I don’t know if I’ve ever answered the question “How long did it take you to write your novel?” the same way twice. I don’t mean to lie — it’s just that it’s a loaded question, to say the least.
This week, I answered the question at length for Slate. Please check it out.
I’m getting the feeling, already, that I’m not alone. What a wonderful thing to know.
–Sd
Susanna: Thank you so much for having the courage to write the article in Slate: “What Took You so Long?” My college-age daughter sent it to me because she knows how I am suffering a similar hell. I have been writing my characters for over 20 years now.
I finished novel number one,in what I hope to be a series, in 1993. With an agent in tow I worked on the second book, went through a divorce and for the next ten years, raised three teenagers by myself, putting down the novels to run a business so I could support my family. I too got an MFA in Creative Writing. I graduated in 2008, but have yet to finish the novel that was my creative thesis. Your article is printed and sitting on my writing desk. I am newly inspired. Thank you again!
Kate Cone, Waterville, Maine