Bill Patterson

Why do I write? Why does anyone write? Because they have something to say. For me, I have ideas boiling around all the time–situations, cool concepts, occasionally diatribes, but overall, I have characters in my head that demand their chance at existence. Who am I to stand in their way?

I was born at a very early age. As part of a military family, we moved around a LOT. My dad’s last duty station was West Point, NY, and I was fortunate enough to be admitted to the Class of 1982 (“The Select Few”). It was at West Point that I met the woman I would marry, Barbara. We’ve been married since 1983. I was in the US Army for 6+ years, ending my tour in West Germany (how quaint that sounds!). I joined a civil engineering firm in NYC, then, six years later, a transportation company in NJ.

I ran into National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo.org) and actually wrote 50k words in one month. I looked around their website, looking for other opportunities to write. And found them.

I started writing short stories and submitting them to markets. I read blogs and learned craft. I went to events like Pitchapalooza to learn how to pitch agents and publishers. I had dozens of near-misses, and still do--some markets get flooded with hundreds of submissions. The key is perseverance--just keep working at it. You never know when a break will come.

I give back--by helping others who are just starting out, and encouraging others who are on the road to publication like me

NaNoWriMo: I am one of two Co-Municipal Liaisons to the Central NJ Region.

Princeton Writing Group: Since NaNo tends to peak in November and rapidly dies off thereafter, I help with the Princeton Writing Group, a Meetup.com group that has been going strong for years. Write-ins, daytrips, Book-Con outings, PWG does it all.

Three Day Novel: I got into this as a direct result of being in NaNoWriMo, finally taking the plunge in August of 2010. Insane! Write a 30k novella in 72 hours? But I did it, and haven’t missed a year. "The Longest Con" is my 2014 entry. I will polish and publish most of them during 2017.

Can you do what I have done? ABSOLUTELY! Want some guidance? Check out my blog, and feel free to contact me through the blog.