This came up as a result of a question asked of numerous writers. How long should it take to do a quality page of prose? My answer is: however much time *your* particular system takes, to generate and proof that *page. Everybody is different and there is no single method (or small group of methods) that work for every author. You just have to kind of feel your way forward. Discover that program(s) work for you. And by programs I mean writing daily, or several times a week, or several times a month, for x number of minutes or x number of hours at a time, etc. Also, how many passes you take (through a completed block of text) before you declare it good enough. Because I am a firm believer that better and perfect are mortal enemies of good enough. Now, for me, it usually takes about 15 to 30 minutes to get my engine from ice cold, to hot. I usually do this by re-reading what I wrote the session before, which starts the engine and glides me up to speed, then I start typing new prose. After a half hour of this, I am generally hot and can stay hot at a pace that produces (give or take) about 1,000 words every 60 minutes. Sometimes its more, sometimes its less. Often, when I am just beginning a new story or books, its a lot less. But after a few chapters or scenes, it can be a lot more. Because I am feeling much more grounded in my own universe, and the prose comes much more smoothly. Your pace, your program, your process, will be different. For you. And thats OK. You just have to find what works. And it might take years. And you might not ever feel totally comfortable with it all, the way you *want* to feel comfortable. And thats OK too. You sometimes dont get the luxury of being comfortable. Often you have to grit it out. Make yourself just do it.
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 04:16:28 +0000
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