Examples of novels, their lengths (word count), and the time taken to write:

Title                            Word Count (1,000s)     Years to Write

The Thorn Birds                        226                        5
The Hobbit                              95                        7
War and Peace                          587                        7
The Name of the Wind                   255                       10
Catch-22                               174                       15
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn         109                       15
Les Miserables                         530                       17

It has taken me a little over 4 years to write 720,000 words (broken into 4 volumes and comprising Book One of a serialized novel).

I am more than half way through the rewrite of the first volume (250,000 words).

I’m exhausted. Patience please. It’s coming … I promise.