I have written 41 836 words.

I go through phases of being slightly obsessed with word count. I think this is some sort of pavlovian response hammered into me at university. Although my undergraduate essays had no word limit (or, indeed, often a title or reading list), my MA was strict on writing what needed to be said in the RIGHT number of words. Succinctness or bouts of over-creativity were not encouraged.

But, now, I am writing my own work. I can write as much or as little as I like! I can make up words! (Not too many though - see here for a dire warning.) So why the focus on word count? I blame three factors:

1. Windows Vista, in which Word automatically shows word count in the bottom right of the screen, meaning you can go backwards and forwards typing and deleting the word 'the' just to see it flip from 39999 to 40000. Not that I did that.
2. Pan-MacMillan, whose submission guidelines for new authors say that they count anything under 60000 words as a 'novella', not a real book at all. Since one of the biggest arguments in English Literature - the date of the first novel in English - revolves to some extent around whether Aphra Behn's Oroonoko can be counted as a novel or a novella, I don't want to fall down this gap. Caution must be exercised.
3. My own irritating spirit of over-achieving. Really, it's amazing I have any friends at all.

All that said, I could not possibly have written the story I had in my head in any less words than it is in. Or at least, not in many less - there is always room for improvement and I have already noticed my own tendency to always reach for that extra adjective. I reckon the finished product will be about 70 000 words. Whether they'll be like the ones I already have remains to be seen. My brother, who has read the first few chapters, tells me I tend to slip into 'tell, not show'. I am not certain what this means, but I shall probe him further and see what may be done.

Still, more than 40 000 words! That must count for something, right? I shall reward myself with ice cream.