Doug Goodman

I can't believe I'm finished.  310 pages, 76,000 words.  The rough draft is complete.  It feels a bit like finishing an ultramarathon.  There is a lot of emotion and spent energy.  This novel took a lot longer to finish than I expected.  About 12 months, when I was originally aiming for 3-6.  But I hope that because it is tailored from two short stories that continuity will not be as daunting a hurdle as it was with my first novel.  For now, though, it is time to step away from the book, maybe read a little and work on some other story ideas that have been begging to be released.  Get away from this novel long enough to give me a fresh look at it before I begin the rewrite.