How many books do you have to write to write a good one?

I’ve had that question for a while now.

How many books do you have to write to write a good one?

I knew some authors wrote one book, had a few drafts, and published a brilliant piece of work. Some wrote a few novels before one of theirs got published. Some writers told me that I had to write many novels before one gets published.

No one has a consistence answer.

But I also noticed that age might be a factor too. Those authors that published their first book were usually older. The ones who had been writing them for years started when they were in elementary or middle school.

Writing is a hard game to play, because you’re not just going against everyone on your level. You’re going against every writer ever, from their twenties to their eighties. Some have decades of experience. Some just want to get their foot in the door. Some start early. Some start a lot later.

One of the hardest things about writing is that there’s no exact answer for anything. No literary agent or publisher can predict how well your story will do. Your years of experience doesn’t matter as much. Your age doesn’t matter at all.

But I can tell you my experience.

I’ve done NaNoWriMo for many years now. Technically, I’ve written six novels, but I’ve rewritten my first novel about five times. Every time I rewrite it, it gets better. Every time I write a book, my writing improves.

There are a lot of factors into it though. I’ve read more YA now, so I’ve become better at dialogue. I’ve had beta readers point out how my story lacked details, so I’ve gotten better at writing details.

I don’t think anyone could write a masterpiece their first time. So if you haven’t, write a second book. See how different it feels than when you wrote your first one. Because, trust me, it’ll feel different.

I’m not saying to write ten books before your first one is amazing. But I do believe writing a second one before rewriting your first one could help if you feel like your story needs something more. Also, some beta readers can help, but that’s another story.

I hope this helps! What do you think about this? Leave a comment below!