I’m Bill Wear. I’ve spent most of my working life writing — technical documents, tutorials, reference guides, ghostwritten books, training courses, business literature, and more code than I expected to when I started out. I’ve written in C, C++, Python, PHP, Perl, and bash. I’ve managed big IT products for big banks and managed engineering programs that probably should have come with a warning label.

I’ve also butchered meat, delivered pianos, and run a cash register in my dad’s grocery store as a kid. I researched cancer drugs in college before realizing my chemistry advisor couldn’t afford to file a tax return, at which point I changed my major to EE/CS and never looked back.

These days I write essays, sew things, tinker with shortwave radio, and try to spend as much of my time as possible on work that actually matters to me. I live in south Mississippi with my wife and a Bombay cat named Baby who showed up one day and never left.

What I believe

I keep a credo, in no particular order, because every item matters equally:

  1. Start small and build a little at a time; a mosaic is more beautiful than the finest concrete, and way less likely to get you sued for improper construction.
  2. Say what you mean; because telepathy is still in beta testing.
  3. Network; because who else will laugh at your “I’m not a robot” jokes?
  4. Divide and conquer; because life is essentially a giant game of strategy board games.
  5. Keep it simple; complex plans involve running, and who’s got the energy for that?
  6. Do one thing well; remember, unicorns are famous for just one horn.
  7. Be who you are; even a bent wire can carry a great light, especially in a modern art exhibit.
  8. Build for strength, not just speed; the tortoise won the race, but the hare had more Instagram followers.
  9. Speak clearly, listen carefully, pay close attention; otherwise, you’ll end up in a conversation about quantum physics when you just asked for the time.
  10. Underpromise and overdeliver; because everyone loves a surprise, especially when it’s not another birthday card.
  11. Practice the Prime Directive; unless you’re in a sci-fi movie, then totally ignore it.
  12. