On Writing Fast

I was having lunch with a writer friend of mine who was happily telling me about her new series. It sounded fantastic, which is nothing less than what I would expect of her, she’s a great writer who writes really creative stories. But then she told me something that absolutely blew me away: She is planning on publishing a book in this series every two months starting this January.

Now that wouldn’t be that mind-blowing except that she’s only just finished writing the first book. So she’s planning on writing the second book, and quite possibly much of the third in a little over two months! Wait, what?

“Yes,” she said with a shrug and a huge grin on her face, “the second is already started and the third is plotted out.” Might I mention here that she only came up with the idea for this series this past summer?

Okay. First of all, it amazes me that she can write two books at once. Secondly, they’re consecutive books in the same series. Third, she can write a book in two months, comfortably? Possibly even a book and a half — because she’s writing two at once, remember?

That is what blows my mind! Oh, and she works a part-time job and has two little boys. I’m beginning to wonder if she sleeps!

She looked and sounded happy–obsessed with her books, but who wouldn’t be when they’re writing something new and exciting. I would have gushed to her about my new book as much as she gushed to me about hers, only I had other things to gush about (my impending trip to Asia and such).

I feel like a shlub next to her. It takes me months to write one book and there is no way I could write two at once. My brain just can’t split focus like that.  I am hoping to get my current WIP done in, oh, I don’t know, two or three months. I’ve already been working on it for one month, so, maybe it takes me three to four months to write a book.

I know other people who can’t imagine writing a book in six months. Others take a year or more. So what is it that makes my friend able to write so fast?

Perhaps it is her intensity which allows the words to flow. She is completely involved in her story, in the world. It seems to be nearly all she thinks about. And when she’s working her other job or taking care of the kids, I can just imagine that her unconscious mind is working hard creating new plot lines or moving her story forward so that when she actually sits down to write it just pours out. But it’s really got to be an intense focus that she has to be able to write so fast. It’s the only thing that I can think of.

I’m astounded, and thrilled, that she’s writing so well. I also can’t wait to read what she’s written–I’m going to beta read her first book for her (she promised to get it to me by this weekend, so as you’re reading this, I might be reading that).

So how fast do you write? Could you write a book in two months? Do you? Can you write more than one at a time? I’m curious! Please share!