James Patterson, James Patterson

We’ve all probably heard of this author, even if we don’t read his books. That’s me. But being a curious explorer I was interested in his life and some stories… very short stories of how he became who he is today. When Patterson writes – he pretends there’s someone sitting across from him, and he doesn’t want that person to get up until he’s finished with his story. He grew up poor, which keeps him humble. He looks at the world through the lens of a blue-collar kid who grew up in Newburgh, Conn. He mentions this is why he’s never been too full of himself, too impressed with bestseller lists… he’s more a working-class storyteller. He moves from one topic to the next within the frame of one sentence… and hits on stories – over 200, on every little thing you could think of which provides a well-rounded language of insight on how this guy thinks, his actions, his loves, his attitudes. If he doesn’t feel it in his stories, how can he expect you the reader to feel it too? What can I say, the book keeps you intrigued. His formula works. Now, having one-word sentences isn’t literary genius, but his style serves the purpose it represents…. Read. He’s passionate about having children read books, especially with the text-filled world and visual zombies out there and growing every day. The day that writing started to be fun for him, the day things began to really click, was the day he stopped trying to write sentences and started telling stories. He even admits, “I’m pretty sure there are some good stories in this book, but I don’t know if there are any really good sentences.” It’s all about the reader – how will they respond to what they read? Do the words heighten dram, make you love the protagonist or hate the villain, does it tear at your heart, turn your expectations upside down? If so, the book has served its purpose. Words to the wise from the bestselling author in the world.