A Journey Through Career, Creativity, and Crafting Compelling Narratives
Discover Wayne English’s journey from engineering to writing, blending technical expertise with storytelling. Explore his novels, advice for writers, and upcoming series.
BY DAN PETERS
Wayne English’s journey is a testament to the multifaceted nature of career paths in today’s world. Residing in Coventry, Connecticut, alongside his wife, daughter, and Olive their yellow canary, Wayne has carved a remarkable niche that spans various disciplines. His professional odyssey encompasses roles as an Engineering Technician, Computer Scientist, Senior Technician, and educator, with stints in electric distribution, nuclear power, and Information Resources. Yet, it’s his prowess as a writer that truly shines, boasting an impressive repertoire including five books and contributions to an array of local, national, and international publications, online and in print.
Intriguingly, Wayne seamlessly intertwines his occupational experiences with his passion for writing, resulting in narratives that are compelling and technically precise. Take, for instance, his short story “ShiftWorld,” where the protagonist’s journey mirrors Wayne’s own tenure in electric distribution and nuclear power, lending an authenticity that resonates with readers.
Wayne’s literary endeavors span genres, from captivating historical fiction like “Attila’s Revenge” to his upcoming series,“The Tory Town Chronicles,” set in a fictional town in Connecticut. In each venture, he deftly blends historical facts with fictional narratives, creating immersive worlds teeming with intrigue and emotion.
For aspiring writers embarking on their own publishing odyssey, Wayne offers sage advice rooted in his wealth of experience. He advocates for writing about topics one is professionally competent in, emphasizing the importance of thorough research and the dissemination of accurate information.
With a knack for making complex topics accessible, Wayne’s writing reflects his passion for continual learning and his commitment to clarity. Whether unraveling the intricacies of web content optimization or demystifying social networking, Wayne’s approachable style ensures that readers are both informed and engaged.
In essence, Wayne epitomizes the modern polymath, seamlessly traversing diverse domains with aplomb and leaving an indelible mark on each. As readers delve into his works, they are not just entertained but enlightened, invited on a journey where expertise meets imagination, and the boundaries of possibility are endlessly expanded.
Your career journey seems diverse, spanning from nuclear engineering to writing and publishing. How did you navigate these different fields, and what inspired your transition into writing?
Navigating Nuclear power, electrical distribution, and writing was not a problem. You see, I did not leave my full time job to write full time. I did both at the same time. As for inspiration, I enjoyed seeing my name in print and the more I wrote and published the more I enjoyed it. That has held over the years and continues to this day. I use my occupational experience to inform my writing. In my short story ‘Shift World’ the main character is assigned to work in an electric power station. The story is technically accurate from my twenty plus years working in electric distribution and nuclear power.
Attila’s Revenge sounds like a captivating historical fiction. What drew you to Attila the Hun’s story, and how did you approach blending historical fact with fictional narrative in your novel?
I saw Attila’s Revenge as a story of love, hate, wealth, power. It’s the ultimate in good versus evil. What drew me to the story was an article I read about how he died, which I found interesting, so I read more and more finally killing him, in the story, the way he actually died. That is, if the history as written is correct. We’ll never know because his body has never been found.
Your upcoming series, The Tory Town Chronicles, is set in a fictional town in Connecticut, and sounds intriguing. Could you share a bit about the inspiration behind this series and what readers can expect from it?
I was inspired by wanting to write a contemporary series with wide latitude in characters, location, and plot. Readers can expect current and future technology wrapped up with a cast of characters and villains that is worldwide in scope. I do this by making the story about a heavy rigging crew that works worldwide providing oil field services and heavy rigging needs from building an experiment for a world class scientist to working on Alaska’s North Slope. The characters are ex-military and civilian people of unquestioned competence.
As an experienced author, what advice would you give to aspiring writers who are just starting their journey in the world of publishing?
Write about material that you are professionally competent with. You’ve likely heard the saying, ‘write what you know.’This is good and bad advice. It’s good when your starting out and bad as your skills improve.
When you are able to take on work that require research, writing, editing, and maybe marketing as well. As to research, be careful when using the web as material there must be verified from at least two other trusted sources. Never – and I mean never – trust any one source online unless it’s of unquestioned professional competence.
Your professional resume reflects a wealth of experience and expertise, from authoring books to training development and electric distribution.
How has your diverse
background influenced your writing style and the topics you choose to explore in your books?
Much of my background finds its way into my work. This is true whether I’m writing fiction or nonfiction as I’ve used a great deal of technology so when writing about computers, social media, or writing content I’ve worked in those areas. A diverse background is an asset, but more important is solid knowledge, so you’re capable of passing on solid, technically accurate, information and not just an uninformed opinion. When I worked in nuclear power many of the people who were anti-nuclear had no idea about the technology and I found myself responding to what people thought not what they knew. Those conversation were never pleasant as I found myself pitted against opinion, not facts.
You’ve written on a variety of topics, from web content optimization to social networking and job hunting using the web. What drives your interest in these diver-se subjects, and how do you approach making complex topics accessible to your readers?
I’ve always enjoyed learning new things, taking on new challenges, and have done many things besides writing such as: teaching photography, doing it professionally, and writing a monthly column for a magazine, working on a volunteer ambulance and running the training committee.
Making complex topics easy to understand is my forte. I believe that’s from all the teaching I’ve done. When I worked in a photographic
department it was great fun. After the second or third explanation failed to explain something to a customer my creativity was tested to get the message across because no one is going to buy a camera they can’t use. The same thing goes for writing. No one will read your material if they can’t understand it. Unless, of course, you’re writing a text book where students have access to people who can explain the material.
