Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christmas time Christmas celebration by Marius Iordache

I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” ~ Charles Dickens (1812-1870), English author. From ‘A Christmas Carol’.

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Life tends to keep us so busy taking care of the day to day chores; we forget the ones who are most important to us. Canceling gatherings, missing phone calls, forgetting to say 'I love you,' we continue on our hectic journey as if it's no big deal. There will always be tomorrow, but for some tomorrow never comes.

For 2013, don't wait all year for the Christmas season to enjoy your family and friends, enjoy them every chance you get.

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I'll be taking the next two weeks off for the holidays.

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 

Voices of Fiction – Time to write a book - Wrap Up

Welcome to another edition of Voices of Fiction.

Over the last few weeks, the authors have shared their experiences of how long it takes to write a book. As you can see from the variety of answers, there is no set time on the creating process.

I’ve heard fiction writing compared to giving birth, but the written word isn’t restricted to the same gestation period. One may become a delighted parent within weeks, or it may take several years to experience the joys of parenthood.

How long does it take you to write a book?

It depends on the length of the book, but deadline can also influence my speed of writing. I wrote one of my novellas within a two week period, the other within a month. Both were up against a deadline. I’d also like to point out both contained around 10,000 words, so very much long, short stories.

When you start talking short stories, I can pull together one in as little as a day, and by the end of the week it’s ready to walk. ☺ Doesn’t mean it won’t fall a few times and skin its knees.

When you set your goal for 30,000 and beyond, I feel this lengthens the time considerably. You dig a little deeper into your characters and stretch out their problems. More plot lines are introduced and more complications are faced by your cast of characters. Not to mention the people who just pop up in the middle throwing you off track. Or the odd ball decision your main character may make to send you off in a new direction, leaving you scrambling back to the beginning to pick up the pieces she scattered along the way.

50,000 words can be written within a month. Many proved this during November’s National Novel Writing Month. But, for many the month was more of a sexual encounter rather than the actual development of the fetus. ☺ I know - some of you were able to get that baby in gear, through outlines and preparation.

My point is - I don’t really know how long it takes me to write a book just yet. I have three projects (four if you count my very first attempt, which continues to nag at me) on the burner and varied time tables on each, but none complete. So, this is a question I’ll have to wait to answer. It has been a long journey for each of these groups of cast members. I’m sure they will all be happy to find their way into this wonderful world for their first steps.

Thank you all for joining us as we explored ‘how long it takes to write a book.’ Next week, we'll begin exploring another topic on "Voices of Fiction." Feel free to join in.

Readers send questions to chergreen@chergreen.com, Subject: Voices of Fiction Question, and have them answered by the participating authors in later editions.

There’s also room for more authors to participate. Drop me an email, Subject: Voices of Fiction.

Voices of Fiction – Time to write a book – Part Five

Welcome to Voices of Fiction.

We continue with our discussion of how long it takes to write a book.

Please welcome our guests.

Joy Brooks is a Southern lady in love with the mystery and adventure associated with medieval warriors and royalty. She fills her spare time with reading, writing, cross-stitching, and playing with her seven cats. She enjoys the quiet life in a quaint, historic Georgia town. - Website, Blog

Bobbi Carducci’s book, Storee Wryter Gets a Dog, earned a GOLD Mom’s Choice Award for excellence and was named A Best Dog Book for Young Readers by Cesar Milan, The Dog Whisperer. She is an award winning short story writer, columnist and professional book reviewer. Bobbi will be the luncheon keynote speaker at the 26th Annual Pennwriters Conference in May 2013. - Blog, Website, Website

Born in France, award-winning author Vijaya Schartz never conformed to anything and could never refuse a challenge. She likes action and exotic settings, in life and on the page. She traveled the world and writes with the same ease about the future and the far away past. Her novels collected many five star reviews and literary awards. - Website, Amazon, Barnes/Noble

Cindy Cromer is a scientist with degrees in Chemistry and president of a laboratory network. She has written numerous laboratory procedures and research documents. In her new endeavor, writing mystery novels, she utilizes some of her career experience into her plots, but doesn’t overwhelm the reader with scientific jargon. She has recently been selected as one of the "50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading." Website, Books/Books, Vero Beach Book Center

Welcome Authors!

Question: How long does it take you to write a book?

Joy Brooks: On average maybe four months to write. When the ideas get to flowing, I can't quit writing. I write until all my ideas are on paper. Then I start editing and that adds some time. All total including edits, maybe 8 months. I try to be real through in my editing.

Bobbi Carducci: There is no real answer for this question, in my case anyway. The book I’m currently working on has been in progress for five years. Ouch! But, it’s deeply personal and I had to deal with some heavy emotional issues as I wrote. I am back on track now and hope to have the first draft done in a few weeks. After that the editing and rewriting begin. It’s important for writers to understand that it’s better to take your time. Rewriting is as much as a part of the process as the initial writing. My book for young readers was initially written as a picture book. It was pretty awful. The rewrite was better. Then and editor suggested it be expanded for an older audience. That took about three months. The final edition is so much better than the original idea that I’m grateful I didn’t stop with the first try.

