John Grisham's Disciplined Writing Routine - Six Months to Write a Novel
He has described a routine in which he starts a new book around January 1, writes in the mornings, and aims for roughly 1,000 words a day. He has said that if he maintains that pace, he can produce a first draft of approximately 100,000 words in about 100 writing days. He then spends additional time revising and editing.
Grisham has also talked about having the story substantially worked out before he begins writing. He typically creates a fairly detailed outline, which allows him to write steadily rather than figuring out the plot as he goes.
So, as a useful benchmark:
Outline/planning → about 100 days of actual writing → revisions → roughly 6 months from beginning to finished manuscript.
That's particularly impressive considering that many of his novels run 300–400 pages, and he has maintained an almost annual publication schedule for decades.






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