How to Write Non-Fiction: How much time will it take to write the book?
Many authors want to know how long it will take to write their book, but of course, it depends on so many things.
The amount of research you do will affect the time required to write and also fact-check later. An in-depth, highly researched exploration of an entire field of study coming in at over 100,000 words will take a lot longer than a concise self-help book of 40,000 words based on an author’s experience.
It will also depend on the skill of the writer, even across other fields. For example, a journalist who has never written a book but is used to writing words to deadline will be a lot faster than someone who has never written anything for publication.
Your writing time will also vary by genre, with self-help and business books usually faster to write than personal memoir. I certainly found this with Pilgrimage, which took years to write and edit, whereas my self-help books for writers usually take a few months.
Some authors can write a book in a weekend, working intensely and using processes like dictation to speed up the writing time. Others may take months or years considering the details, and slowly shaping the book into what they want it to be.
Calculating an approximate time required to write your book
Taking the above aspects into consideration, you can still work out how long the first draft might take you by estimating the following:
How many words per hour can you write?
How many hours can you allocate for writing each week?
The more words per hour, the more hours you commit, the faster you will finish a first draft.
There is usually a maximum number of hours you can produce creatively in one session without your brain exploding, so factor that in. Writing is tiring!
You also need to allow time for editing, and the time you allot will depend on experience, both yours and any editors you hire to help you.
If the structure of the book doesn’t work, then you may need considerable time for revision, as you will need to reorganise the material to make it work for the reader.
The more editing you need, the longer the book will take.
Set a deadline
If you have a publishing contract, you’ll have a deadline and due date, so you will have to work to that.
But even if you’re self-publishing, it’s important to set a deadline for your first draft and then your finished book after edits.
If you don’t set deadlines, you may find yourself a casualty of Parkinson’s Law where “the work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”
Authors who say ‘the book will be finished when it’s finished’ may never finish!
Get out your calendar, plan those working blocks, and make it happen.
Avoid distractions along the way
“The road to hell is paved with works-in-progress.”
—Philip Roth
Writing is simple, but it’s not easy. There will always be distractions, and finishing a project has a lot to do with your ability to focus over a period of time and avoid shiny object syndrome.
If you keep branching off into different projects while trying to write your book, you may never finish it.
If you’ve committed to writing this book and you’re struck by a shiny new idea, acknowledge it, write it down somewhere you can return to later, then get back to your work in progress.
Focus on one book
Don’t work on more than one project at a time, especially if you’re new to writing.
Focus is the act of concentrating your activity and energy into one thing, and it’s critical if you want to finish your book. We all have limited time, and if you’re splitting your focus, you will struggle.
Revisit the first principles.
Schedule a block of time. It doesn’t have to be hours, just fifteen minutes is fine if that’s all you can spare.
Set a timer and focus. Write, edit, or do whatever is needed to move your book forward.
Stop when the timer goes off.
If you do this, you will have taken another step towards your goal. It might be a small step, but if you keep repeating that process, you will finish.
Many authors fail because they feel like they need vast blocks of time, but most working writers get black on white in the spaces between the rest of life. (Revisit chapter 2.5 for more time management tips.)
Different types of energy needed for your book
Writing a book has several phases, each associated with different types of energy. Knowing what to expect from these phases will help you avoid getting stuck.
(1) Starting energy
Once you’ve decided on your book, the initial research and planning, and then writing the first ten thousand or so words can be an adrenaline rush. The opening chapters flow easily and the structure starts to appear. This is starting energy and it will carry you through the first phase of writing.
(2) Pushing through energy
This is sometimes called the ‘saggy middle,’ where the author loses focus and enthusiasm, and the book sags in terms of structure and flow. Word count crawls to a halt, and the writer may feel overwhelmed by the task.
At this point, you realise that writing a book is hard. Most people say they want to write one but never finish what they start.
Commit to the work, set time blocks in your calendar, and keep writing to get through this stage.
(3) Finishing energy
When you have a finished first draft, it’s important to celebrate in some form, but that is definitely not the end of the process.
Editing your book can take as long as writing it, and then you have to consider publishing and marketing tasks.
Finishing energy is what you need to get your book into the hands of readers. Fuel this by returning to chapter 1.1. Why are you writing this book? What is your definition of success? What will carry you through the difficult times so you get your book into the world?
“You must finish what you start.”
—Robert A. Heinlein, Heinlein’s Rules
Questions:
• Why is time important to you? What is driving your desire to finish this book within a certain time frame?
• What elements will determine how much time your book will take to write and edit?
• Do you have an external deadline for the book, or have you set one yourself in order to make sure you finish?
• How can you avoid distractions and focus on one book?
• What are the different types of energy you need? Which are you struggling with and how will you change your energy?
Resources:
• Philip Roth, “Works in Progress,” The New York Times Book Review, 15 July 1979, accessed 31 October 2024 — www.nytimes.com/1979/07/15/archives/works-in-progress-works-in-progress.html
• Robert A. Heinlein quoted in “Heinlein’s Rules: Introduction,” Dean Wesley Smith: Opinions and Writings blog, 8 December 2015, accessed 31 October 2024 — DeanWesleySmith.com/heinleins-rules-introduction/
