The Writers Who Wrote The Most in History. “Corin Tellado published more than 4,000 novels, mostly under a contract with Spanish publisher Bruguera, which obligated her to deliver a 76-page novel every single week for years.”
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The Writers Who Wrote The Most in History. “Corin Tellado published more than 4,000 novels, mostly under a contract with Spanish publisher Bruguera, which obligated her to deliver a 76-page novel every single week for years.”
Comments 2
What a great essay! It reminds of something that I read once about the pulp writers of the early 20th Century - The Shadow, Doc Savage - producing a novel/novella every month for years.
Lester Dent, who wrote most of Doc Savage, used a formula:
https://steegerbooks.com/lester-dent-and-the-master-fiction-plot/
I feel like I've heard many writers talk about the value of starting their career at a newspaper, and how having a daily deadline for writing reshaped their minds and their ability to write more prolifically.
In my brain, it was either Didion or Ephron who talked specifically about it in their documentary. I think Ephron. But either way, it's a great lesson. Incremental practice, often with a deadline, is essential to growing a skill.
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