A late start hasn’t slowed William Porter, who swapped corporate life for creative storytelling and hasn’t looked back since. Now 75, he continues to embrace his passion, excited by the journey and the stories still waiting to be told. Gazette journalist Afraa Kori reports.
Officer resident William Porter has had a passion for writing for more than 25 years but it wasn’t until his early 50s that he finally put pen to paper.
In 2002, William walked away from corporate life to chase long-held passions, with writing a novel as his top priority.
Before that, he had reached the pinnacle of his profession as an accountant and commercial manager, travelling extensively across the globe.
Over 15 years, he made 8-10 trips a year visiting destinations including, USA, England, SEA, Middle East, Europe, China, Pacific Islands, South Africa, Ireland and Bermuda.
“Extensive travelling gave me a lot of ideas to write about and there are many more books to come from this experience,” William said.
While the demands of corporate life and travel left him little spare time to write, he always carried a voice recorder, capturing story ideas during flights and business trips.
Eventually that process led to his first book, Promise Fulfilled, which he later transcribed using Dragon software.
William completed a writing course originally aimed at freelance journalism, which gave him the direction he needed to pursue writing as a hobby into a serious pursuit.
Since then, he has published 30 books on Amazon, with another 23 manuscripts currently in various stages of editing.
William had set an ambitious goal of publishing 50 books by the end of the year. While he now expects to reach around 43 by November, he has enough manuscripts in the pipeline to potentially exceed that target.
At 75, he plans to celebrate the milestone with a book launch in the coming months.
“Better late than never,” he said of finally pursuing his creative dream.
In the past, traditional publishing costs often exceeding $15,000 per book between editing and production were a barrier to publication.
The rise of Kindle Direct Publishing changed that, giving writers like William an accessible way to share their stories.
His books span multiple genres from sequels like Promise Fulfilled and The King Dies Twice, to supernatural elements, comedy, and social commentary, including ‘Still Here, Still Laughing’, which critiques Australia’s aged-care system.
One day, he hopes to write about the harsh realities he’s learned from speaking with dozens of people about aged-care conditions, which he describes as often cruel and neglectful.
He’s also exploring sequels, new novels, and screen adaptations, starting with Promise Fulfilled.
Like many writers, he sometimes encounters writer’s block, but his approach is simple: If a story stalls, he moves on, often returning to old ideas later.
Looking back, there was “no one trigger” that sparked his writing journey. His only regret is not starting sooner.
To aspiring authors, Porter offers simple but timeless advice:
“Establish a style and go for it. Don’t be afraid to be different, most of all, enjoy what you’re writing. Ideas are what makes a book, the more the better.”
