After something like six years of dragging it out, I've finally finished the first draft of my first novel, The Clause.

At 100,000 words, it shouldn't have taken this long. Really, I've probably written that much in magazine articles in that same time but, somehow, this has been an on-again, off-again passion. Over the first six months of this year, however, I finally got more serious about it and, since February, wrote the final 50,000 words.

Doesn't say a lot for my production over the first five years of the project but...whatever. I've got other jobs, too.

Regardless, it is a really nice feeling to finally have made it all the way through the first cut. Now, of course, starts the editing....

1. Richard Moy07/25/2011 12:20:03 PM
Homepage: http://www.dominointerface.com

Congratulations Scott. How are you planning to publish it. Lulu.com is a great way of publishing it.

2. Scott Good07/25/2011 12:56:20 PM
Homepage: http://www.scottgood.com

Thanks, Richard.

Actually, I have a friend making inquiries for me in an attempt to find an agent. Given the choice, I'd rather not self-publish, but that's always there as the last-chance option.

Scott

3. David Leedy07/25/2011 01:16:57 PM
Homepage: http://notesin9.com

Congrats scott!

4. Scott Good07/25/2011 01:29:26 PM
Homepage: http://www.scottgood.com

Thanks Dave.

So, then I got curious how much I really did write when I was so busy not working on this book over the last too-many years.

Assuming I found them all (it's got to be pretty close, anyway), from February 2005 (when I started on The Clause) until now, I've apparently also written 27 articles for Lotus Advisor and The View, along with seven GTS Winter Updates (treatises on racing technique), which together add up to another 164,000 words.

So, another couple books' worth. I don't feel quite as bad about taking so long now...

5. Ben Langhinrichs07/25/2011 01:46:04 PM
Homepage: http://www.benlanghinrichs.net

Congratulations! There is nothing like the feeling of actually finishing that first draft. Mind you, there is great satisfaction getting through rounds of editing and polishing, and I hear the excitement of landing an agent and getting published are fantastic, but those all rely on somebody else. This stage, this accomplishment, is all yours. Savor it.

6. Scott Good07/25/2011 01:59:16 PM
Homepage: http://www.scottgood.com

Thanks, Ben. I know you've been there (or is it here?). We'll see about the agent and getting published but, as I'm sure you know, right now I'm mostly glad I finally made it to the end. If nothing else happens with the thing from here, at least I've answered the question, "Could I really come up with enough material to write a novel?" (Note: I didn't say a good novel).

7. David Leedy07/25/2011 02:54:54 PM
Homepage: http://notesin9.com

so.... Since I'm sure you don't want to share too much about the story yet other then what's already on your blog...... what about the geek details... What software did you use? Anything fancy to keep track of notes or outlines etc???

:)

8. Keith Brooks07/25/2011 03:09:48 PM
Homepage: http://blog.vanessabrooks.com

Congrats Scott! That is awesome. My efforts to finish my novels are many, but it is inspiration from you, Ben and others to want to do it. tech manuals are not the same. still feel good but it's not 100% your own ideas like a novel.
Look forward to hearing more from you on it.

9. Ed Brill07/25/2011 03:51:27 PM
Homepage: http://www.edbrill.com

Mazel tov - look forward to reading your tone.

10. Ed Brill07/25/2011 03:51:47 PM
Homepage: http://www.edbrill.com

That should say TOME.

11. Scott Good07/25/2011 04:07:22 PM
Homepage: http://www.scottgood.com

@Dave: It's a mystery story that opens with a fiery crash at a racing track. A crash which looks accidental but turns out not to be.

If you're at all familiar with Dick Francis--who wrote a slew of mysteries peripherally connected to steeplechase riding--this is in that general flavor but with automobile racing replacing horses.

I wrote it in, of course, Notes! I built a very simple database to hold all the copy as well as all my notes, blocks of potential copy, etc. This was actually based on a similar database I built for an earlier (still unfinished) book which had a boatload of research I needed to put somewhere. At the time, a simple database which supported unstructured data, audio, video, graphics and full-text searching seemed just about perfect...and still does.

About the only thing of any interest was a checkbox on each of the forms which, when selected, would cause the page to count its words. That tiny little feature actually proved to be amazingly effective at goading me on.

12. Ben Langhinrichs07/25/2011 04:46:37 PM
Homepage: http://www.benlanghinrichs.net

Man, I have to point this out to Volker. He couldn't understand why I would add the ability (in our Midas LSX) to export Notes content to EPUB. Along you come with a perfect example.

13. Palmi07/25/2011 05:27:29 PM

Canīt wait to read it. Could this "very simple database" have a home at OpenNtf ? its an idea. congrats.

14. ERIC PETERSON07/25/2011 08:10:06 PM

You should talk to Dirk Burhans.He published a book several years ago about potato chips and might have some insight into the book world.