The aspiring novelists I teach sometimes ask how long it takes to write a novel. Though not always in question form; more often as a heart-rending wail of ‘I can’t believe this gosh-darn book is taking so gosh-darn long!’ I must tell you that sometimes they substitute other words in place of gosh-darn.
So how long does a novel take? Everyone is different, of course. You occasionally hear about very experienced authors who can write the first draft of a book in three months. I don’t know how they do it. For most of us, a novel is a marathon, not a sprint. And for just about everyone, the longest, trickiest novel is the first one. I’ve written seven novels, all of which required varying amounts of time, but the most stark contrast was between my first two. I like to say that the difference between my first and second books was about eleven and a half years.
I started writing my first novel in the year 2000, and it was taken on by an agent in 2012. (Though it actually took another year of rewriting before she deemed it fit to send to editors, but we have to draw a line somewhere.) My second novel took about six months. There are several reasons why it was so much faster than my first, and I think most of these are fairly universal:
1. Big gaps. I didn’t actually spend the whole of twelve years writing that first novel, painstakingly typing five words a day. I had a lot of breaks, sometimes for a year or more. I had intensive jobs, birthed some children, and quite often, pretty much forgot I was even writing a novel. I hadn’t yet, as the kids say, locked in. Most first-timers aren’t locked in. They might not have writer friends to push them, they might not know how to write a novel, they might not be writing with an end point in mind. They might not even admit to themselves that writing a novel is what they are doing.
2. Deadlines. Everything was different with the second novel. Crucially, someone – a publisher – was waiting for it. I got a two book deal, and they wanted the second one quickly. I can’t pretend this didn’t help. Absolutely nobody was waiting for the first book. I had no deadlines. I had to make my own sense of urgency. Wasn’t very good at it. Hence twelve years. Now, even if no publisher is waiting, I create my own deadlines and accountability via charts to tick and writer friends to yell at me.
3. Knowing the story. Second time round, I knew what the story was. First book, not a clue. I didn’t really understand that it should even have a story. I wrote into a void, having no idea where it would go. It was a mess. There was a lot of tangents and wrong directions and ripping up bits of paper before I glimpsed a vague structure in the gloom. Second book, I decided what the story was, roughed out a plan for each chapter, and only then started writing. What a revelation! Though it perhaps wasn’t quite as much fun… With subsequent books I have used a mix of these methods: a messy creative whoosh of free writing at the start, then some proper planning around the 30,000 word point. Works for me.
How to Write a Novel
4. Knowing how to write a novel. First book, I was writing a novel while learning how to write a novel. After that, there were some things I never needed to learn again. Though, gosh-darn it, there are other things I have to learn afresh every time (such as that I can never get the timings straight and one character will end up with three birthdays in a year).
5. Staying in the world of the story. I have a lousy memory. Every time I went back to my first book after a break, there were large sections I could remember nothing about. I couldn’t even remember writing them. So the quicker I write, the more of the book I can hold in my head, and the less time I need to spend re-reading to remind myself what I’ve written.
6. You’ve done it once… Once you’ve finished one book, it’s more plausible that you can do it again. First time round, a novel seemed so huge, I never believed I would be able to write one. Then one day, there it was, 85,000 words, a finished book. (Actually there it was, 104,000 words, and how I got from that to a more manageable word count is a whole other story.) Once you’ve written 85,000 words, it’s not an unknown thing anymore. It wasn’t even that bad. (Ha ha, that’s not true, it’s just that the pain has faded.) You can do it again. You may even want to do it again.
7. Some novels are just slow. I’ve never managed another one in six months. Sure, I’m always quicker than twelve years. But I have just finished my seventh novel, and that one took almost three years. Novels are strange, unique ecosystems, and some are easier, more straightforward than others. Or maybe I have started to slow down. That’s also a possibility. The next one might take twelve years. Gosh-darn it.
(c) Beth Miller
About The Friendship List by Beth Miller:
Wiping away her tears, Kay looks at her old photos, of friends who have come and gone through life’s big moments. But then there’s Rose, her one constant through everything. Now Rose is missing. Does the key to finding her lie in their past?
It should have been the happiest day of Kay’s life. Getting married with her best friend and maid of honour, Rose at her side. But then Rose messages Kay moments before the ceremony, I’m so sorry. I can’t do this. Please don’t look for me. Kay is heartbroken. What could have possibly driven Rose to leave?
Kay doesn’t know a life without Rose in it. They’ve stuck together through thick and thin; getting each other through tough break-ups, the rollercoaster of children and losing Kay’s beloved mum.
Searching through a lifetime of belongings, desperate for clues, Kay finds a box of old photos. As she looks at pictures of them dancing with their friends from years ago, she suddenly wonders whether the key to finding Rose lies in their past. Writing down a list of long-lost friendships, Kay feels certain one of them will know what happened to Rose.
But as Kay begins to uncover a lifetime of memories to help her find her friend, will she also find herself?
An incredibly heartwarming and emotional novel for everyone who knows about holding on to true friendship through life’s big moments. Fans of Laura Pearson, Sally Page and Evie Woods will fall in love with this feel-good and moving story that shows it’s never too late for a second chance.
Order your copy of The Friendship List by Beth Miller online here.
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