The Speed of Write (Plus a New Release)

by Kassandra Lamb ~ I suspect most people realize that writing a novel is a lengthy process. But how lengthy varies from author to author. Also sometimes “the speed of write” is faster than at other times, depending on what else is going on in a writer’s life.

Most of our misterio press authors lean toward slow writing—taking over six months and possibly up to a year to write and flesh-out a new book.

But one—Kirsten Weiss—is definitely a super fast writer. And extremely organized. She has several books at various stages of development at any given time, and tends to release a new book about once every month or so. (A new one just came out yesterday! See below.)

I fall somewhere in between, taking two to three months to produce a first draft, and then another month or two to get it cleaned up for publication. I tend to release three new stories, on average, per year.

Of course, the number of distractions in one’s life makes a difference.

One time, I wrote a first draft in one week. But I was all by myself (except for my dog), on a little self-imposed writer’s retreat, and I did nothing for those seven days but eat, sleep and write…and put the dog out occasionally.

My most productive year was 2020, because I didn’t go anywhere for almost that entire year!

Another factor is how much self-editing an author does as s/he goes along.

Some authors edit as they go, and when they are done, the book is pretty much ready for editing by others. So they may take longer to write, but spend far less time on the polishing stages.

Others like myself, do what is sometimes called a “vomit” draft. Just get it out there. Get the words on paper. Don’t go back and edit. Don’t stop and research anything.

I write notes to myself in the first draft, in all caps. RESEARCH IF CHAMOMILE TEA IS SAFE FOR PREGNANT WOMEN was one I wrote just yesterday.

And then I keep going. My first draft may be done in as little as six weeks (if there aren’t too many distractions). But the polishing stage will usually be twice that long or more.

But back to Kirsten…we’re all envious of her discipline and her amazing “speed of write.”

So we have for you this week, her newest release…

Going, Going, Dead! A Paranormal Museum Mystery #6

At an auction, competition can be deadly…

When Maddie attends an estate auction of artifacts from America’s spiritualist era, it’s just another day in the life of a paranormal museum owner… Until she discovers the body of the murdered auctioneer.

Her mother is convinced the murderer is after a mysterious statuette that once belonged to the town’s Ladies Aid Society. With the holidays approaching, Maddie and friends dive into the mad world of obsessive collectors to find the missing statuette… and a killer. Maddie tracks her suspects through a secluded gothic estate, in the wineries of Central California, and along the streets of small-town San Benedetto. But this clever criminal is determined to win at all costs. Will the killer use Maddie’s friends as the ultimate weapon against her?

Available at: AMAZON ~ APPLE ~ BARNES & NOBLE ~ KOBO ~ GOOGLE PLAY

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Posted by Kassandra Lamb. Kassandra is a retired psychotherapist turned mystery writer. She is the author of the Kate Huntington psychological mysteries, set in her native Maryland, and the Marcia Banks and Buddy cozy mysteries, set in Central Florida. Plus she has started a new police procedural series, also set in Florida—The C.o.P. on the Scene mysteries. And she writes romantic suspense under the pen name of Jessica Dale.

Misterio press produces an array of quality crime fiction. We post here twice a month, usually on Tuesdays, to alert you to new releases, to entertain, and to inform.

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