-chips Chromebook, check my emails, post to my blog, reply to comments and enquires - once the business side of things is complete and I can procrastinate no longer, I write my novel. I have no word count, no time limit, none of that. I just write until I can’t write anymore. The most important thing is the habit for me, and I know with time the words will flow. Easier and easier.

• Have a timer. This is a great one for when you’re getting started. I used this and I loved it - it doesn’t work for me where I’m at now but as a writer just starting out, I can’t think of a better technique. You put a timer on for 5minutes (at most), and you write non-stop until the timer goes off. You can’t take your hands off the keyboard until you hear the buzzer. 30 seconds works, 1 minute works, pick whatever works for you. Once you’ve done your time - congrats! Have a little stretch and go again, or not. You’ve done your writing for the day. 

• Word Count Goals. This works for some but this is actually my least favourite way of working. This is where you have a goal of a certain amount of words you must write every day, no matter how long it takes. This could be 1,000 words, 500 words, or 10,000. The point is that you stick to the goal and then you can have a finished manuscript by a certain deadline. 

This method is brilliant if you run on tight deadlines and need to have the manuscript finished by a certain date. For me, where I’m at in my journey, I don’t like this method because some days the words just don’t flow and the sentences are clunky, all this bad writing means a longer time in the editing suite. Do it once, do it right - but I don’t have any deadlines crushing me at the moment.

• Ultimately, you just have to push through and get it done.

Stage 3) Editing

The dreaded editing stage in writing a novel. I will admit, I actually enjoy the editing phase in the writing process.

A lot of writers don’t like this part but this is where the fun begins - you get to tidy up the pages and make those ideas you had come to life, you did it, you wrote the book now you make it shine! 

A few techniques to help you get through the self editing stage:

• Have a read through of the entire book. Have a separate document open on your computer or have your notebook open and note down all the changes you wish to make. Once you’ve finished the read through, look at all your notes, see what still sits well with you - your opinion on what needs to be changed may have changed by this point. 

Make the changes you are happy with. 

And repeat. Until you have no more changes that you feel need to be made. 

• Change genres and rewrite. What I’m suggesting is something big, enormous even. Rewrite your entire novel but in a different genre. This technique made all the difference when my characters were falling flat and I had no idea how to fix them. I was able to see how the characters reacted and behaved in a completely different world - and how my writing style changed. Turned out, my writing skills propelled forward what seemed like light years and my characters were 3D and flying off the page. I ended up keeping neither genre, and rewrote the novel in a 3rd, new genre that was a mashup of the previous genres I tried to write in. 

• Go through, line by line and embellish, flourish, cut, change, add and do everything with meticulous detail. I like to leave this to the last stage of self-editing but as you grow more confident, your writing gets stronger and sometimes this is all you need. Jump straight to the line edit. 

• Edit as you go. This is controversial. A lot of people will argue against this because you can get stuck on chapter 1 and never move forward. I’ve been a victim of that and I’ve beta-read a book with a stunning first chapter but the rest of the book was a grind to get through. 

Editing as you go can work for some - it’s how I currently like to edit and it works for me. When I sit down to write, I read back the last chapter that is in front of me, make minor edits, change words so the sentences flow better, and cut things that no longer make sense, all while reminding myself of where I left off the day before. Then I carry on to the next chapter.

In saying that, I will always edit a crap ton once the manuscript is complete.

Stage 4) Beta Readers

Beta Readers are some of the most valuable people in the book creation process. It’s a tough process to go through and it’ll hurt your ego - badly - but these angels will help your manuscript flow in a way you could never imagine.

Beta readers are people who like to read and will read your manuscript - usually free of charge - and point out the parts they love, hate, the areas that flow, the areas that don’t, what makes sense and what doesn't.

In general, it’s best if these people are not writers, just avid readers but there’s nothing wrong with writers reading for you too. 

• To find beta readers, there are tons of Facebook groups that connect writers with beta readers - usually everyone in these groups are writers so a manuscript swap can occur (how fun!)

You can find beta readers another way, I did a beta reading gig on Upwork, that’s another way to find them but you’ll need to be prepared to pay. 

Beta readers generally don’t get paid but it is nice to thank them in some way - I’ve chosen to add them to my acknowledgements page and send them a free e-book once my novel is published. 

• Throughout the beta reading process, show kindness. These angels are reading a very rough draft of your manuscript. 

Some writers suggest having a list of questions for your betas to answer as they read through the manuscript - a way to centre their attention on the areas of the manuscript you want to work on. I’ve tried this and I’ve tried just sending the manuscript out. 

I prefer sending the manuscript out and asking for general feedback, this way I get to see which areas pull the reader in and what snags their attention and bothers them. Organically. 

• Once you have their feedback, make sure you note down any details you need from them - if you’re like me and will thank them in your acknowledgement, make sure you get their name. Now, send them a big thank you - if you’ve ever beta-read before, you know how exhausting it is. 

• Now, read through the feedback. In private. In a space where you can swear, cry, do what you need to in private as you read back the opinions of these lovely angels. You won’t agree with everything they’ve said, and that’s okay. Compile the feedback, note down if something is mentioned multiple times, note down what you disagree with and what you agree with - most importantly, make note of all the compliments you receive. You’ll need them. 

Once you’ve gone through all the feedback, give yourself some breathing space. Have a nap, eat some chocolate, head to the gym - whatever makes you happy, focus on your happiness at this point in time. 

Done? Happy now? Excellent.

• Focus on the feedback that has been mentioned multiple times and start editing these suggestions into your book. This is a tricky point, if you disagree with what was suggested but everyone is saying the same thing, you’re going to have to have a hard look at your manuscript and ask yourself some tough questions. If the beta readers are 50/50 about something and you disagree - leave it, it’s your book. 

Next, you can move on to the feedback you do agree with. 

When it comes to the feedback you disagree with. Write it all down on post-it notes and rip them up. It’s cathartic. 

• What to do with a bad Beta Reader. If there is a beta-reader you’re not vibing with, politely tell them you appreciate their work but you no longer need them. If your beta reader demands money and refuses to keep reading until you pay them, they may even tell you some sob story, it’s a scam. If you’ve discussed the T&Cs and agreed upon these before you started working together - your beta reader has no right asking you for money.

Stage 5) Manuscript Assessment

This is a kind of editor. They’ll read through your manuscript and give you feedback on where you can improve. Most manuscript assessors have industry experience and know what they’re doing in the business of novel writing. Listen to them, they are gold.

Stage 6) Decide between self publishing or traditional publishing. 

This is the stage where I’m at - so I’ll keep you posted with what I learn.