About Me

Writing is my Trade

I am a writer. I write, because I read - and I love the language. There is nothing greater in humanity's quiver than words and the magic of communication. The Cherokee called their writing "leaves" which float on the wind and tell their messages.

I have always been drawn to the great philologists of our literary heritage - Dickens, Gilbert, J.R.R. Tolkien. Many people can listen to the great words and shrug their shoulders; but I am drawn to tears, with a cool emotional surge at each occurrence. The Death of Paul Dombey, the jingling of King Gama and the Ride of the Rohirrim are magnificent examples of our language at its apex. There is only one course for anyone who is in love with the written word - and that is to WRITE.

I wrote my first little Novel when I was 9 years old. It was about Boy Scout Camp; and I did not have the sense to change the names of the characters to protect the innocent. But, to tell a story --- ah. Then, when exposed to WS Gilbert, I wrote no less than forty librettos (libretti), which allowed me to develop a rythm in writing - and also a sense of the absurd. Ah, the sins of youth.

Short Fiction was written on and off over the years - especially while I was in the Army. This output was not necessarily good - although the Major's wife read them and thought it had potential. It also had some poetry attached to each one. In my early college days, I wrote a novel about the Nioche, a tribe that lived in Coney Island. What a dramatic impracticality that was - but, the words were wonderful - the sum did not add up to the parts.

The poetry bug caught me while I was working on my master's dissertation. I would say I wrote at least 500 poems, each one exploring subject's just short of the real heart. Then began my BIG work - a novel set in China. This would result in 25 years of writing. At last I found the unique voice I needed as a writer, then immediately bogged it down with thousands of pages of writing and writing and writing. It was a disappointment indeed.

In the late 90's I started writing poetry that was published in various periodicals. Friends were telling me, it was "great" stuff. I think my emergence from the closet in 1990 helped me emerge as a full-blown writer (no pun intended). Subjects under the surface, popped to the top; and I had license to write on all subjects. 8 books of poetry were completed and are published on this site.

In 2000, at the encouragement of my friend Scott Laubner, who has a life long passion for the theatre, I was re-introduced to plays. I did two thing. First, I joined the Ridgewood Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company, a 65 year old institution in North Jersey. I am still an active performer. The other was to write a play, the first of 12.. These plays will be published on this site; however, I took as a subject for the first play, the long languishing China Novel material. This resulted in "Fishing with Birds", which all who read it - said it was excellent. So, I wrote four more on the subject. Then, I wrote 7plays on gay-themed ideas that I had bubbling in my noggin.

In 2001 I re-discovered the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. I had read Prof. Tolkien's works in High School, and then again in the 70's. A re-read amazed me. His genius was invigorating. Upon gaining that most precious commodity, TIME, when my corporate career came to an end in 2003, I was able to cast the 5 Chinese plays into a Tolkienesque Novel - the one showcased on this site, Nan Ya. I also developed a writing discipline, which first tried out materials as plays for focus, character development and conciseness - then recast them into prose - a sort of backward adaptation process, if you will. I have applied that process to one other play to date - my novella Cutting the Cheese, also found on this site. There are several others in progress.

Time has been gracious to me. I only regret that instead of a career at BUSINESS, I did not pursue my heart's goal - writing. But now that I am free of that disease of mammon and stress, and greet each morning with bright prospect, I will now live the life I was meant to lead. Writing is my Trade; and my Leaves are in the wind - tributes to my art and my love of language.

E. C. Patterson