National Novel Writing Month is underway, as thousands of writers try and churn out a 50,000 word novel by December 1st.
The Independent takes a look at famous books that were written in break neck speed.
From the piece...
The Tortoise and the Hare By Elizabeth Jenkins, written in three weeks in 1954
Jenkins, who died in September aged 104, wrote her masterpiece in the "white heat of betrayal" following an entanglement with a married man who refused to leave his wife. "I have never looked at it since; it marked an era to which I had no desire to return," she said in 2005.
On the Road By Jack Kerouac, written in three weeks in 1951
Kerouac wrote one of the few books to cause a cultural shift on a single scroll of paper in one sitting. He had, however, kept copious notes during the seven years he spent crossing America. "I write narrative novels and if I want to change my narrative thought I want to keep going."
King Solomon's Mines H Rider Haggard, written in six weeks in 1885
The story of treasure guarded by a lost civilisation in Africa became an instant best-seller and founded the lost-world genre. It began life after a bet that Haggard could write a better tale than Stevenson's Treasure Island. "The thing must have a heart; mere adventures are not enough. I can turn them out by the peck."
The Confidential Agent By Graham Greene, written in six weeks in 1938
Greene was "struggling" through The Power and the Glory when he realised he'd quite like to make some money, so he began writing The Confidential Agent in the mornings. "I fell back for the first and last time in my life on Benzedrine. For six weeks I started each day with a tablet, and renewed the dose at midday."
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