Comments on: The slow passage of time. Or not. Or something. http://www.staciakane.net/2008/06/30/the-slow-passage-of-time-or-not-or-something/ Author of Urban Fantasy Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:56:28 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Sylvia http://www.staciakane.net/2008/06/30/the-slow-passage-of-time-or-not-or-something/#comment-5410 Sylvia Mon, 07 Jul 2008 10:31:00 +0000 http://www.staciakane.net/2008/06/30/the-slow-passage-of-time-or-not-or-something/#comment-5410 <i>I do that in part because I believe the book loses freshness and urgency if I dawdle too much.</i><br/><br/>This is critical, I think. I had an article idea two weeks ago that I put off writing (because there were other things more urgent) and now I am finding it hard to approach it at all. Meanwhile, another piece which I know is not-that-good-a-concept got finished, because I did it on the spot rather than trying to schedule it it.<br/><br/>I presume I would suffer from the same problem * 10 with a novel! I do that in part because I believe the book loses freshness and urgency if I dawdle too much.

This is critical, I think. I had an article idea two weeks ago that I put off writing (because there were other things more urgent) and now I am finding it hard to approach it at all. Meanwhile, another piece which I know is not-that-good-a-concept got finished, because I did it on the spot rather than trying to schedule it it.

I presume I would suffer from the same problem * 10 with a novel!

]]> By: micheleleesbooklove http://www.staciakane.net/2008/06/30/the-slow-passage-of-time-or-not-or-something/#comment-5388 micheleleesbooklove Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:00:00 +0000 http://www.staciakane.net/2008/06/30/the-slow-passage-of-time-or-not-or-something/#comment-5388 I likely could write a full novel (I typically do three drafts a book) in four or five months. But with nothing selling at the moment I'm letting myself write leisurely. I let myself get distracted because, if things work out, in the future I won't have that time. <br/><br/>However, a major part of writing is discipline, being able to sit down and easily get into the "writer mindset", being able to brain storm your way through a lull, judge word length and pacing etc. I think that's what a first novel is, learning how to do all that, all the little things you never realize must be learned. Once you get practiced at those things you can stop working on writing a novel and start working at writing a good novel :) I likely could write a full novel (I typically do three drafts a book) in four or five months. But with nothing selling at the moment I’m letting myself write leisurely. I let myself get distracted because, if things work out, in the future I won’t have that time.

However, a major part of writing is discipline, being able to sit down and easily get into the “writer mindset”, being able to brain storm your way through a lull, judge word length and pacing etc. I think that’s what a first novel is, learning how to do all that, all the little things you never realize must be learned. Once you get practiced at those things you can stop working on writing a novel and start working at writing a good novel :)

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.staciakane.net/2008/06/30/the-slow-passage-of-time-or-not-or-something/#comment-5387 Anonymous Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:29:00 +0000 http://www.staciakane.net/2008/06/30/the-slow-passage-of-time-or-not-or-something/#comment-5387 I'm like Kirsten in that I really don't know much when I start writing but I have only written 2 book-length stories. <br/><br/>Most of my tripe is short stories and poetry written via my "don't think, write" style. I am a true poetaster.<br/><br/>I agree with bernita that it varies (and it should) from person to person.<br/>-V95 I’m like Kirsten in that I really don’t know much when I start writing but I have only written 2 book-length stories.

Most of my tripe is short stories and poetry written via my “don’t think, write” style. I am a true poetaster.

I agree with bernita that it varies (and it should) from person to person.
-V95

]]> By: cindy http://www.staciakane.net/2008/06/30/the-slow-passage-of-time-or-not-or-something/#comment-5386 cindy Mon, 30 Jun 2008 19:55:00 +0000 http://www.staciakane.net/2008/06/30/the-slow-passage-of-time-or-not-or-something/#comment-5386 i think you may be a pro now. it takes me about 4 to 5 months to write a rought draft BUT probably at least 3 or 4 months to research and a year to revise. (multiple revisions, also using notes from crit groups.) <br/><br/>now that i'm contracted, things may work differently, which makes me very nervous. since really, this is only the second novel i'll have written ever (the sequel) under stricter constraits and with probably higher expectations.<br/><br/>*dies* i think you may be a pro now. it takes me about 4 to 5 months to write a rought draft BUT probably at least 3 or 4 months to research and a year to revise. (multiple revisions, also using notes from crit groups.)

now that i’m contracted, things may work differently, which makes me very nervous. since really, this is only the second novel i’ll have written ever (the sequel) under stricter constraits and with probably higher expectations.

