30 Days of Writing Questions - Day 23

23. How long does it usually take you to complete

an entire story—from planning to writing?

Dude, that various so much it's not really possible to answer. I can write a short story in a weekend, a movie in two-three months, a TV in a year, and some books I've been working on for 15 years. So it depends on the project, how detailed it is and/or how much research I have to do, and how long it is. Also the biggest thing is how obsessed with it I am at any given time. The more focused and obsessed I am at the time the more quickly I write it, but I guess that's sort of obvious and natural. Also deadlines really help me with writing. Also, I tend to come up with an idea and let it simmer in my brain for weeks or months (or years) and when it's ready to be written I'll start writing it and it tends to pour out onto the page at the point.

This is probably the longest writing project that I've been working on

15 years and it's still not done!