Vijaya Schartz: My first book took me three years to write, about two years for the second, and a year and a half for the third. Now, after having over twenty titles published, I can write a full length novel in five months. I try to write two full novels and one novella per year, to keep my readers engaged. The more often an author has a new book coming out, the better. You do not want your followers to have forgotten all about your last novel when the next one comes out. I guess that’s why the most popular authors are using ghost writers and co-writers, so they can produce more books.

Cindy Cromer: It depends on the book. My first novel, Desperate Measures, took me about two months. The second book Desperate Deceptions took much longer. It could be considered a sequel but I strived to write it as a stand-alone. I had to be very careful and not re-iterate the first book when introducing the characters. I also found myself over analyzing and editing each word and scene instead of writing first then editing. Onto a completely genre, I wrote a children’s book in one day.

Thank you all for joining us today.

Readers feel free to ask questions concerning this topic in the comments. Also feel free to send questions to chergreen@chergreen.com Subject: Voices of Fiction Question, and have them answered by the participating authors in later editions.

There’s also room for more authors to participate. Drop me an email, Subject: Voices of Fiction.

(Disclaimer - Bios and photos submitted by authors.)

Voices of Fiction – Time to write a book – Part Four

Welcome to Voices of Fiction.

We continue with our discussion of how long it takes to write a book.

Please welcome our guests.

Carole Ann Moleti is a nurse-midwife in New York City, thus explaining her fascination with paranormal and urban fantasy. Her newest fiction is featured in Beltane: Ten Tales of Magic. Excerpts of Carole's memoir, Someday I'm Going to Write a Book: Diary of an Urban Missionary has been published most recently in the new, irreverent Not Your Mother's Book Series. - Website, Blog, Twitter

Pembroke Sinclair has had several short stories, novellas, novels, and nonfiction published in various places. She writes an eclectic mix of fantasy, science fiction, horror, some romance, and previously Westerns. - Blog, eTreasures, Amazon

Joylene Butler is the author of Dead Witness and Broken But Not Dead. - Website, Blog

Ellen Spain is a retired Federal Investigator, now turned author, editor, and educator. She is active with EPIC, PennWriters, RWA, SCBWI, and the Pittsburgh East Writers. - Website




Welcome Authors!

Question: How long does it take you to write a book?

Carole Ann Moleti: About a year of solid writing for a novel since I usually have to stop and do more research here and there. That doesn't count revisions, which can take me anywhere from two to three months. Short stories range from a few hours to a few weeks, depending on the mood of the muse.

Pembroke Sinclair: It depends on the book. I've written novels in 3 months, then spent the next two or three revising, and sometimes it's taken a lot longer, years even. The book usually decides when it's done.
 
Joylene Butler: It used to take 3 months to write the first draft. But over the years I've tried to challenge myself and thus have chosen more difficult plots that are much tougher to write. I also have two published novels that require constant networking and marketing, and that's taken a huge chunk of my time. I'm hoping to change that this winter and finally complete my current WIP. I'd like to say it takes me 15 months from start to finish, but since becoming a published author in 2008, life has been anything but normal.
 
Ellen Spain: Following the old-adage, write what you know and write it well, I can draft a novella based upon my experiences and/or travels from start to final manuscript for the editor in thirty days, writing eight hours a day, six days a week. * The problem is I have a lot of family obligations; I sometimes get a cold or allergies and must chill out; I am usually writing two books during the same time period; and I am the Acquisitions Editor-in-Chief for a publishing house. Thus, realistically, my novella takes me up to sixty days to complete. * I can write a full-length novel in less than twelve months after my research is completed. If I add the up-front research, that will add an extra month. In the "Secrets in the Fog" series, the "Invisibility Project" took me ten months to write; "Danny's First Love" took me three weeks; "The Haunted Lighthouse" about four months; and Book Four "Hidden Treasures" set on Nova Scotia, more than a year. Add a little more time to get your pre-promotion work started including tweaking your personal web site. I totally changed all of my former web's main page at EllenSpain.com to reflect that I am a serious professional writer. All this takes time, but the business of writing a book is more than typing out your draft. * However, I think it is more important just to keep yourself on a realistic writing schedule that you can prioritize with your normal living life. First learn the techniques and requirements of "How to Write" genre fiction, then decide on what genre you feel comfortable to write and learn those writing rules. Next, write a novella for a publisher and go through the publishing process. Finally, plan up to two years to write your eighty thousand word novel and be fully satisfied that you accomplished that goal. You then can call yourself a novelist.

Thank you all for joining us today.

Readers feel free to ask questions concerning this topic in the comments. Also feel free to send questions to chergreen@chergreen.com Subject: Voices of Fiction Question, and have them answered by the participating authors in later editions.

There’s also room for more authors to participate. Drop me an email, Subject: Voices of Fiction.

(Disclaimer - Bios and photos submitted by authors.)