How To Write a Book a Month
Can it be done? The writing of an entire novel over a single calendar month? Well, if you look at the back catalogue of some of the world’s most prolific writers (details to follow), a book in a month might seem like a leisurely hobby.
So, what is the key to writing an entire novel in one month?
This article explores how to develop good habits to help you become more productive by examining how prolific writers manage to produce quality work at speed.
Ready? Buckle in, and get ready to become more productive.
Who is the world’s most prolific writer?
While authors such as Stephen King and Agatha Christie are well-known for their sizeable portfolios (85 and 80, respectively), they’re nowhere near the world’s most prolific published writers.
And while many of these writers are now resting their well-exercised fingers for eternity, some haven’t even hit the apex of their output yet.
The world’s most prolific published writers are:
Corrin Tellado
Spanish writer Corrin Tellado published more than 4000 romantic novels between 1945 and 2009. That’s an average of 63 novels yearly (or five a month).
And while you might think that anyone can knock out 4000 pieces of trash, the vast majority of Corrin’s output found its way onto best-seller lists throughout the Spanish-speaking territories, selling more than 400 million copies.
She was also declared the second most-read Spanish writer by UNESCO and was listed in the 1994 Guinness World Records for selling the highest volume of Spanish-language books globally.
So, that puts things in perspective, doesn’t it?
What was Corrin Tellado’s productivity secret?
Write in the morning.
Allegedly, she began writing at 5 am every morning, armed with just a cup of coffee.
If we analyze this simple habit for a moment, it makes total sense. Five am might seem like an ungodly hour, but isn’t it best to start writing when the rest of the world is asleep?
So, the secret of Tellado’s success is to find a quiet, distraction-free time during the day.
Ryoki Inoue
Brazilian author Ryoki Inoue published his first novel in 1986 and has since written 1075 novels under 39 pseudonyms. That’s a whopping 22 novels a year (or almost two a month). And many of them are best-sellers.
The secret to his considerable portfolio is his dedication — once he starts writing a book, he writes continuously night and day without a single break until he reaches the end.
In fact, he has written entire novels over a single 24-hour period.
He is famously known for saying:
“The secret of the creative process is 98% sweat, 1% talent, and 1% luck.”
Other prolific authors
Some of the more well-known authors on the most-prolific list include Enid Blyton (more than 800), Barbara Cartland (700), and Isaac Asimov (more than 500) over their lifetimes.
Barbara Cartland’s secret formula was to dictate her words to a secretary while she rested on her sofa with a hot water bottle, and her dogs at her feet. Using this approach, she could produce 7000 words in an afternoon and complete a 50,000-word novel in 15 days.
Isaac Asimov wrote all the time. He said he would write seven days a week, starting between 9.30 and 10 am daily. He typed more than 90 words a minute until he reached the end of his working day at 5 pm, rarely stopping for more than a speedy lunch or coffee break. Then, after dinner and time with his wife and kids, he went back to work, writing until 10 pm.
Not all writers are speed writers
However, other authors take much longer to write.
For example, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby took almost three years to complete, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone took six years to complete, and J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings took sixteen years to finish.
However, with discipline and a lot of hard work, it’s possible to write a novel in a month.
So, what is the secret of the most prolific authors’ success?
The arithmetic of writing a book in a month
A typical adult fiction book comprises between 70,000 and 120,000 words, although depending on who you speak to, more than 110,000 words is sometimes considered too long.
So, let’s take the slap-bang-in-the-middle average — your novel will be 95,000 words.
How many words should I write in a day?
Assuming you’re going to write every day without fail, we’ll divide your word count by 30 (the average number of days in a calendar month).
So, 95,000 words ÷ 30 = 3166 words a day.
However, if this is your first novel, maybe go for a more conservative word count of 70,000, which requires you to write 2333 words a day, and might be more achievable.
How many words does it take to write a page of a novel?
A standard published page is around 250 words in 12-point Times New Roman, but it depends on your chosen font while you write.
While there’s no “average” book, a typical publication is between 200 and 350 pages. Admittedly, that’s quite a range; I advise writing as many pages as your story warrants. Don’t pad it out unnecessarily.
So, if you’ve hit 200 pages and the story feels like it has come to a natural conclusion, be happy with that.
Which font should I use for creative writing?
Some writers find inspiration from particular fonts. For example, those with scotopic sensitivity (a form of dyslexia) might write in the freely available Open Dyslexic font to help increase concentration while writing and prevent the words from moving around the page.
Additionally, that most-ridiculed of all fonts, Comic Sans, is reputed to help release writers from the dreaded writer’s block. So, if you’re struggling to get the words out of your head and onto the page, try a different font.
Change the font after proofreading
But remember to change the font to a more standard typeface, such as Courier, Times New Roman, or Arial when you send your manuscript to an editor or agent or when self-publishing.
Can I take a day off from writing?
It’s always a good idea to pace yourself, but if you need a day off, you’ll only hit your target if you double your efforts the following day.
How long does it take the average person to finish a book?
Is it good to write a novel in a month?
Giving yourself a target and a deadline are always helpful ways to get you writing. After all, writers are often considered the world’s most adept procrastinators.
Some of the main advantages of setting yourself an achievable goal like a month’s deadline are:
- It gets you writing. If you’ve suffered the dreaded writer’s block, a deadline can relight the fire that gets you sitting in your seat and putting words to the page.
- The discipline of a daily word count helps establish a routine — again, a particularly advantageous way of overcoming writer’s block.
