This is a question I get asked all the time, but it has no answer other than "It takes as long as it needs to take." That having been said, it has taken me about three to six months to write novels, both under my own name or for ghostwriting clients. Genre fiction usually requires less time than penning a literary novel or "the great American epic." Romance novels are very formulaic, for example, and publishers have strict guidelines for characterization, plot, and pace of works in this genre. While some authors rightfully disdain using specific outlines, crime fiction, thrillers, and science fiction dictate that the author have a strong sense of where the narrative is heading in order to foreshadow correctly. This naturally facilitates the composition process.
Many authors of what we now call the classics took months or years to write their novels, and most usually let their fiction incubate for many months before beginning an arduous series of revisions that could take additional months or years.
It is best to start with a guiding star--an idea of the overall plot--and then let the characters tell you (within certain parameters) what they would like to do. Ideally, fiction should grow organically--should breathe. Otherwise, it becomes an exercise, such as painting by the numbers. How long such a process might take depends on the length and complexity of the plot.
When ghostwriting clients approach me, however, they are usually on a budget and have a clear idea of how they want their stories to develop. When writing mass market paperbacks for such clients, it is possible to pen novels in three months for shorter works and four month months for longer books. E-books, of course, may be any length, and some are short stories or novellas. Thanks to electronic publishing such as Kindle, one can publish a fairly short work without having to shop it to literary journals and e-zines.
So how long does it take to write a novel? It depends. Ray Bradbury wrote the first draft of Fahrenheit 451 in seven days, although he labored for many months on the revision. And then there is the NaNoWriMo contest each November (National Novel Writing Month) in which participants are expected to write a full-length novel in one month. It's a bit unrealistic, but it teaches discipline. That's the key. To write a novel, one must sit down on a regular schedule and write, write, write. That's when words start to flow.
~William Hammett
Contact William Hammett at wmhammett@aol.com
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