There's a saying that a writer has to write one million words of rubbish before they become good. I think there is a glimmer of truth to that, even if I don't think it is that straight forward.
I don't know if I have written my one million words yet, there is a very real chance that I have. I wrote my first story when I was about five, and couldn't really read, let alone write. Since then I have been reading and writing.
I started my first full length novel as a teenager, writing pages and pages. I never reached the end. I tried again a couple of years ago for nanowrimo and made it. It was terrible, but complete at just over fifty thousand words.
I've been writing ever since, wanting to become better and better. I'm not going to deny that the pie in the sky 'best selling author' dream is tempting, but what I really want to do is become the best author I can be. I love writing so much that I want to create stories that I can be proud of.
Since that first complete novel I've had my ups and downs. I got bit by an idea for fanfiction and spit out a 44 thousand word complete story in two weeks. If only it had been an original idea, but I gain comfort from the fact that it gave me practice.
My current project is just short of 57 thousand. I expect it to sit at around 80 thousand when it is done. This one I have more faith in than my last one. Once I finish the first draft I plan to polish, and polish, and rewrite and rewrite until I have something I can call decent.
I hope that what I learn will make my next novel even better. I have no idea when I will meet one million words. I just know that I need more practice yet.
