According to David Eddings or Ray Bradbury (take your pick), writers need to write a million words to pass the practice phase. I certainly chalked up nearly that number before I published my first book. Since then I’ve written at least another million in fiction including draft manuscripts, rewrites and finished titles. Add to that, I’ve been a professional writer for over ten years writing for the web, newspapers and magazines. There’s easily another million plus to add to the pile. Here’s the song I sing when I look back at that all that effort...

I got my first real keyboard
Bought it at the five-and-dime
Typed until my fingers bled
Was the summer of sixty-nine...

Hang on... is that a reference to the Kama Sutra, Mr Adams?

Ahem, needless to say, that all adds up to a lot of words. I haven’t kept track of them all because I’m not Rainman. What I’m saying is I’ve put in my time at the keyboard, giving it the 99% perspiration Oscar Wilde demands to offset the 1% inspiration. And after all those words... you know what I think?

Damn, my keyboard needs a good clean.

Read more quality posts about writing life on Michael Gardner's blog. Quality is a matter of opinion, of course.