| The sci-fi author Jerry Pournelle used to say that the first 1,000,000 words you write will not be very good. He was not alone: > David Eddings, an American novelist who was most famous for his epic fantasy books, once gave the following advice to new writers: > “My advice to the young writer is likely to be unpalatable in an age of instant successes and meteoric falls. I tell the neophyte: Write a million words–the absolute best you can write, then throw it all away and bravely turn your back on what you have written. At that point, you’re ready to begin.” > That same advice has come from a number of other sources—it’s tough to determine just who said it first. Some point to legends such as Ray Bradbury or Jerry Pournelle, both of whom famously advice that new writers should write a million words before considering themselves ready to take up the cause. * https://www.draft2digital.com/blog/the-first-million-words-a... * https://blog.karenwoodward.org/2014/03/one-million-words-to-... Of course the first 1e6 can't be written carelessly either, simply going through the motions. |