How long does it take YOU to write a short story?

[AibreanShowers]

I just wondered, because I just finished one (unless I look at it again) It took me about 3 weeks and was less than 1300 words. I feel like at this rate, I may as well forget about ever writing a novel. I know everyone works at their own pace, I'm just interested to hear people's thoughts. If anyone says two days, I'm snapping all my pencils in half! Thanks so much for your input.

[TerryRodgers]

[AibreanShowers]

....Snap....

[AibreanShowers]

Initially, I came up with roughly 1100 words, it's the editing, more editing and more editing that is slowing me up The story comes easily at first but then I get bogged down, maybe too much?

[Laycrew]

It gets easier with practice. The more you write, the easier it gets. I spent over a month working a short story over. I didn't write it in one sitting either. But it was also a scary story and giant step out of my comfort zone. I worked pretty hard on it and sent it out and it got accepted in the anthology I wrote it for. I think it could be beginners luck because I have written a couple more. I produced them much faster and they are still circulating the submission circuit right now.

The more I work on writing, the faster I produce a finished product. I have several complete novels right now. Some have taken me a few years to write, and the latest one a couple months.

[LMGilbert]

I'm SO SLOW. I can have most of a short short story (700-1000 words) roughed in within a day or two, but the revising can take much, much longer. The thing that usually takes longest is figuring out how to get from the "almost" end to the "actual" end of the story. There's always this foggy, dark chasm of unknown territory to cross between two points that I can see clearly. Sometimes I use stilts to get across...

[AibreanShowers]

Thank you lmgilbert and laycrew, I so appreciate your answers

[DrG2]

Most of my short stories are written in one sitting. Sometimes it takes two days. Then potentially days of revision.

[LilliesCarol]

Sometimes short stories come to me in a flash and I can do them in one sitting. Like the first time I ever wrote a short story, it took two hours sitting in my back yard. I submitted it to an editor and it was sold. That doesn't happen all the time, but it sure was a confidence booster.

[AibreanShowers]

Wow, lilliescarol, I'm impressed, and a little envious! Thanks for sharing that