Ted Bell Quotes

I spend about a year between novels.

Each of my books took roughly one and a half years to write. Some may have taken a shorter time to write the draft and a longer time to revise, while others were the opposite.

Usually it takes me about nine to 12 months to write a book.

I don't read books regularly, because I'm always writing them. I've written 30 books, thousands of pages.

I really have reached a point where I can write a book about all of this.

It depends on the book and what else is going on during my life, but it usually takes me about six months to write and revise the first draft.

Oh you know, I've been writing a novel.

When I began to write and used a typewriter, I went through three drafts of a book before showing it to an editor.

I take a very long time to write my books - from five to ten years.

Writing takes a lot of patience. It usually takes me a year to write a book. One time, it took me 14 years to write a book, not that I worked on it every day.

I have to go make books. Sorry about that.

Here's the secret to finishing that first book. Don't rewrite as you go.

Everyone wants to write a book. Very few people are able to do it.

I'm remembering one book that I wrote, 'Fourth Grade Rats,' that took a month to write, but most of them, full-length novels, I would say about a year.

Over a four-month period, I sat down and wrote every day. And then there was a novel, and all of a sudden, there were agents and offers.

I don't read my books, I write them. Once I've finished the many years it usually takes me to write them, I can't bear to read them, because I've spent too long with them already. I'm not advertising them very well, am I?

I always thought it would be so much fun to write a book.

You write a lot of books; you hope you get better.

I'm publicizing the book that's done. I'm writing the book that's in the hopper, and I'm doing a little advance research on the book to come.

Try writing a book, dude. That's difficult.

There are many challenges I face while working on a book. Working within deadlines and schedules is certainly one of the bigger ones for me. I want to create the best possible book I can for my readers with words and pictures - and that takes time to get it just right.

The writing process, it's too mysterious to try and describe.

Some stories or passages are more difficult and demand more fussing with than others, but, in general, I'm a two-draft writer rather than a six-draft writer, or whatever.

People think writing a children's book is something you could do in an afternoon but it's actually really hard.

I always write on unlined typing paper and write the first draft in longhand, using cheap Bic pens. I try to write about four pages a day, which usually yields a first draft in six months. I don't plot ahead of time, so I'm flying by the seat of my pants for the first draft.