38: Analysis for Increasing Writing Speed (Time Reduction)
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Even for novels written by the same person, there are some that take time to write, and others that can be written in a strangely short time.
Actually, I recently had a work that
I was able to write surprisingly fast, so for the sake of future writing speed improvement, I decided to self-analyze how the writing method differs from my previous novels. (By the way, the novel that I was able to write strangely fast (for me) is here↓)
Honestly, I have doubts about whether "writing fast is good," but I think it's certain that it's a skill that is "better to have than not."
Also, what I am analyzing and considering here is strictly a "method to write fast," not a "method to write well."
I think this story might not be very meaningful for those who can already write fast, and you might end up discarding something in exchange for being able to write fast, so I recommend viewing this as just one of the many writing methods in the world
for reference. What I mean by "wrote fast" here is not just that the writing time itself was short, but it also includes the time from when I decided to "write" until I actually finished it to a certain point... including the "
short preparation period" as well... In the case of the work above, it took about two weeks from the time I decided to write it until I finished writing the ending of Part 1 (while working during the day on weekdays & working on other novels simultaneously). First, one of the reasons I was able to write fast is that I "
did not
" take on any new challenges. I have often "challenged myself with genres I have never written before" or "dared to challenge genres I felt weak in," but the aforementioned "Captive Princess..." had almost none
of those "challenges," and I wrote it "using only my existing skills and knowledge."
Challenging genres I have never tried before or genres I am weak in carries a high "risk of the pen stopping while writing," and if it is something "I did not have knowledge of until then" such as "challenging a historical piece for the first time," it takes time to
research and learn that new knowledge. Also, I think it is a big factor that this time I made it a "worldview that doesn't require research." Even if you say fantasy, I think there are various types, from full-scale ones modeled after real European history to "images" that are fluffy like a game world, to "
fake medieval Europe
" ones. And naturally, if it is a "full-scale" one based on real European history or systems, it takes time and effort to research materials
.
Also, the more you give the worldview uniqueness and incorporate original elements, the more time and effort it takes to "explain" those original elements, and
it becomes difficult to write. In other words, if you keep the realism and originality modest and create a worldview with only a fluffy "general fantasy novel image," it becomes much easier to write.
(The "modest originality" mentioned here is about the "worldview," not that I don't incorporate originality into the characters or story. I think if I hold back on that, the charm will go DOWN...)
However, depending on your personality,
conversely, you might "become unable to write" because of that. If the author themselves is not "convinced" by the worldview of the novel, they might end up hating to write it halfway through, or the pen might stop.
It is often the case that it doesn't work if you cannot forgive "inconsistencies" in the story or if you have doubts about the story world...
Actually, I am quite that type, and because of that, I had been unable to write this type of novel for a long time, but...
At one point, I suddenly "realized" it, as if the puzzle pieces clicked into place.
"If you say you cannot be convinced by a nonsensical worldview, you should just make it a world where it is natural that it is 'nonsensical' from the beginning."
Since I realized that, my pen started moving frighteningly smoothly.
To be honest, for a
comedy
novel, a "pushed through" worldview that is nonsensical and chaotic is more suitable and easier to write than a realistic worldview...
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