I can’t speak for other writers, but the amount of time it takes for me to write anything feels like more than it is. I average a page an hour while working on a novel, novella or short story. Blogs are entirely different. I don’t put in time outlining and editing numerous revisions before posting. With outlining and edits, that one page turns into two or even three hours of total work invested. That means a book, like The Last Incarnation, took me somewhere around 1,050 hours – for that edition. There’s actually an earlier version of that book, which I completely rewrote after months of research.
I’d guess that 1,050 hours actually translates to around three months of work. Sure, it can take me up to a year to finish a novel, but that’s because I tend to take breaks in between and do nothing but play video games. Which is a terrible habit! I always have a hard time coming back to the work, knowing how many hours lay ahead. I’m in that situation right now. I’ve just come back to working on The Warden’s Legacy. I’m 100 pages in, with probably another 100 to 200 pages to go. I’m trying to post three chapters a week on my Patreon, which is roughly 30 pages each week.
It’s one of those things that keeps me motivated to write: accountability. Knowing I have someone waiting for that next chapter keeps my mind focused on the work and not on some new game release. That was actually one of the reasons that led to Sharon Skinner and I working on Supernal Dawn together. I was in between novels, stuck in that rut of wanting to write again but dreading it too. It’s a lot of work. It’s mentally and physically exhausting, and the fear of it being terrible when I’m done just looms over me the entire time. Working together on a novel kept me focused and excited about the writing.
I don’t know when the final release date is, but the artwork is close to finished. Supernal Dawn will be our first superhero fantasy novel, sort of a step up from the Haven series. It will be interesting to see how it’s received. I’d love to keep working on that world and its characters, but ultimately sales will determine that.
If you’re at all interested in reading my novels before they get to print, consider taking a look at my Patreon page. Once I finish The Warden’s Legacy, I intend to post a poll to see what I work on next. It could be a continuation of something I’ve already done or something entirely new. I’ve set things up so that just a dollar a month gives everyone full access to all the stories. The other levels have various rewards, but everyone gets access to whatever I’m working on.