Ask the Author: Bill Riley
Answered Questions (5)
Bill Riley
For Baghdaddy, I got to witness the effects of Saddam's rape of Kuwait and his failure to honor the terms of his surrender, first hand. Later, I was stationed in Iraq and experienced the unique challenges of trying to rebuild a foreign country while its people are trying to kill you.
My father tried to prepare me for the worst that life could throw at me. He taught me hard lessons and after he passed away I tried to put things in perspective. I realized that there wasn't a lot of difference between the skills I needed to survive my childhood, be a father, and go to war.
I met some amazing people along the way and connecting those dots brought me to Baghdaddy.
My father tried to prepare me for the worst that life could throw at me. He taught me hard lessons and after he passed away I tried to put things in perspective. I realized that there wasn't a lot of difference between the skills I needed to survive my childhood, be a father, and go to war.
I met some amazing people along the way and connecting those dots brought me to Baghdaddy.
Bill Riley
A Young Adult thriller called, Cypher 1.0 Ashur’s Tears.
Their father’s jet was shot down in Northern Iraq. They buried what the Air Force found in the wreckage. He was gone. They did the best they could. Cyphers are smart; Cyphers are strong. That’s what Dad always said, but in their grief, they discover a transmission. Their father was betrayed and captured, but he is still alive. His message said, trust no one. But Cyphers are smart, Cyphers are strong, and they will do whatever it takes to find him.
Cypher 1.0 Ashur’s Tears collides near-future science with magic in a rich world where the government has a lot to hide, an Apocalypse-class artifact was stolen, powerful factions have emerged, and the world will change if a disgraced temple Guardian and the three Cypher children can’t find their father and stop it.
Cypher 1.0 – Ashur’s Tears has completed ODNI Pre-publication review and was approved for public release on 11/20/18.
Tentative Release Date: Winter 2019/Spring 2020.
Their father’s jet was shot down in Northern Iraq. They buried what the Air Force found in the wreckage. He was gone. They did the best they could. Cyphers are smart; Cyphers are strong. That’s what Dad always said, but in their grief, they discover a transmission. Their father was betrayed and captured, but he is still alive. His message said, trust no one. But Cyphers are smart, Cyphers are strong, and they will do whatever it takes to find him.
Cypher 1.0 Ashur’s Tears collides near-future science with magic in a rich world where the government has a lot to hide, an Apocalypse-class artifact was stolen, powerful factions have emerged, and the world will change if a disgraced temple Guardian and the three Cypher children can’t find their father and stop it.
Cypher 1.0 – Ashur’s Tears has completed ODNI Pre-publication review and was approved for public release on 11/20/18.
Tentative Release Date: Winter 2019/Spring 2020.
Bill Riley
Freedom. Most of my career was in a highly structured, classified environment. Don't get me wrong. I loved what I did, and I believe the things we accomplished were essential and valuable.
But, now, I'm free to write what I want and talk about what I do. I dreamed about being a writer since I was a kid, now I get to tell my stories.
But, now, I'm free to write what I want and talk about what I do. I dreamed about being a writer since I was a kid, now I get to tell my stories.
Bill Riley
Preparation. Now, I try not to begin a book until I'm confident I know what the story is, how it starts, the ending, and I have a rough idea of how to get there. That should be self-evident, but for me, it took more time than I'd like to admit to figure out something so basic. I was good at scenes and dialogue, and I had tons of inspiration, but without a decent road map, I got lost.
I also talk to or read about the process other professionals use to create or make something. Whether it's another writer, a painter, or an engineer, learning how others approach problem-solving, has helped me to solve my creative problems.
Other times, I do something entirely different for an hour, day, or week and I can suddenly see what I was missing or what held me back. Don't stop working altogether, keep moving the ball forward, but work on different things. When you come back to your wall, you just might see something you missed, or you couldn't see before.
I also talk to or read about the process other professionals use to create or make something. Whether it's another writer, a painter, or an engineer, learning how others approach problem-solving, has helped me to solve my creative problems.
Other times, I do something entirely different for an hour, day, or week and I can suddenly see what I was missing or what held me back. Don't stop working altogether, keep moving the ball forward, but work on different things. When you come back to your wall, you just might see something you missed, or you couldn't see before.
Bill Riley
Two things. First, write the stories that only you can tell. We all start somewhere different. We see different things and believe and grow a little different from each other. Use those experiences and that lense you see the world through to show me something I haven't seen before, or a new spin on an old story I wouldn't have otherwise experienced before I met you, and you convinced me to take that journey with you.
Yes, read widely. Yes, learn the rules of writing and language as you go along. But take me somewhere I haven't been and make the trip worthwhile.
Secondly, perfection equals paralysis. In my memoir Baghdaddy, I knew the story I wanted to tell, but the events happen over such a long period of time, and my perspective has changed so much as I got older, I had trouble stringing together those memories in a consistent and concise way, and I got stuck on what structure to use to tell my story. I agonized over how to write it so I could communicate it in a way people who weren't in the military or involved in intelligence operations could relate to without flashbacks inside of flashbacks inside of...
To keep writing I used a more traditional narrative structure knowing it wasn't ideal, but it was pretty good and let me keep going to the end. I worked with a great editor, Mike Towle, and he had a lot of experience with memoir and he recommended a better structure. I agreed and during the developmental edit, I was able to tighten and crisp up my story. It was the missing piece, but I would have never finished Baghdaddy if I didn't use a good approach until a great approach came along. Don't wait for the perfect word, or the best time or the ideal tool, or the lightning bolt of inspiration. Write the word, then the scene, then the chapter until you hit "The End." I promise that with every edit and revision the story will come more into focus and get better. All first drafts, to varying degrees, suck.
Yes, read widely. Yes, learn the rules of writing and language as you go along. But take me somewhere I haven't been and make the trip worthwhile.
Secondly, perfection equals paralysis. In my memoir Baghdaddy, I knew the story I wanted to tell, but the events happen over such a long period of time, and my perspective has changed so much as I got older, I had trouble stringing together those memories in a consistent and concise way, and I got stuck on what structure to use to tell my story. I agonized over how to write it so I could communicate it in a way people who weren't in the military or involved in intelligence operations could relate to without flashbacks inside of flashbacks inside of...
To keep writing I used a more traditional narrative structure knowing it wasn't ideal, but it was pretty good and let me keep going to the end. I worked with a great editor, Mike Towle, and he had a lot of experience with memoir and he recommended a better structure. I agreed and during the developmental edit, I was able to tighten and crisp up my story. It was the missing piece, but I would have never finished Baghdaddy if I didn't use a good approach until a great approach came along. Don't wait for the perfect word, or the best time or the ideal tool, or the lightning bolt of inspiration. Write the word, then the scene, then the chapter until you hit "The End." I promise that with every edit and revision the story will come more into focus and get better. All first drafts, to varying degrees, suck.
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