The Ur-Quan Masters Discussion Forum

It took me two years, but my first novel is now finally finished.

http://koti.mbnet.fi/tibe9mm/Groombridge_Log_Part_IV.pdf (http://koti.mbnet.fi/tibe9mm/Groombridge_Log_Part_IV.pdf)

So what happens next?

I have a dream of getting this thing published and printed. The first thing will be getting in touch with Fred Ford and Paul Reiche. The next step is up to them. At the very least I will make a few copies of it with my own funds for my personal use.

If any of you have some good ideas or tips on what I should do with it, I'd like to hear them. I'd also like to hear what you think of the story.

Read and enjoy!

If FF and PRIII agreed to a distribution, I want one copy!!!

I like your book alot, good luck with the rest of it!

Congrats for getting to the end!

My tip: If I were you I wouldn't think in publishing yet, but treat this as a complete raw draft and start trimming and adjusting.

Good point, Kwayne. As I've been reading it through from the top, I've seen countless opportunities for improvement. So the eventual printed version will be modified somewhat.

The final tuning is now completed. The next thing I do will be to send it to a printing company.

I took down the old four parts and replaced them with the final version in a single file:

http://koti.mbnet.fi/tibe9mm/Groombridge_Log.pdf (http://koti.mbnet.fi/tibe9mm/Groombridge_Log.pdf)

And here is the cover for the printed book:

http://koti.mbnet.fi/tibe9mm/piirroksia/cover.jpg (http://koti.mbnet.fi/tibe9mm/piirroksia/cover.jpg)

Wow. I just started reading though it, and I must say the cover art is luring enough.

Downloaded for later reading, but... I kinda want to pick up where I left off. What chapter did part 4 start on?

Part IV started with the chapter "Just Checking".

You cannot fathom the existential dismay I experienced upon realizing I'd reached the end of the book, without reaching the end of the story. My existence is only bearable because this nightmarish emotion is balanced by the delight and anticipation I feel knowing there is more to come. You've done something wondrous and grand, something which I've dreamed of doing myself for over two decades: my respect and admiration are boundless.

How will I know when Part V is available? Is there a means by which I can be notified, or will I simply have to check back every so often, slavering in anticipation?

I'm sure that you can't miss the announcement when the next part is available. You don't have to check every day, though. The previous parts all took me roughly half a year to finish and the next one is still in very early stages.

First impressions after starting to read:

The prologue is... off. It works well for the game, but for this book it seems a bit... cheesy?
I don't know whether it's necessary. I'd consider leaving it out if the historical knowledge isn't that crucial.
After the Prologue it gets considerably better.

There are a few problems with... uhm.. is it called tense? I'm not sure.
You are German, I gather? If that's the case:
Die Zeitformen meine ich.
I'm only on page 21, so I cannot say much, but this is what I am talking about:
This should rather be
Also it feels a bit off to talk about "a constant encrypted signal". I'd use something along the lines of "periodic encrypted signals" or something like that. For a constant stream of, well, signals I'd always use the plural.

I'm not far in (as already stated) so I cannot give that much feedback, but I wanted to get that out of the way, as it seems a bit jarring.

Ah, one more thing:
A short while ago I read a blog post on a fanfiction site about constructions like this and strongly discouraged using forms like "started <actioning>", "proceeded <doing>"... While they do make what is written more varied they only serve as filler and in many cases don't read that well.

I wouldn't mind getting a copy for myself either. But I'm short on cash, so it'd be a little hard for me to get an actual copy of the printed thing... :( Perhaps at a later date I'd afford one.

I'm afraid that currently the only way to get a printed copy of the book is to participate and win this artwork contest: http://www.star-control.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=1087&p=21575#p21575 (http://www.star-control.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=1087&p=21575#p21575)

The information is buried in that thread, but the main prize of the competition is a printed copy of Groombridge Log.

Heh, I'll never get one then. I'm terrible with art, unless it's LEGO. Even then, my creations are mostly McGyvering stuff.

You should make something with Legos then. There's always the chance that yours is the only submission.

I don't really have a problem with your grammar correction (it sounds fine to me as-is, but "ever since they'd started" also sounds fine), but changing "constant" to "periodic" completely changes the meaning. If it's a constant signal, that implies it keeps looping and never stops transmitting. If it's a periodic signal, then it comes in "pulses" - it transmits for awhile, cuts out for awhile, then repeats ad infinitum.

I personally think there's no problem with this. I wouldn't take people too seriously who recommend not using normal constructs such as this. (As another example, some people recommend avoiding the use of the word "said" when indicating the speaker, but I don't see any reason to do so - of course, sometimes some other word is more suitable, but there's nothing wrong with "said" either.)