Wow! I don't even know how I'd go back & track it. Which may be telling me something. A decade ago, I'd probably have told you I was already there, since I started writing when I was 10 or 12! And I'd been working on a specific book, as an adult, for quite a while.

BUT...I don't think so. And here's where maybe we get into which hours "count." Yes, all of them, except I just wasn't learning in those early years--even in my thirties. Now I would probably start counting the day I got the idea for the first book I actually finished--finished and revised. Because that, I think, is when I started really THINKING as I wrote, thinking about the pieces of the craft and the process of getting a book done, then taking it apart a few times. So, sadly, I'm guessing I'm not there yet. But I am SO working toward the 10,000!

Well Becky, I clearly guestimated for some of those years, trying to recall how many hours of actual writing I got in while the kids were in school, etc.

Gladwell talks about counting hours where we are actively pursuing improving our craft with intent. Which is why I didn't count any of the many hours I spent writing prior to 1994.

Yes, it's the intent. I think I need to read Gladwell's book. I loved BLINK.

I've been writing for pay since I was about 20, and started freelancing about 12 years ago. Although I wasn't writing fiction, I was working hard on improving my writing in general -- no one wants dissatisfied clients! So I figure I've clocked 10,000 and then some.

It's funny, I wrote what could be a companion post to this piece last week, about what you give up when you are striving for excellence. We must be in mental communication!

(Love your avi, BTW.)

Wouldn’t it be great to receive a retroactive check for all those hours, Robin? LOL!

Wow, that's an excellent post, Liz! And kind of what I was going to talk about next week, so clearly we are on the same wavelength.

Becky, the book is fascinating! I highly recommend it.

LOL, Kim! I actually did that--added up all I'd earned through my writing and truthfully, the hourly rate was much higher than I anticipated. I was afraid it was going to be a dollar an hour or some horribly depressing figure. Thank heavens it was not!

That's a very interesting point. When I did IT work, we did about 30 hours of actual work a week (developing databases and programs - not meetings or support). I calculated that as 6.7 years, which does sound exactly right in normal work. I probably need to put more hours into my writing. :)

I adore this book! I read Outliers, Tipping Point, and Blink all within a couple of weeks of each other.

hmmmm....man I have no idea how to count this. I'd bet I'm under even though I've written for quite awhile. I wrote for probably 8 years, then quit for 7 or 8 years and been back at it for say, 2.5 or 3.

I can say I'm better than I was, that's for sure, but perhaps not yet a master.
Someday...

I really have no idea how many hours I might have logged, but I don't think I've reached mastery yet, so I'm guessing I've got a few to go :)

My husband always talks about this part of Outliers~ secretly, I think it's to convince me that he needs to spend more time on the golf course :) I love this concept, though. It makes me see becoming a writer as a long and valuable process, and encourages me to stick with it~ to practice, practice, practice. Just like back in the good old days of apprenticeships~ nobody becomes a master blacksmith overnight and without having a few burn scars by the time they're ready to take on the big commissions :) Great post!

This was one of the main take-aways I got from OUTLIERS, too. Like Becky, though, I'm not sure how I'd be able to catalog my hours spent on writing. Not only that, if and when I reach the 10,000, I'm sure I'll still feel like I have a lot to learn. :)

I've asked my kids to read Outliers. Loved it!