tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327899218114754732.post4595156000105662260..comments2023-08-23T00:18:21.336+01:00Comments on Novelistas Ink.: Q is for Quality. Or Quantity? by Annie BurrowsValerie-Anne Bagliettohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01723076388057535678noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327899218114754732.post-9689408663625921442015-09-16T08:27:49.985+01:002015-09-16T08:27:49.985+01:00Annie, me too - mainly, it's the BACK thing - ...Annie, me too - mainly, it's the BACK thing - I start off sitting properly, and then... I go through loads of Deep Heat spray!Terry Tylerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15077413235902203848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327899218114754732.post-47232944103453225602015-09-09T09:53:54.649+01:002015-09-09T09:53:54.649+01:00Thanks H cat. I do want to be professional. I ju...Thanks H cat. I do want to be professional. I just always thought that eventually, as I got more experienced, I would be able to write faster. It hasn't happened. Which is why I started to look at people who do produce good quality books at twice the rate I do, and try to get tips from them. It seems to come down to two things - one, having the knack of producing an excellent first draft which doesn't require too much editing, and two, having the physical stamina to sit writing for about 8 hours a day. I have neither!annie burrowshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05587453738348984621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327899218114754732.post-1597198279277646992015-09-09T09:46:57.216+01:002015-09-09T09:46:57.216+01:00Well, good for John Boyne. He is clearly one of th...Well, good for John Boyne. He is clearly one of those people who CAN write fast. And I know that there are plenty of people who seem to be able to write fast, and well. They can do the Quality and Quantity. However, I couldn't physically sit typing for 18 hours. My back would seize up, I'd have a throbbing headache, and after about a third of that time my output would be complete gibberish. annie burrowshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05587453738348984621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327899218114754732.post-35334118836454984052015-09-09T09:43:05.878+01:002015-09-09T09:43:05.878+01:00I'm only surprised you manage to get any writi...I'm only surprised you manage to get any writing done at all while you're home-schooling three children! annie burrowshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05587453738348984621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327899218114754732.post-80814781223180246402015-09-09T09:41:33.807+01:002015-09-09T09:41:33.807+01:00Yes, that's how I feel, too. I do love writin...Yes, that's how I feel, too. I do love writing, but I need a life as well. Or I'm sure I would burn out.annie burrowshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05587453738348984621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327899218114754732.post-42234863843252963052015-09-09T09:40:24.357+01:002015-09-09T09:40:24.357+01:00Oh, thank goodness Terry! I would hate to think I...Oh, thank goodness Terry! I would hate to think I'd piled on the very sort of pressure I've only just managed to shake off myself!<br />xannie burrowshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05587453738348984621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327899218114754732.post-37969260290156255832015-09-09T09:21:49.125+01:002015-09-09T09:21:49.125+01:00If you just bash out a book and (self) publish it,...If you just bash out a book and (self) publish it, you will be torn to shreds by critics. If you do ditto and submit it, you will be rejected. True craftsmanship requires time, commitment and thought. The rest is crap and lest down good writers who spend 1/2 years perfecting their craft. I, too, have come across this mentality. All I can say is: if you just want to write, for yourself, and as an achievement, go ahead.. For the rest, be professional.H_cathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10295724299415783170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327899218114754732.post-31626113320018027472015-09-09T08:30:49.769+01:002015-09-09T08:30:49.769+01:00ps, I'd just like to say that John Boyne wrote...ps, I'd just like to say that John Boyne wrote the first draft of The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas in a weekend. BUT!!! It's a short book, he is exceptionally talented, by 'a weekend' he meant about 18 hours per day without a break, and he has an army of professional editors at his disposal. Maybe it's not so much the time taken on the first draft (mine are pretty crap!) as the time spent on turning it into a publishable novel afterwards - I spend as long on that as I do the first draft. :)Terry Tylerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15077413235902203848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327899218114754732.post-64854438141189100382015-09-09T08:28:13.324+01:002015-09-09T08:28:13.324+01:00Thanks Annie - fear not, my remark was tongue in c...Thanks Annie - fear not, my remark was tongue in cheek, and I feel as if I'm on a different planet from these 'hard sell' people sometimes! Yes - like you I know how long it takes me to write a good book, and that's that. I know there are people who see sales rather than quality as all. There will always be readers who are, shall we say, less discriminating that others, too.<br /><br />I think the self-pub/indie press writers' world can be divided into those who write because they want to and always have done (I wrote many novels that went farther than my spare room, long before Amazon KDP) and those who saw the new self-pub thing as a money making opportunity. Sometimes the two meet in the middle with great results, but so often they don't, as I am sure you will agree :)Terry Tylerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15077413235902203848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327899218114754732.post-3511625286385171572015-09-08T19:14:15.976+01:002015-09-08T19:14:15.976+01:00I write much more slowly these days, perhaps becau...I write much more slowly these days, perhaps because I'm feeling older, perhaps because I'm home-schooling three children now, but I agree that getting a CLEAN first draft is essential to writing fast. If you have to do substantial edits/redrafts, you're sunk as far as speed is concerned. I don't believe any 95K book produced in a week could be any good, btw. My mother's fastest time was an M&B in a long weekend, but she was at the height of her game then and always an inhumanly fast writer. I wish I was that fast ... But it's unlikely ever to happen now. Sigh. Janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06700477414937065931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327899218114754732.post-57707225127062090682015-09-08T16:29:09.859+01:002015-09-08T16:29:09.859+01:00What a sensible viewpoint, Annie. Thank you for th...What a sensible viewpoint, Annie. Thank you for that. I do get rather tired of being told that if one is truly a writer it should take up your whole life. I think life balance is essential. Writing is very important to