The one I am currently querying took about 8 months total. The first draft took about 2 months, and the second draft another 2. The rest of the time was outlining, beta reading, and editing.
I have an ever-changing lifestyle, so it completely depends on the month. I think the most I ever did was 8000 words on a particularly good day. I try to get 2000 a day, but that doesn't always happen. Overall, my standard goal is 10,000 words a week--but, like I said, it really just depends.
88,000 words
Not nearly as much as I should. I shoot for 20 hours a week, while I maintain my day job and other responsibilities. I rarely get up to that, if ever. Unfortunately, writing (at this stage) is very solitary and very self-disciplined. On top of that, drafting a novel isn't something most people can do for 8 hours straight on a work day. I try to keep lots of variety in my work day to help me get those hours in, but the truth is I am still figuring it out. My best days will get 4-5 hours of work, and my worst will get 0. I think I probably average 2-3 hours, depending on my current lifestyle.
Stephen King said, "If you want to be a writer, you must do two things: read a lot and write a lot." I tend to remember it as "write a lot, and read more," which I think is better. Personally, I struggle with reading more than the average writer. I have a goal of 2 novels a week--one in paper and one in audio. The audiobooks are pretty consistent, but the paperbacks are less so. Obviously, things like book length affect this (Kings's It has taken me a lot longer than a week), but that's my general goal.
Anything other than novels? Yes. I'm not as consistent with short stories and essays, but I do read and study these as well. I also watch a lot of movies and TV shows (both for fun and to study).
And one more thing: I'm not experienced enough or successful enough to be giving advice, but I'll do it just this once. READ! I tried to get around that for a long time, believing that, if I asked enough questions and went to enough classes, I could figure out how to write better. BUT READING IS INTEGRAL. You must read to be a writer.
Terribly. I sent my first query on January 31, 2026, and I sent my 239th on September 30, 2026. I had heard that about 150-200 queries will suffice before you put the book back on the shelf. I initially planned to hold to that but eventually decided, "Why not just query to everyone available?" Agents open and close throughout the year, so over those eight months, I queried a few every week, adding newly-opened agents to my list as I went. There are new agents that have since opened, but after 239, I decided it was probably time to stop. I didn't want to be waiting on rejection letters well into 2027.
And how successful were those 239 queries? Not successful. Though I am still waiting on about 40, I have received almost 200 rejections, including implied rejections (when it's been long enough to consider it a pass). Out of all those, I received a whopping 2 manuscript requests. Both were rejected.
I try to have 5 pieces out to 5 magazines at a time. I like to start at the top with the most prestigious publishers and then work down to the little ones. After submitting to about 20-25 magazines, I decide this one will be a jcgraham.com exclusive!
And for specifics:
"When It's Okay to Say Shit" was rejected 3 times before being accepted by Blue Mesa Review. I then withdrew it from the other 4.
"Ruthie" was rejected a total of 30 times before I pulled it. I started submitting it in March 2024 and ended in July 2026.
I do currently have 5 other pieces out, but I'll keep the specifics to myself until publishing. As of now, I have 15-25 rejections on all of them, while awaiting a possible acceptance.
For querying novels: I had agents respond same-day, as well as agents that took 6 months. Many didn't respond at all. It really depends on the agent, but almost all will take at least a month.
For submitting short form: The quickest magazines I know of take less than a week. The longest ones take a year (I usually choose to avoid those). I'd say the average is maybe less than six months? Magazines are way more consistent about responding than agents are, in my experience. So I do usually get a response eventually. They'll often give you an expected time frame, and you can send a follow-up if it's been longer than that.