Write a Book?

[Terri2]

Has anyone ever tried to write or publish a book? Have you ever wrote and finished one? Was it very hard? How long did it take?

[DriftwoodJames]

I have written and published two.

[sirwilliam314]

I have recently finished my first book, which actually turned out to be over five hundred pages. The first draft is done and was not hard to write at all. The revisions and second draft are proving to be a little hard work. The first draft took me just under six months to write.

[DriftwoodJames]

Yeah. I am 4 chapters short of finishing my third novel. It's strange, because the first 3/4 of the work I wrote in under a month, daily; it was easy enough, and all of it was gold or platinum quality... the last quarter has been difficult, and this is actually a rewrite of the first draft, standing at a little under two-hundred thousand words, or however many pages that may be.

The third Draft will be a bitch no doubt. I want the best for my readers, so I can relate.

Its better to build a test audience and find a design for those who like something VS those who do not like something and build an understanding of direction, etc. I'm not saying change it, but definitely consider necessary changes from an objective viewer.

J. Edward Nolan

[kaytie]

I'm working on revisions for my agent right now.

This has been a long process. I started the novel in 2002. I went to grad school and produced a lot of work in addition to the first draft of the novel. After graduation in 2005 I rewrote the last 150 pages, then queried agents. It took me about 8 months to get an agent. I signed with him in October, 2006, and have been revising ever since. We hope to shop the manuscript around in late winter/early spring and hopefully a publisher will buy it.

Was it hard? Yes and no. The hardest part has been shaping the novel to my liking--I've been maybe too perfectionist in it. Submitting to agents was exasperating, but not a difficult process. I think the scariest part will be in the next few months, waiting for word.


For a different take on the process of writing a novel, check out the quote in my signature.

[Kyle22]

I'd love to write a novel, but I don't have the time.

Katie, how's your book coming? Have you finished publishing it?

[AstonWest]

I've completed four novels. Two of these weren't ready for prime-time and will never be. One of those four is coming out through a small press next year and the final one is in the hands of agents.

Kaytie, submitting to agents isn't the hard part...it's getting them to take a longer glance than the initial query that's difficult.