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How long did it really take famous authors to write their books?

We can't all be Stephen King or John Sandford or Jodi Picoult, churning out a book — or more — per year. Some writers work at a breakneck pace, while others write more glacially.

 the time it took 30 authors to write their masterpieces, from 6 days to 16 years. Here are a few highlights: 

"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson — 6 days

Some of Stevenson's biographers have suggested there may have been illicit substances fueling this six-day writing binge.

"As I Lay Dying" by William Faulkner — 6 weeks

Faulkner famously said that he wrote this classic in just six weeks, sitting down to write every night from midnight until 4 a.m. And he didn't even edit: He claimed the first draft was the final one.

"Casino Royale" by Ian Fleming — 2 months

It took a mere two months for Fleming to give us James Bond, the famous British spy who has endured for decades.

"The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald — 2.5 years

"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

Fitzgerald was paddling for almost three years to produce this Jazz Age classic.

"The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger — 4 years

Plotting out this time-bending novel took several years, and a huge stack of index cards. (Which year is it again?)

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling — 6 years

Rowling famously started writing "Harry Potter" on napkins at a cafe. It took six years to bring the Boy Who Lived to life. That's a lot of napkins.

"The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger — 10 years

"J.D. Salinger spent 10 years writing 'The Catcher in the Rye' and the rest of his life regretting it." That comes from "Salinger," an in-depth look at the notoriously reclusive author, by David Shields and Shane Salerno.

"The Lord of the Rings" trilogy — 16 years

 try creating an entire world with thousands of years of history and dozens of languages and see how long it takes you.

Arts and Culture

The Thread® - Books and Literary News

Tracy Mumford

Author

Some writers (looking at you, Stephen King) can churn out two books in a year. Some writers take more than a decade. Here's a look at how long it took to write your favorite book.

Thread producer Tracy Mumford talked about the books that took 6 days and 16 years.

How long does it take to write a bestseller?

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