Goodreads asked J.T. Patten:

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

J.T. Patten Write it first, figure it out later. I had some great advice along the way. Brad Thor told me, "You aren't a writer until you finish it; don't waste time thinking about anything else until your manuscript is done. Then go back and fix it." Friend and best selling writer, Mark Greaney shared with me, "Write the first draft like you can do no wrong. Write the second draft, like you can do no right." As an indie, who has had some success and uptake with my first novel, I also am biased against the wait game of agents and publishers. If you have a good product, its hard to know exactly who will want it. I took a shotgun approach, a rifle shot approach, and a handgrenade approach. I could still be waiting for a publisher to take it. In the meantime, I was sitting ranked above their published authors. Fluke? Maybe. I say, put it out there when it is as good as you can afford and let the readers figure it out. Most agents I know don't like military thrillers anyway, so why do I think they could sell it. That's like my kid selling broccoli to his sibling, and I love broccoli.

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