me, but so are my family, friends and other aspects of life. What's the point of it all otherwise?Francesca Capaldihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10407306388763073352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327899218114754732.post-63255847799141071702015-09-08T11:26:37.771+01:002015-09-08T11:26:37.771+01:00Terry - please don't think that 2 books a year...Terry - please don't think that 2 books a year isn't a huge achievement. I wrote this post because I got in a bit of a tizz, when reading online about all the people who manage to produce half a dozen books a year, and all the posts about how the best way to make a lot of money is to publish something every month or so. Some people do seem to be able to produce great books at this frequency, but I'm not one of them! And I'm not even going to try to compete like that. It would be too stressful, and I'd end up either writing rubbish, or running myself into the ground. I'm just going to write the best book I'm capable of writing, and I'm not going to beat myself up any more if I can't do it in 5 minutes!annie burrowshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05587453738348984621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327899218114754732.post-90879396088821888292015-09-08T11:19:10.574+01:002015-09-08T11:19:10.574+01:00Thanks for your kind response Christina. Like you...Thanks for your kind response Christina. Like you, writing is very important to me, too, and I have to do some every day. But not too much! annie burrowshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05587453738348984621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327899218114754732.post-84263289123435978892015-09-08T11:17:17.253+01:002015-09-08T11:17:17.253+01:00I hear you, Nadine - I too want to get better at m...I hear you, Nadine - I too want to get better at my craft, and put out books I can be proud of. And my body just won't be bullied into working longer hours, it seems, which is the only way I could possibly increase my output. annie burrowshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05587453738348984621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327899218114754732.post-11671662900171586872015-09-06T12:03:17.618+01:002015-09-06T12:03:17.618+01:00I thought I was doing well because I produce 2 a y...I thought I was doing well because I produce 2 a year... clearly this is not the case!!!! I can't write a first draft in less than 3 months.... :)Terry Tylerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15077413235902203848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327899218114754732.post-33600763318625050042015-09-06T07:37:00.640+01:002015-09-06T07:37:00.640+01:00A wise and inspiring post, Annie. I'm exactly ...A wise and inspiring post, Annie. I'm exactly the same. Writing is so important to me I have to do it every day—but not to the exclusion of family life. It's much better to submit the best books we can, than simply submit to the pressure to perform. That can only lead to disaster.Christina Hollishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05801516849671439323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327899218114754732.post-12310416132399043302015-09-05T13:26:13.363+01:002015-09-05T13:26:13.363+01:00Amen, sister! I cringe when I hear about workshops...Amen, sister! I cringe when I hear about workshops like this.<br /><br />I generally do my first drafts in 30 days, but the revision stage for me is very, very long. As I do research for my next novel, I'm doing a bit more planning ahead of time to try to reduce the number of drafts I need to get the book into shape. I won't, however, sacrifice health or well being to succeed. I want to get better at my craft and put out good, solid efforts, and that takes time.Nadine_Feldmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05742177071130596367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327899218114754732.post-62297347721333243972015-09-05T09:09:01.008+01:002015-09-05T09:09:01.008+01:00And, as a post script to the blog, my back has gon...And, as a post script to the blog, my back has gone into spasm, after a week spent frantically trying to get my latest book to my editor not too long past it's deadline. My body just won't be bullied into working that many hours per day.<br /><br />I now need help to get my socks on.Annie Burrowshttp://www.annie-burrows.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327899218114754732.post-23000953947862877432015-09-05T09:06:14.329+01:002015-09-05T09:06:14.329+01:00thanks Johanna!thanks Johanna!Annie Burrowshttp://www.annie-burrows.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327899218114754732.post-32872780069879602252015-09-04T14:48:26.355+01:002015-09-04T14:48:26.355+01:00Interesting post, Annie. I'm with you on needi...Interesting post, Annie. I'm with you on needing to write multiple drafts before I can show my work to anyone else. And I hope you don't change your writing process because I love your books as they are!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00798215304658311781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327899218114754732.post-62608737120798802442015-09-04T14:13:55.168+01:002015-09-04T14:13:55.168+01:00I didn't see you there Amelia! The one thing ...I didn't see you there Amelia! The one thing I did find useful was the advice to "know your process" - i.e. what works for you. I find I can't concentrate for longer than about 50 minutes, so I don't try and push myself beyond that any more or I end up having to delete a lot of rubbish.annie burrowshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05587453738348984621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327899218114754732.post-69920537093724738892015-09-04T14:11:05.473+01:002015-09-04T14:11:05.473+01:00Well, I will have a life, anyway Juliet, even if I...Well, I will have a life, anyway Juliet, even if I don't make much money!annie burrowshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05587453738348984621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327899218114754732.post-73075588492472383572015-09-04T13:12:54.895+01:002015-09-04T13:12:54.895+01:00I agree, Annie, quality over quantity will keep re...I agree, Annie, quality over quantity will keep readers coming back. I was at that same workshop, and learned nothing I can use to make myself more prolific. I can only write at a pace that will allow me to put out a story I'm proud to put my name on. And yes, I need a life outside my writing.Amelia Autinhttp://www.ameliaautin.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327899218114754732.post-40622159735499387692015-09-04T11:21:56.929+01:002015-09-04T11:21:56.929+01:00Thank you for those wise conclusions, Annie! I agr...Thank you for those wise conclusions, Annie! I agree. I think you need quality of life not only for yourself, but also to fuel your writing. I know when I've finished a book I want to draw in and replenish the stocks of ideas, inspiration and enthusiasm. You might not make a fast buck now - but I have a feeling you'll have a longer, and more fruitful career. And life, which is what it's all about anyhow! :-)Juliethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15976070641808614538noreply@blogger.com