Coffee Talks

With Bill

The Phobos Transit Quilters Guild by wdhenning

Hello, Bill! Thank you for taking the time to get involved with Coffee Community.

So, to begin with, tell us a little bit about yourself as an author on Wattpad. For anyone who hasn't met you before, how would you describe yourself and your fiction?

I joined Wattpad in 2018. Science fiction and fantasy are my preferred writing genres, although I have branched out into other areas with short stories. Looking back, there are often integrated sub-genres of romance and family in my stories, and there tends to be a lot of action scenes. A common theme is 'power corrupts', and the protagonist struggles to overcome powerful and unjust forces set against them.

When did you start writing and what does writing mean to you?

When I stumbled across Wattpad almost six years ago, I thought "cool, free stories to read". Not long after, I tried my own hand at writing fiction, first with a few science fiction short-story contests, and then my first novel (Dark Fall). For me, writing is a creative outlet that I enjoy. My previous writing experiences were technical and research reports while working as a chemical engineer (now retired).

How has your writing journey been so far? What are your goals as a writer?

My first fiction writing attempts were cringe-worthy, especially as I look back now, but I have improved much in the years since. Wattpad has a wonderfully supportive community for new writers, and I took advantage of that by participating in book clubs and contests. I write simply for the joy of it, so my goals are simple: write and share. 

Now, let's talk about this year's ONC. Why did you participate in the Open Novella Contest?

Simply for the fun of it. I have for five years now.

Which prompt(s) did you choose this year?

#15. Three women. Three secrets. Three tangled lives. This prompt was probably meant for chick-lit or romance genres, but I used it in sci-fi.

Besides the prompt(s), what else inspired you to write your ONC winning story?

Before the ONC prompts came out, I had in mind a vague story premise that mixed quilting with science fiction — I know, strange. My wife is an accomplished quilter, so I had my own in-house expert (some of her creations are featured in the story). One ONC prompt happened to fit well with the idea and the light bulb came on. Thus, we have a weird combination of quilting and sci-fi space opera adventure that takes place on a space station above Mars.

Tell us about your writing process during the ONC. What did you enjoy the most? Did you encounter any struggles writing your story?

I am generally a planner, although the ONC schedule forced some pantsing along the way. Before even drafting a word, I laid out a chapter-by-chapter outline and character profiles, beginning with a basic premise, a story starting point (the so-called inciting incident), and ending (the resolution). Then I filled in key plot points between them. Of course, no plan ever goes as planned, and the path took a few detours as I wrote. As driven by the prompt, the story had three protagonists and I made a decision early on to change point-of-view by chapter in a fixed alternating order, which added another degree of complexity to the writing process that I did not fully anticipate. YvonneKindle was my critique partner for the 2023 ONC, and I believe her input helped my story win. For me, the creative process was the most enjoyable — there was a pleasure in seeing it all come together to a finished tale. Although, winning third place felt really good — I'm still riding the high.

What advice would you give writers joining the ONC next year?

Mainly, have fun! And take the opportunity to interact with others on the same journey.

Give us your ONC winning speech!

Woohoo!

Thank you for the interview! We wish you all the best for your future writing endeavor. ☕