My right scanner called 'Missile launch, three o'clock.' I had seconds to respond. In 26 years of flying combat missions and ten years trying to publish my work, I've encountered adversity in three distinct forms: external, internal, and imposed. Each demands the same response.

My screenplays wouldn't sell in Hollywood. I wasn't famous, had no attached stars, and my work wasn't based on existing IP. So I adapted them into novels. Here's what changed when I went from 112 pages to 100,000 words, and why the novels are better.