My first novel took me 10 years. Give or take. Why? Full-time job. Two kids. A mortgage. And that I had no idea what I was doing.
I'd attended courses, conferences and read a bunch of books. But nothing can prepare you for writing a novel. A little like parenting I suppose.
But I did it. Stuck with it. Multiple drafts. Multiple titles. Passive voice. Telling not showing. But I realized, the novel took that long because I struggled with finding the 'right' way to write it. What does that mean? Writers ask each other "Are you a pantser, plotter, outliner, storyboarder, whiteboarder or a monkey with a typewriter?" (OK, I made up the last one)
At a mystery writers panel years ago, I asked to the panelists, "What's your process?" A sports-themed mystery writer said "I know who's going to die and what will kill them, but beyond that, it's a mystery. I write the book to find out."
The writer/lawyer on the panel scoffed and said, "I don't write a word until I first outline everything. My outlines are 50 pages long."
Thanks for clearing that up.
Through trial and error, I discovered I'm an plotting- pantser. Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) taught me I can be prolific, and that speed beats quality to get to a first draft.
Bob and Jack's writing blog says write the first 100 pages. Don't write too fast, but fast enough that your internal editor won't have a chance to tell you 'That's crap. Don't write that' Ask yourself questions as you write (in the text). Answer the questions. Write some more.
Writing during Nano, allowed me to produce a shitty and fast first draft. At the end of my first Nano, I had a 50,000 words with a beginning, middle and an end. I didn't worry about continuity, (names, places, weapons or hair color) instead I ran a race with no rules other than to cross that 50,000 word threshold. At the finish line, I had a manuscript I could edit.
Another writer once told me "it's easier to create something from shit than air." I've always stuck by that quote.
The only way to figure out what kind of writer you are, is to write. Don't wait till retirement or the perfect plot,character or muse. Write in coffee shops or at home or on the bus or at lunch. Don't worry if the story isn't there yet. It will be. Trust me. You might be a pantser or plotter but you won't know until you try both.
But the best advice I can give you is don't stop and just keep your hand moving so you can discover yourself, what kind of writer you are.