Most I manage is 5k on a really good day, can't imagine anyone pumping out 30k that isn't straight up word vomit. At that point you can't even think your words, you're brain-spewing them.
Anyone can tell a story, but it requires skill to be a master storyteller.
Of course this skill can be trained just like drawing.
Both can be done by anyone, but the proccess of mastery, that takes work and discipline.
You want it done right or you want it done fast? generally speaking these are your choices. You're going to be investing time somewhere... building the world considering the story-lines and characters - even if you're not actively writing passively using time to think about your story and map things out can help. There is some merit to the seat of your pants approach but it typically hampers your ability to tie things together and increases the likely hood you'll create continuity gaffs of plot holes. depends on the type of story you're writing too. if its something close to a gag a day or an anthology it doesn't need the same level of polish.
Hell in comics are often about economy of language - how efficiently can you convey the emotion or idea in as few words as possible.
As for B, I never really write the same sort of thing twice...that's why I'm always writing so many things. I dabble in fantasy, sci-fi, psychological thriller, and everything in between, but also in different forms. For example, I'm working on three fantasy stories atm, but one is high fantasy, one is urban fantasy, and the other is fantasy wrapped up in detective noir. So you could call them the same genre, but at the same time they're really not.
As for A, I don't know. I think my stories are fairly complex compared to others I've read. I'm not so ignorant that I'd pump out 'The Cat in the Hat' and wonder why the people who write 'The Once and Future King' are having such a hard time...
I get that, certainly. But what bugs me is that I seem to be at the opposite extreme in both groups. It doesn't make any sense to me...
Um, I thank you for your concern, I guess. But I dunno...it really doesn't seem like such a big deal to me. Especially now that I've talked to the guy: it just sounds like something fun to do in my spare time, not like a huge project that will drain my brain and leave me with nothing. The fact that most people in the thread saw it as the latter and I see it as the former is why I made this topic. I'm trying to figure out what they're seeing that I'm not.
I find it quite difficult... but that's speaking as someone who hasn't practiced much since highschool like... years ago now. For me, the hard part is in the planning and making sure everything is thought through enough and cohesive. I often stop short of that point before moving forward and my stories noticeably suffer as a result 
That's a skill I'm definitely working towards developing better!
Personally the reason I side eye that project is less because of the role of the writer than what OP claims they'll do. I don't know their experience, ability, or the scope of the project, but as someone that worked on an indie game, I'll just say it sounds like the kind of thing that will never get finished. One-man-teams make sense for small projects. However it sounded from that thread like you were just in it for fun, in which case, there isn't any real harm. And it's possible that person knows what they're doing and has a realistic timeline.
i dunno, a lot of the time i find the hammering out actions and details difficult but easier than the putting the words themselves together - on the flipside, i think the writing words part gets easier the more planning you do, making the planning bit the harder bit overall. so i spose its the pantsing vs planning dichtomy?
its 'something good' that is subjective here. when people get really serious and ambitious with their writing, perfectionism can set in, and a desire to plan more intensively to make things that are tighter, more engaging, and more original. there are oscar award winning films that can have major and wholly valid writing criticisms thrown at them - on one hand, this shows that something can be good writing and flawed, but it also shows beginning writers (as basically all writers on here are) that there is a lot more to writing than meets the eye.
like, theres a lot. and what you describe - basic plot and backstories - all these writers can do in their sleep. but once ive dreamt up my basic plot and character, i then need to hammer out the concrete plot, the metaphor and motif, the setup and payoff, the interlocking motives, the pacing, the scene by scene - therell be things that dont work, unexpected things you add and beloved things you drop, after workshopping the idea, its not what you expected to be writing. its better. and that is through work.
not everything is written this way, no, every writer also has their flashes of wild inspiration where they get cracking and poop out smth gold, but even those rare things are polished and edited. and theyre usually, like, short.
