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Aspiring Writers

One question I hear often from aspiring authors is Ms. Angie, how long does it take you to write a book? Well, that really depends on what type of book I am writing. Romance? Mystery? Women’s  fiction?

A romance takes sixty days.

My secret is…, I just simply do it. I handwrite an outline then I sit in front of my computer and I get started nonstop. And I do mean nonstop. No editing. No rereading. Nothing. Nada. Zip. I’m not allowed to read what I have written until it’s over. By doing that, I free myself to focus on just one thing. Writing. And go at it nonstop. Of course the book is extremely rough. Sometimes there is nothing but dialogue for pages, but at least this way I have a general idea of how long the story is going to be and how many love scenes are going to be required. LOL. If I have a chapter I’m not feeling, I just write a few lines then type NEED TO FINISH ANGELA! (no one calls me Angela but my mother) in big letters and I move on to the next scene. By doing that I am able to flesh out an entire book in 30 days. Yes. 30 days. Afterwards, that’s when the rewrites begin.

Writing isn’t supposed to feel like hard work. It should be fun. As an author you have to find ways to make the experience enjoyable. As a result, I have the best job in the world.