This is one of his:
I wrote two novels in high school but they were not of publishable quality (but not substantially worse than Eragon, either :))
I’m in a major rework of my 2004 NaNoWriMo, but I keep finding places that I need to flesh out. I’m almost to the point where I am satisfied with the basic outline (outline? What outline? :D) Thankfully, despite writing it entirely without a hardcoded outline I have only indentified one or two paragraphs I will need to remove for plot purposes. For being boring, that’s another story.
This reminded me–I can’t believe I forgot to mention this in my previous post, but I guess I didn’t really think of it as a “book.” I wrote a standalone published adventure for Shadowrun–it’s got my name on the cover and everything, so I guess that counts. I know I felt pretty good when I got my copies. 
I’ve written four novels, sold the third to Knopf, and feel pretty good about the fourth since I have an agent now, and an editor. I think there’s a pretty strong correlation between not really posting here anymore and getting published, in terms of how I spend my free time.
I’ve written four novels and a screenplay, in addition to publishing short-fiction and some travel writing. The latest of these endeavors can be found at: http://www.tylergant.com.
Yet in all the sweat, toil, research, and time, it hasn’t supported me financially. I still have a day job. I’m living “The Secret,” trying to keep the belief that someday that royalty check will be thousands (if not millions) instead of milk money.
My best advice for any writer is to write for the enjoyment, not the money. It’s nice to tuck your head in at night, dreaming romantic notions of the bestselling author, but love the story not the money.
Though I haven’t written a doctoral thesis, I do have a good friend currently doing so. I understand this is a much-more involved–much longer–process. Keep it up! In the end, you will have more to show for it than a measly royalty check. 