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For numerous writers, crafting a novel can be a lengthy and arduous process—but this isn't the case for everyone. Some authors have produced timeless masterpieces in just under a month.
1. The Gambler // Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Fyodor Dostoyevsky, renowned for Crime and Punishment, penned The Gambler (1866) in a mere 26 days while struggling with financial troubles, hoping it would alleviate his debts.
2. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas // John Boyne
Irish author John Boyne revealed that his story about a boy experiencing the Holocaust was written in just two-and-a-half days. “The concept struck me on a Tuesday night, I started writing on Wednesday morning, and after 60 hours with minimal breaks—skipping sleep on Wednesday and Thursday nights—I completed the first draft by Friday afternoon,” he shared in The Irish Times.
3. A Study in Scarlet // Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle penned his first novel, which introduced the iconic detective Sherlock Holmes, in just three weeks. (However, getting it published was a longer ordeal: Scarlet faced rejections from multiple publishers, some of whom didn’t even read it. It was eventually accepted in October 1886 and published in Beeton’s Christmas Annual in December 1887.)
4. The Tortoise and the Hare // Elizabeth Jenkins
Elizabeth Jenkins completed her 1954 novel in three weeks, later stating, “I’ve never revisited it; it symbolized a chapter of my life I wished to leave behind.” The love triangle in Hare, her sixth book, mirrored her personal life, as she wrote it in the “heat of betrayal” after the married man she was involved with chose to stay with his wife.
5. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie // Muriel Spark
“My earliest writings revolved around my family—my brothers, mother, and father. I composed poems and stories about them,” Muriel Spark once reflected. “Later, I turned my attention to my school and my teacher, who eventually inspired Miss Brodie. When asked to write about my summer holidays, I chose to write about hers instead, as her life seemed far more intriguing.”
As an adult, Spark channeled that intrigue into creating Jean Brodie, a fictional portrayal of her teacher, Christiana Kay. She completed the novel in just four weeks.
