I'm fairly new to Constant Content and happy to be here. I have read a lot of the forum, but there's no way I can read it all. I also read about writing on other websites. I have encountered blog posts by article writers who say they can crank out an original 400-500 word article in 15-20 minutes. I find that to be spectacular article writing considering it takes me around an hour to research and compose my thoughts and then another 15-30 minutes to write. And, let's not forget the editing part.
I was curious about how long it takes you to write an article from start to finish.
It's good to meet you all.
How long does it take you to create an article?
Moderators: Celeste Stewart, Ed
How long does it take you to create an article?
Last edited by BrownEyes on Tue Jun 14, 2011 11:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: How long does it take you to create an article?
Rarely less than two hours for me, including coming up with the keywords and summary.
I've had a few go way over that, and I usually don't offer full rights when that happens. I couldn't charge enough to get my time back so I offer usage only. One took eight hours and another thirteen, so those are purely usage only
I've got two I'm working on now that are research heavy and probably at four hours each. I will offer full rights even though my hourly wage will end up much lower (I calculate the price by word count, not time spent.) As both are issues where I'm learning something that I want to learn, I'll chalk it up.
Every now and again I get one done in an hour or hour and a half, but that is very rare.
Final answer: Two hours for the majority.
I suspect that people may not be counting all of their time spent. I track my time for writing, keywords, summary, proofing, and checking it on a different computer that has MS Word.
I've had a few go way over that, and I usually don't offer full rights when that happens. I couldn't charge enough to get my time back so I offer usage only. One took eight hours and another thirteen, so those are purely usage only
I've got two I'm working on now that are research heavy and probably at four hours each. I will offer full rights even though my hourly wage will end up much lower (I calculate the price by word count, not time spent.) As both are issues where I'm learning something that I want to learn, I'll chalk it up.
Every now and again I get one done in an hour or hour and a half, but that is very rare.
Final answer: Two hours for the majority.
I suspect that people may not be counting all of their time spent. I track my time for writing, keywords, summary, proofing, and checking it on a different computer that has MS Word.
Re: How long does it take you to create an article?
For me, it very much depends on the subject. Some subjects I know very well can see me crank out a 500 word article in 10 minutes, or even 1,000 words in 20 to 25 minutes if I've got a real flow going and I know what I want to get across. After that, editing can take maybe another 15 to 20 minutes for a 500 word article, half an hour or so for a 1,000 words. Again, this is dependent on me knowing the subject well.
In keeping with most article writers, I take much longer when I have to do research on a subject I'm not familiar with. Luckily, I was a technical writer in a previous life, so over the years I've developed the knack of being able to read a few different sources and then quickly cut to the chase on what I want to say. Generally I hobby write and not for commissions, so if a 500 - 1,000 word freshly researched article is taking longer than 45 minutes to get on the page, I'll abandon it and revisit it another time. For me, taking that long is a sign that I'm not clear in my own mind what I want to say and so signals the need to think more before committing to the page.
In keeping with most article writers, I take much longer when I have to do research on a subject I'm not familiar with. Luckily, I was a technical writer in a previous life, so over the years I've developed the knack of being able to read a few different sources and then quickly cut to the chase on what I want to say. Generally I hobby write and not for commissions, so if a 500 - 1,000 word freshly researched article is taking longer than 45 minutes to get on the page, I'll abandon it and revisit it another time. For me, taking that long is a sign that I'm not clear in my own mind what I want to say and so signals the need to think more before committing to the page.