*dies*

]]> By: Amie Stuart http://www.staciakane.net/2008/06/30/the-slow-passage-of-time-or-not-or-something/#comment-5385 Amie Stuart Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:46:00 +0000 http://www.staciakane.net/2008/06/30/the-slow-passage-of-time-or-not-or-something/#comment-5385 Betti I totally fall into the "I use a slow-cooker for my ideas" camp! Betti I totally fall into the “I use a slow-cooker for my ideas” camp!

]]> By: kirsten saell http://www.staciakane.net/2008/06/30/the-slow-passage-of-time-or-not-or-something/#comment-5384 kirsten saell Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:45:00 +0000 http://www.staciakane.net/2008/06/30/the-slow-passage-of-time-or-not-or-something/#comment-5384 I'm a pantser, I begin with a scene and go from there. I don't even always know who the heroine(s) and hero(es) are at the start.<br/><br/>That leads to a fair number of breaks where I don't know quite where to go, and it can take a week or two of not writing to figure that out. I usually have an end in mind--the bad guy dies, good guys live happily ever after, vague much?--but I honestly don't know how to get there until the last minute sometimes. <br/><br/>I'm lucky in that when it's flowing, I can do a lot--10k in a day more than once. And it's clean--I usually only spend a few days in edits (two read-throughs where I tweak sentences and fix continuity errors) and off it goes. So far, in two books, the most I've had to rewrite for my editor was a paragraph she thought was too over the top. <br/><br/>I've often thought my process was too organic. I don't have a daily writing routine, I don't have concrete goals, other than "If I don't get the ms in by October, it won't release in January, and boy it better be clean if I'm gonna cut it that fine!".<br/><br/>But then I think about character bios and outlines and timelines and deadlines and it gives me hives. *shudder* I’m a pantser, I begin with a scene and go from there. I don’t even always know who the heroine(s) and hero(es) are at the start.

That leads to a fair number of breaks where I don’t know quite where to go, and it can take a week or two of not writing to figure that out. I usually have an end in mind–the bad guy dies, good guys live happily ever after, vague much?–but I honestly don’t know how to get there until the last minute sometimes.

I’m lucky in that when it’s flowing, I can do a lot–10k in a day more than once. And it’s clean–I usually only spend a few days in edits (two read-throughs where I tweak sentences and fix continuity errors) and off it goes. So far, in two books, the most I’ve had to rewrite for my editor was a paragraph she thought was too over the top.

I’ve often thought my process was too organic. I don’t have a daily writing routine, I don’t have concrete goals, other than “If I don’t get the ms in by October, it won’t release in January, and boy it better be clean if I’m gonna cut it that fine!”.

But then I think about character bios and outlines and timelines and deadlines and it gives me hives. *shudder*

]]> By: Seeley deBorn http://www.staciakane.net/2008/06/30/the-slow-passage-of-time-or-not-or-something/#comment-5383 Seeley deBorn Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:15:00 +0000 http://www.staciakane.net/2008/06/30/the-slow-passage-of-time-or-not-or-something/#comment-5383 If I can get through my next novel in less than 2 years I'll be thrilled. Since this was my first, and I had no clue what I was doing when I started (seriously. didn't even know what POV was, didn't know how it was going to end and actually thought I was writing a 15k novella) I'm thinking the next should take me between 6 and 8 months. I don't count the full time job, the cross country move etc in my time, because I know that even with those things I still would have needed 2 years to finish the damn thing. <br/><br/>There have been times I've read a book and came away feeling like it was banged out in a couple of months in order to meet a contract deadline, and at least one author I know of has said she never wants to contract 2 books a year ever again. I think in general 6 months to a year seems reasonable. But that's just for the writing...plotting and research and whatnot would have to come before. For me anyway. My process of actually deciding on the plot and characters is excrutiatingly slow. Writing seems fast in comparisson. 2 years, fast. I'm going to be dead before I get a writing career off the ground. <br/><br/>Unless someone invents something that will just take the picutres from my head and slam them into a .doc file with no typing involved. I'll bet I could shave off a month or 2 by making it over 40 words a minute... If I can get through my next novel in less than 2 years I’ll be thrilled. Since this was my first, and I had no clue what I was doing when I started (seriously. didn’t even know what POV was, didn’t know how it was going to end and actually thought I was writing a 15k novella) I’m thinking the next should take me between 6 and 8 months. I don’t count the full time job, the cross country move etc in my time, because I know that even with those things I still would have needed 2 years to finish the damn thing.