im not sure what this is referring to? i havent come across anything written like this except - as @wumblebumarts mentioned - role playing games. and admittedly the collaborative writing techniques of rpg are really cool
its hard, but those people are hard workers. its also very rewarding, which ties into why ppl put so much work into it.
because writing is a leisurely activity you can take slowly, making it lower pressure than someone setting themselves strict deadlines, which makes it more enjoyable. smth that you enjoy doesnt feel like work.
personally, writing is a mix of struggle and leisure. the first plot generation can be manic and exciting, the editing into smth cohesive can be gruelling. the thumbnailing and scripting can be painfully hard, but the results are euphoric. theres an awful lot to consider in writing, its a very intricate art - but i like writing, things like pacing and foreshadowing make my brain tick, so it feels less like work, and more like play. but it is hard.
Writing isn't hard. Storytelling is hard.
GOOD storytelling is even harder.
And writing speed is meaningless.
I don't think the speed at which someone writes is an indicator of how hard it is to do. People have different styles and methods that they use to write, some people are more experienced, and some people are just fast. As @ISNEKO said telling a story is hard. There is a lot that goes into it, and that can be difficult to master, especially since that story is likely to change from one draft to the next.
I personally can't write anything unless I have a clear picture in my head of the scene I want to write and then are times where I can get caught up in structuring a sentence just write to express what I want properly. Even simple stories have their complexities because they are simple, and sometimes the simplest things can be the hardest. For something the hardest part is the time and dedication, you have to put into and not necessarily putting words on a page. It takes a lot of mental focus to do it.
Maybe I'm missing a definition here...when I ask about how "hard" it is to write, I mean, basically, how much stress do you perceive in the work?
If you ask two authors how they feel when they write books, and one goes "Oh, it's hell; I have to work hard just to keep the motivation going" and the other goes "It's always a challenge, but I really enjoy it and I can hardly make myself stop", I would assume that Author #2 doesn't find writing quite as difficult as Author #1 does. How do you argue that it's just as hard for both of them...?
I don't understand...how is speed unrelated to difficulty? I mean, if someone can regularly pump out 500 more words in an hour than I can, you'd have to agree that they at least don't find it as hard to choose their words (me, I'm always running back and forth from Thesaurus.com~). Unless they make up for that initial speed with additional revisions, as I already stated (or preliminary work), it really looks like they've got it easier.
If someone can draw fast, you could say it's not hard for them. If someone can sew fast, you could say it's not hard for them. But if someone can write fast, it could still be hard for them? How?? I really need that explained...
Based on your example, it looks to me like there are other factors playing into why author #1 is struggling, cause it doesn't seem like their heart is as into it as author #2. Like I said, experience can play a lot into speed and how challenged that person may feel. What makes writing hard can vary from person to person, but I think it's safe to say the the mechanics (putting words on a page) is relatively easy.
Speed doesn't always equal quality, but again that doesn't apply to everyone. Is someone is faster at sewing or drawing, then maybe they are more experienced, maybe their work isn't as detailed or complex. Even if they are fast, maybe it is hard for them to do and the quality suffers because of it. Maybe they are placing too much focus on speed. It all depends on the person. That's what I mean by speed isn't a sole indicator of difficulty (and I realize I should have specifically said "solely" so my apologies on that). There a lot of variables that go into writing that makes it challenging and complex.
In your example, it's hard for the first writer because they apparently don't really want to write, so the difficulty is doing something you don't want to do or enjoy doing. The second one sees it as a challenge, yes he is enjoying it, but that doesn't mean it's easy! What it really means is "it's friggin hard, there are a lot of obstacles to overcome, but the process is enjoyable and the end result makes all this suffering worth it".
It IS hard, for all of us. Does that mean we don't like it? No, that means, we put a great deal of effort into it.
I can write around 600 words in 25 minutes, does that make me good? No. That makes me fast. That means I've spent a decade just studying the language, reading hundreds of books and analyzing them to understand how writing works.
