Michael Crichton took eight years to write Jurassic Park

When ReadersRead.com asked Crichton how long it takes him to write a novel, on average, he replied:

There is no way to say, it varies so much. The Great Train Robbery was three years. Sphere was 20 years. Jurassic was eight years. Disclosure was five years. Usually, an idea “cooks” in my head for a very long time before I write it.

Crichton’s first bestseller, The Andromeda Strain, was published while he was still a medical student; he started writing paperback thrillers to help pay for med school. When the books started becoming successful, he decided to do it fulltime.

In his Q&A for young readers, he describes his writing habits:

I get up early, usually at 6 AM, and drive 2 miles to my office, where I begin work in isolation—and much of the year, in darkness. I like my surroundings to be quiet, and I work most easily alone. My assistant comes in later, around 9:30. I continue working until lunch-time. After lunch, I answer mail, or fuss with what I have written. I quit about 3 PM, take some exercise, and go home.

Usually I begin writing each morning by rereading what I wrote the day before, and revising it. I try not to get bogged down in the rewrites, but to move on to the new work each day. I prefer to revise in passes—do it once, then go back another time, do it again. I don’t try to make it perfect because I know I am going to come back to it.

As the novel progresses, I work longer and longer hours. Pretty soon I work during the afternoon right up to dinner. Eventually I come back after dinner to work some more in the evening. I usually can finish a draft in a few months.

When he said that he works “longer and longer hours” during the course of writing the novel, he wasn’t kidding. From his Wikipedia entry:

When drafting a novel which would typically take him six or seven weeks, Crichton withdrew completely and ritualistically to follow what he called “a structured approach”. As he approached writing the end of each book, he would rise increasingly earlier each day, to the extent that on nearing completion he would sleep for less than 4 hours, by going to bed at 10pm and awaking at 2am.

One of the most popular writers in the world, his books have been translated into thirty-six languages, and thirteen have been made into films.

Want to find out about how other authors write? Visit Author Writing Habits.

Sources:

ReadersRead.com interview
Christian Science Monitor obit
MichaelCrichton.com
USA Today obit
Publisher’s Weekly article on Michael Crichton (1999)
Michael Crichton Wikipedia entry