This is not a bashing post. I’ve sometimes wondered how author’s can release multiple books a year, one in particular I follow has 4? series simultaneously going on and being released on a yearly basis. That’s at least 4 books/year (although there are also one shots that might add to that), and I don’t mean to compare myself, but everyone does sometimes. I don’t mean that publishing multiple books a year is bad or wrong or makes those books less good, trust me, I have read and loved many a book! It’s just that it got me thinking about myself.
I’m, a year and 6 weeks-ish into writing book 1 and I feel close to being finished, but I’ve felt close for the last 2 months. What’s to say I won’t feel close for the next 6? I wanted to finish it on Christmas break, and then I wanted to finish by the 1yr anniversary, and then my birthday and on and on, but the book will be done when it’s done. I realized a lot of the author’s who publish so many books are one shot authors. They sit down, write the book in one shot and then send it to the editor, but I’m not like that.
I don’t think I could ever be like that. I don’t mean that I can’t sit down and write the book in one shot, because both book 1 and my NaNo book were written in one shot, but the level of personal editing and adding and changing and cutting that I feel the need to do before it’s “perfect” could never allow me to send it to an editor as soon as it’s finished. I miss too much in my rush to finish it. It’s not until I go back again and again that I see everything that could be better about it. I’m not saying those other authors miss stuff for writing it in one shot, I’m just meaning me personally, I miss things. And that’s okay. It’s okay that I don’t finish multiple books a year. It’s okay that it’s taken me this long to slowly poke and prod everything out of book 1.
Ultimately as an author, I need to strive for the level of perfection that suits me, and if I’m a bit insecure and feel the need to take longer to finish a book, that’s okay. I’m still learning what makes a book great, and that’s what I want. I don’t want a good book, I want a great book, so I will keep working until it’s the level of great that I would expect from the author’s I look up to. I want to write the book that people want to read.
~Kat
Tempest in a Teacup 
Bear in mind that you are still young in your writing career and that I’m sure that as you become more experienced, efficient and your writing skills and publish more books that your writing and need to edit them as much will likely diminish. I’m sure someone the likes of James Patterson, Stephen King, Koontz and others were the same in their early years as well. What I do know is that you’ll be a success either way.
True, thank you for the encouragement! I feel like book 2 will come a lot easier to me because I have a lot of the story and characters sorted out now. But there’s still so much I’m learning in school which keeps me going back and striving to improve what I have. Every time I learn something new I think “Does my book have that?” and “How can I bring the reader and show them this instead of telling them.” 🙂