In a recent discussion in kboards, an author lamented the cost and time needed for a good editor to edit his novel. He asserted that a really good editor should need no more than a week to "read" a 70,000+ word manuscript.

I laughed so hard my eyes watered.

Aside from my time at Foxfire (the student-led magazine) back in the '80s, the first real editing I did was for an article submitted to the small genealogical society newsletter I edit. The article ended up being about six to seven pages long (text only), but that was after about three to four weeks of back-and-forth communications between the author and me. From the time the author turned in the article to the time of its publication, I put in ten to fifteen hours just for editing.

Another common concern on kboards is the amount of time it takes to write the manuscript for a full-length novel. Some assert (absurdly enough) that a quickly produced manuscript equals a low-quality novel. Like the gentleman above, these people wrongly assume that all of the work goes into the front end of creating a novel, i.e. in plotting and writing the manuscript, and not into the back end jobs of editing and revision.

The truth is quite different. Quality novels come about because the author and his or her editorial team spend as much time polishing (editing and revising) as the author does on plotting and writing. The speed with which the first draft is produced has absolutely no bearing on what happens to it afterward; in fact, there's no correlation between the time it takes to write the first draft and the quality of the finished work...as long as the manuscript has been thoroughly subjected to scrutiny by a series of editors (developmental, copy, etc.) and revised accordingly by the author.

I keep strict track of the time it takes to write the first draft of each novella and novel I produce. Part of this is so that I can refine my writing process, and part is so that I can measure my productivity and stay on some sort of schedule.

Editing and revision is a different story. I don't keep track of those at all because they're ongoing activities, but I can measure their effectiveness through my personal writing process. Since I write at night, my writing "day" is spread over a couple of days, but it typically looks like this:

• Write at least 2500 words in complete scenes (2.5 - 3 hours).
• As soon as the scenes are written, read them and make corrections to spelling, punctuation, and grammar; add in any words that were skipped; do a light revision to clarify and/or insert notes on lengthier additions/revisions and places where research is needed (1/2 hour per scene).
• The next day, print the previous night's work and read over it, making changes as noted above as well as any developmental (plot) changes or corrections (1/2 hour per scene).
• Have Richard (my developmental editor) read and make corrections/offer suggestions; discuss (1/2 hour, more or less).
• At the start of the next writing session, read the scenes again and make needed corrections (1/2 hour total).

Several times while writing the first draft, I will also go back and read the entire manuscript, making changes as needed for things like making dialogue sharper or keeping a character in, er, character. I often insert small changes into earlier parts of the story as things come up in later parts. 

Once the entire manuscript is finished, I print it and go over it thoroughly. At this point, I'm usually not looking for errors typically spotted by a proofreader, but for flaws in the story itself. Depending upon the length and complexity of the story, this can take anywhere from a week to a month or more, during which time I try to fix problems as they crop up. Once I'm finished, I print it out again and give it to Richard, who goes over it with a critical eye; he usually takes at least a couple of weeks. Finally, he gives the manuscript back to me with any notes he's made on problems/fixes and I go over it again. The manuscript receives a final read-through before being published.

The whole process is incredibly time-consuming. Errors remain no matter how thoroughly a manuscript is vetted, but this kind of process weeds out most of them. 

And, of course, it's not all about editing; it's about revision. Too many people conflate those actions because they misunderstand the writing process. Revision involves fixing craft problems (plot, dialogue, etc.) as well as mechanical ones (spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.). Two different kinds of editors are needed to help spot these flaws, but having someone make editorial suggestions does no good if a writer refuses to follow through and make changes to (i.e. revise) the manuscript.

While I can pop out the first draft of a full-length novel in anywhere from 30 - 75 days, a relatively quick speed, it takes much longer to polish the manuscript and turn it into a finished product. When setting my writing schedule, I try to allow at least four to five months to write and polish a story before I expect to publish it. I know it's difficult for readers to wait that long, but that generally gives me enough time to craft a really great read. 

In the end, the amount of time it takes for a writer to go from concept to published story will differ depending upon that individual's process, but the goal should always be to do justice to the story itself so that readers have the best experience possible.