But finding the proper words is still hard, shaping the sentences in a way that makes tem enjoyable to read is still hard, conveying my meaning and my metaphors without losing my reader is still hard.
Anyone can put a few sentences down and say they wrote a story.
Not anyone can call themselves a writer.
why should you?
they have unique experiences. chances are their own mental health comes into play; ppl w depression, adhd, smth else that causes executive dysfunction, might love writing as much as NTs but still struggle to get anything done. and besides that, writers block is a bitch
or they work longer hours, are more experienced in making their writing technique efficient, have a robust production schedule, etc...
also, a lot of the hard shit abt writing is actually the pre-writing. plotting, concept generation. as @wumblebumarts said, the actual writing is the fastest part - its like inking a drawing youve spent hours thumbnailing and sketching. comparatively, the inking is fast as fuck. i can draw 8 pages in two days, but those pages might take me a whole week or more to script and thumbnail
though i agree with you, someone who writes the final product faster is having an easier time with prose and word use. but mainly its good scheduling and long hours (and luck)
anyway, seriously, i thiiiink i get where the misconception lies? i think its in ur phrasing 'hard for them.' if someone is fast at writing, its likely that theyre good at it. but their skill doesnt negate how difficult the task is. maybe this is all a phrasing issue??
For me it really depends on my mood and the environment I'm in . Like most activities in life, it's a lot easier to get something done if I'm left alone and can focus on the activity on hand. I can't write most times because I'm watching my toddler, or my husband is watching tv in the background, or my head is filled with other concerns at the moment of things that need my attention.
And even if I'm given a moment of quiet by myself and my head is clear and I'm in the zone, I'm still only going to write the way I write. I'm no Proust, or Shelley, etc. I can't and probably never will be able to write like them. I'm simply writing stories I find enjoyable, but the language itself is not necessarily poetic, advanced, or beautifully crafted at every sentence...
TBH my standards for good writing are pretty high and I don't think the majority of modern day works I've read be it online, or a published book even meets those standards... For example I loved Harry potter, and I enjoyed the story and world building and did love the books, but the writing itself is really bad.
...Yeah, I know that...I hope people don't think THAT'S what I'm asking about. I have my slow moments from time to time, but I'm not that much of an idiot...
Yeah, I know that, too...it was just one example.
I don't know how you can assume that...just because you find something difficult and frustrating doesn't mean you don't want to do it. I could list a million examples, but I don't think I should have to...
Not for me. 6_6
Are...you trying to convince me that writing can be hard? Because I already acknowledge that...it's kind of why I asked "how hard is it to write" in the first place. '~'
I don't think anyone should; I was asking that as a challenge to everyone who's saying "well writing is hard for everyone", when I'm convinced that writing must be easier for some than for others.
Okay. But it is possible to find a "difficult" task easy, isn't it? My mother considers updating software drivers "difficult", but I can do it in 2 seconds.
If there's a phrasing issue here, I think it's that people are conflating difficulty with intricacy, and conversely, ease with simplicity. That would explain why so many people are talking about "good" writing and work ethic differences when I wasn't asking about those.
Difficulty is all relative, and a lot of it is in the mind. There is no objectively difficult task; rather, there are tasks that some people find difficult and others do not. Which is why I said, "when I ask about how "hard" it is to write, I mean, basically, how much stress do you perceive in the work?" PERCEPTION.
Basically, I'm confused as to how other people PERCEIVE writing as a difficult task when all the physical signs point to ease (for example, speed). It sounds like a question that would have a legitimate answer: for example, maybe they just don't like to write. That could answer the question. Although I don't think that's the answer that the majority of writers here would identify with...^^;
The perception may come from the mental aspects of it, such as world building and descriptions, that sort of thing and not the actual physical act of writing. Maybe it comes from the pressure people but on themselves to achieve a high goal or they compare themselves to other people's work. Some people are easily distracted. Perceptions can come in a ton of different forms.
