How long does it take to write a novel?

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If you’ve never done it, you might be wondering how long does it take to write a novel from start to finish. There are no straight answers, but hopefully this blog post will show you what actually matters when it comes to writing your novel and how you can make that time count.

Related reading: How to write efficiently – 5 simple tips

Why does it matter how long it takes to write a book?

Before we get into the post, I need to ask: What does it matter how long it takes to write a novel? Are you hoping that you can do it quickly, and if you can’t, you just won’t do it? Or are you wondering what the normal time frame is so you can have a general idea of how long it might take you?

We all have different lives and different priorities, so someone else’s timeline might not work for you. You might have more time in a day than them, or less. You might need more help or you might take longer to revise. There are so many variables, but what actually matters is finishing writing a book that you can be proud of.

What counts as “writing a book” anyway?

I’m a little sceptical when it comes to those “this is how long it took to write these famous works!” lists when they’re not exactly clear on what they mean by “writing a book”.

You can totally write a first draft in a few weeks, but it feels a little dishonest to say that you “wrote a book” in that time. How long did the outlining take? And for how long did the editing process take after that? I find it a little hard to believe that A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess turned from an idea into a completely finished novel in just three weeks, for example. Did his editor or publisher have nothing to change or fix in the manuscript??

You can check out this article on how long it took to write some of the most well-known books, but take it with a grain of salt.

Most often, you should reserve a lot more time for revising and editing your novel than for writing the first draft. Getting the words on the page can be a lot easier than making sure they’re the right words and that the story works in general. That’s not even counting the part of the process that happens solely inside the writer’s head (you know, where all the story ideas ferment) and all the research you might have to do.

The time will pass anyway

If it took you ten years to write an amazing novel, would you do it? Or would you just give up because that’s too much and you want results sooner?

The thing with time is… it’s going to pass anyway. There are a lot of great novels that took five-ish years to write, and if that sounds like a lot to you, let me ask you this: Five years from now, wouldn’t you rather have a finished novel in your hands than not?

Quality is more important than speed

Experienced writers like Stephen King who work with professional editors can still churn out readable books every year, but that might not be you. I mean, it probably isn’t, since you’re reading this blog post.

What you should focus on is writing a great story and then making sure you write it the exact way it was meant to be written. Do you really think your readers will be like “wow, this book was written so fast, I love it!” if you rush through the process? Or will they simply put away your book, unfinished, because it wasn’t that good and the storyline was kind of lacking?

Writing a novel is going to take as long as it needs to take. That’s just a fact. Do justice to your story and don’t rush it.

All the steps of the writing process are important

If you don’t yet know what goes in writing a novel from start to finish, you might not know how all that time is spent.

Writing a book is more than just writing. To find out what else it can be, read this post for the steps of the writing process. Maybe you have fewer or more steps, but my personal process is still a good frame of reference and it will definitely show you how all that time is spent.

Don’t write fast, write efficiently

That said, there’s still no need to procrastinate. Most debut authors don’t have the option of devoting all their time to writing their novel, and then with lucrative publishing deals come tight deadlines, which is why we all need to make the most of the time we have. That’s where writing efficiently comes in.

You might not be able to prioritise writing a novel completely, but when it comes to all the “extra time” you have, sometimes you need to make hard choices. I know that new Netflix series is so good, but if you want to write a novel and you’re busy, some other things will have to go.

Another thing that’s going to save you so much time is going in with a plan. Don’t just have a great outline that keeps you on track, but also have a plan for each writing session. That doesn’t need to be a written plan, you can just decide ahead of time what exactly you’ll be focusing on and what you want to succeed in in the time you have. Having a solid focus for each round of edits also helps with that.

Got ADHD? Read my writing tips for attention deficit individuals.

This is how long it takes to write a “breakout” novel

Writing a Breakout Novel by Donald Maass was the first craft book I ever read. Essentially, a “breakout” novel is a novel that makes its author established and well-known, whether it’s their first of fourteenth published work. The book details what these kinds of novels have in common and how you can achieve the same.

Maass, an experienced literary agent, says that it takes 2 to 3 years to write a breakout novel. Sure, you can write any novel in a shorter time, but if you’re happy not becoming a household name and only getting small results, you might want to put the time in and really work on writing a smashing novel. I mean, why else would you even bother?

The real answer to “how long does it take to write a book?”

Yeah, sorry. I can’t give you a solid answer. It’s going to take as long as it’s going to take.

If you’re not working with a professional editor, it’s safe to say it’s going to take at least two years if you’re starting from scratch. It could take you even longer than that, and that’s totally normal and okay. Expect to take weeks or months to write your first draft and then spend at least a year editing that manuscript, preferably more.

Taking the time to create a thorough outline usually shortens the time it takes you to write your first draft and often helps you avoid some of the biggest issues that lengthen the editing process. You have to spend time to save time.

How long does it take to PUBLISH a novel?

So maybe you’ve finished writing a novel – how long will it take to get it published? First of all, nobody is guaranteed a publishing deal, do be prepared to do a lot of work to get that big yes. It’s likely that you’ll even need to keep working on your manuscript between rejections, so don’t be lulled into thinking you don’t need to edit a single word ever again.

Even if you get a publishing deal, it doesn’t mean you’ll be on the shelves next month. More than likely, you’ll be working with an editor to make even more changes to your novel, and of course, there’s the whole proofreading process as well. You’ll be looking at your unfinished novel many times before it’s publishable. If you’re prepared for that whole thing to take at least a year, you’ll at least be pleasantly surprised if it takes you less.

Maybe self-publishing is the right route for you, but it doesn’t mean you can rush through the process. I mean, you CAN, but don’t expect great results from that approach. I’ve witnessed someone doing that and they’re probably still complaining about their 1-star results five years later.

Self-publishing isn’t the “easy way” to get published. You’ll be responsible not just for writing your book but also for hiring an editor, formatting the book, creating a professional-looking cover for it or paying someone to do it, uploading your book to the right platforms, marketing your book… You’ll be wearing about ten different hats without getting any of the prestige that traditionally published authors often get. You need to know what you’re getting into if you want to self-publish, and the process won’t necessarily be any quicker.

Get started on your novel in less than a week

The first step to writing a novel “quickly” is starting the process the right way. Even more than that, getting started NOW rather than SOME DAY also greatly increases your chances of writing your novel in a timely manner.

Fortunately for you, my free 5-day course helps you with both of those things. Even if you don’t yet know what to write about, you will find your winning idea and plot your story in less than a week. What would it feel like if a week from now you were already working on your debut novel?

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Protagonist Crafts is a blog about writing fiction, written by a published author and creative writing teacher. You can find more writing tips and inspiration in the blog and you can get the best author tools at Writer Lifestyle on Etsy.