- Writing to a target word count prevents perfectionism.
Just get it on the page
Perhaps the final bullet point seems like an odd comment. Surely, it’s good to be a perfectionist, isn’t it?
Well, let’s pick that apart.
First, it’s helpful to acknowledge that nothing any author writes pops out perfectly formed. Writing is a craft, and it requires plenty of fine-tuning. After all, writing is rewriting.
Many writers edit as they go. While that’s a valid approach, there are more helpful paths if you are aiming for a first draft within a month.
You could consider your month’s deadline as the material-gathering process — rough it out and keep going. Then, the real work is to go back and edit.
Rough out your first draft
You know how many words you need to write each day. So, ensure you complete each day’s word count before you edit.
Separate the tasks. For example, many writers benefit from a basic routine, such as:
- Morning — rough out the required word count
- Lunch — take an hour away from the project entirely.
- Afternoon — read, edit, and fine-tune your day’s contribution to the whole.
Be satisfied with a rough draft and keep going — avoid re-reading as you work; it will interrupt your flow.
How to start a month-long novel writing project
Some of us are pantsers, while others are planners. A pantser writes from the seat of the pants, discovering and exploring as they go. On the other hand, planners spend time creating an outline before they write.
Write an outline
Starting with a rough outline is a good idea if you aim to write a book in one month. This means that you’ll have a clear objective for each day’s writing with no faff about inspiration — you’re simply fulfilling a predetermined story section.
Even pantsers benefit from an outline, however rough. That way, you’re simply filling in the gaps.
Your outline could consist of single lines briefly describing what happens or more detailed paragraphs that further break down the action.
Either way, I’d definitely recommend having some kind of outline document so that you can get started as soon as you sit at your computer, typewriter, or notepad.
Clear your calendar to write
Writing your novel on such a tight schedule is a tall order, so try to clear your calendar. If you have a full-time job, book some vacation (or PTO) time or set aside your lunch breaks; if you have a family, set aside writing time once you’ve sent the kids to school or put them down for a nap.
Ultimately, you’ll only hit your deadline by applying your backside to the seat and tapping away at your keyboard (or pressing the pen tip to the paper).
Think about when you prefer to write — in the morning or at night. Create an official schedule for writing — set aside the time in your calendar, ensuring you won’t double-book yourself.
Write in a distraction-free zone
Focused writing requires a distraction-free environment.
So, here are our tips for creating a distraction-free zone:
Create an altar for writing
Find a space in your home or office where you can work uninterrupted and create an altar to writing.
It could be your couch, desk chair, or even a local coffee shop, but wherever you choose, go to the same place each day. This sends a signal to your brain that it’s time to write.
Ideally, find a space with a door you can close and clear your desk and the surrounding walls of distractions.
If you can’t work in silence, find an ambient music playlist. Personally, I can’t work with vocal music in the background — my ear is drawn to the words, and we want no distractions.
Assess your altar’s success
Your writing environment needs to work for you. So, if you realize part-way through the month that you’re not as focused as you could be, consider changing your routine.
Perhaps your desk space is too distracting, or maybe it’s unstimulating. Perhaps the space is too quiet or noisy. It could be that your writing application is too distracting.
Make any necessary changes; it could be the difference between hitting your deadline and losing your project’s impetus.
Read other writer’s work
You might get stuck midway through the month. Maybe you can’t quite find the right device to express an action sequence, or perhaps you feel you lack personal experience to describe the world you’re exploring.
Make the time to read published works in your genre. Sometimes, reading other works can help you recognize what you’re struggling to express in your own storytelling.
Keep up the pace of writing
Pace yourself as you go. After all, it can be tempting to keep writing over your assigned word count when you’re in the flow, and there’s nothing wrong with that if it occurs. But don’t expect yourself to exceed your word count every day.
The intention is to meet the finish line within the month — there are no extra prizes for crossing the line more quickly.
You may stumble
You might find that life occasionally gets in the way, and you fail to meet your word count. Don’t give up — keep writing. While it’s bound to happen, sticking to your new regime is essential.
Getting into the habit of writing daily is a part of the process. Soon, you’ll find your day feels a little empty without writing.
The goal here is to establish good habits. Perhaps after your initial 30 days, you’ll find that you can adjust your daily word count, or you might decide not to write 7 days a week.
Don’t be a slave to your new routine
This might seem like contradictory advice, but not everyone is cut out to write an entire novel in a month. Maybe you find the daily word count inhibitive.
In this case, consider what is achievable for you. You could write a novella or a short story collection instead.
Or perhaps you discover fiction isn’t your thing. So, try another genre or form. Either way, treat writing as your day job and less of a hobby. Develop a routine that works for you — if writing between the hours of 9 and 5 works best for you, stick with that.
Remind yourself of your objectives
Setting yourself a challenge like this is about finding the discipline to write daily. It’s not a sprint or a race — it’s about finding a way to release your creativity.
So, stop talking about writing. Create an altar to your craft that encourages you to write, and get those words on the page.
After all, if the words don’t exist yet, all you have are ideas.
Relay Publishing is here for you!
Relay Publishing thrives on enthusiastic, passionate, and prolific writers. We publish hundreds of novels every year, and we’re always looking to collaborate with new ghostwriters.
So, enjoy your challenge. We’d LOVE to read whatever you come up with. Find out more about us — perhaps this could be the start of a beautiful relationship!
Thanks for reading.