For some it could be language barrier if they are trying to write in a language that is not native to them.
This is more of what you are looking for?
I'd try to answer this, but I'm not sure I know to do so without derailing from the type of answer you're looking for?? I think a big issue here is the combination of not being clear with what answer you want, and not phrasing the question correctly. It's too simply worded and open-ended to answer, like "how hard is it to write?" could mean a number of things alone without the context you're trying to give people to properly answer it the way you want it answered.
First things first, what do you define as writing? People are going off on the different parts of writing, such as plotting, dialogue, world-building, the word usage, there's too many aspects of it to just generalize it for a question when you're looking for something specific.
Secondly, hard is a subjective word, and the range of difficulty varies from person to person. But hell, the word difficulty can be based on different things as well, like all the different sections I mentioned earlier, these are things people can have an easy or hard time with, whatever that means here. Do you mean to ask how long the process takes as a result of personal nitpicking and editing, or lack of creativity to come up with something, or time span of which you do all these things.. again, this is so open to a number of answers.
Side note that relates to what I'm saying about you leaving questions open-ended, the author 1 and 2 example you gave. If you don't give enough context, people are gonna fill in the blanks with what they think you're trying to get at, dude.
You keep saying that you don't get how we're seeing, then let's try this instead for a second, how would you answer this question and how would you interpret the author example had it came from someone else? And to make things easier on everyone else here, what would you define as easy in this scenario? Would you consider writing the way that you do it as a hobby, a passion, or a job? I'm hoping the answers to these will help us all see where your head's at with all this so we can answer the original question and any tangents on the subject better.
Here's my take on it:
Writing is easy. Good writing is hard.
Anyone can sit down and come up with a plot, characters, and write a hundred pages about it, but the difference is in how much energy and passion the writer focuses on the work. I used to think that writing was easy, and that was because ideas came to me naturally, but like when a person starts drawing, they're always going to improve. There is always room for growth! I've been dreaming about writing my whole life, actually writing for seventeen years, and seriously writing for the last five.
Hell, I look back on things I wrote barely a year ago, and they're just bad, bad, bad.
General rule of thumb: any book that was ever enjoyed had to be conceived, written, looked over, edited, perfected. Then the length cut in half and the process repeated.
There are many little nuances that go into writing, like styles of point of view, tense, if the author switches between characters or not, foreshadowing, symbolism, long nights staring at thesauruses, agonizing over if the alliteration should be put in or avoided, making sure you don't use the same word twice in the same paragraph, running out of words and thinking of a completely new way to describe the color of your characters eyes besides the word "blue", etc, etc, etc.
If you care about what you're writing, then writing is never easy.
Mental aspects aside, it takes quite a toll, physically, as well! As a writer, myself, I probably sit at a desk and work for about five hours a day. My back hurts from not sitting in my chair properly, my neck hurts from looking between the keyboard and the monitor, I live a sedentary lifestyle because of my passion and have to make time to move around lest I risk blood clots.
As for hiring different people to write different characters! It's only a waste of resources if the writer is bad lmao
For example, I'm writing a fanfic with my friend at the moment, and while we are writing it word by word and line by line together, when it comes to the interactions of the characters, my personal writing style better fits the voice of one character, and my friend's is suited to the other. Together it makes for a more organic, authentic experience.
ALSO speed NEVER equals quality!
You can be speedy and write well, but it is r a r e
But that's my opinion!
For me, writing in the my native language is easy - at least, if talking about short stories. I'm just putting story which is already in my head, into words, and it subjectively feels as something natural, because the process of thinking itself uses speech. So, if I'm feeling enough inspiration, I usually easily catch the flow when doing it, and feel not much tension. Writing in english, of course, requires more effort (and gives much more mistakes as well ).
But what is really hard is to write a good story. Too bad I don't know anything about how to write stories which will please not only me, but the readers too
Long stories are more hard for me than short ones, as well.