There have been times I’ve read a book and came away feeling like it was banged out in a couple of months in order to meet a contract deadline, and at least one author I know of has said she never wants to contract 2 books a year ever again. I think in general 6 months to a year seems reasonable. But that’s just for the writing…plotting and research and whatnot would have to come before. For me anyway. My process of actually deciding on the plot and characters is excrutiatingly slow. Writing seems fast in comparisson. 2 years, fast. I’m going to be dead before I get a writing career off the ground.

Unless someone invents something that will just take the picutres from my head and slam them into a .doc file with no typing involved. I’ll bet I could shave off a month or 2 by making it over 40 words a minute…

]]> By: bettie http://www.staciakane.net/2008/06/30/the-slow-passage-of-time-or-not-or-something/#comment-5382 bettie Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:05:00 +0000 http://www.staciakane.net/2008/06/30/the-slow-passage-of-time-or-not-or-something/#comment-5382 I consider myself a fairly fast writer, once I get in gear. But, for me, an idea has to spin around a bit in my head--it's kind of like when you're riding a 10-speed, and you switch gears. You may have to pedal a few useless cycles before the gears catch and you get going.<br/><br/>Problem is, the more I've got going on in my life, the longer it takes to get in gear (work out the bugs in the plot, solidify the characters in my head, etc.). Since I started this whole work/school/write thing, writing has been like pulling teeth.<br/><br/>Obviously, a new system is required. Now, if only I could figure out what that is... :( I consider myself a fairly fast writer, once I get in gear. But, for me, an idea has to spin around a bit in my head–it’s kind of like when you’re riding a 10-speed, and you switch gears. You may have to pedal a few useless cycles before the gears catch and you get going.

Problem is, the more I’ve got going on in my life, the longer it takes to get in gear (work out the bugs in the plot, solidify the characters in my head, etc.). Since I started this whole work/school/write thing, writing has been like pulling teeth.

Obviously, a new system is required. Now, if only I could figure out what that is… :(

]]> By: Charles Gramlich http://www.staciakane.net/2008/06/30/the-slow-passage-of-time-or-not-or-something/#comment-5381 Charles Gramlich Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:33:00 +0000 http://www.staciakane.net/2008/06/30/the-slow-passage-of-time-or-not-or-something/#comment-5381 If I were able to write full time it would probably take me 5 to 6 months to finish a Taleran book, at about 70,000 words, and probaly a year to finish a thriller like Cold in the Light. As it is, with writing between work, it takes me much longer. If I were able to write full time it would probably take me 5 to 6 months to finish a Taleran book, at about 70,000 words, and probaly a year to finish a thriller like Cold in the Light. As it is, with writing between work, it takes me much longer.

]]> By: Bernita http://www.staciakane.net/2008/06/30/the-slow-passage-of-time-or-not-or-something/#comment-5380 Bernita Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:27:00 +0000 http://www.staciakane.net/2008/06/30/the-slow-passage-of-time-or-not-or-something/#comment-5380 The time thing can vary from writer to writer and from book to book.<br/>And some people are just faster than others.<br/>I'm slowest in the thinking times that preceeds a story. The time thing can vary from writer to writer and from book to book.
And some people are just faster than others.
I’m slowest in the thinking times that preceeds a story.

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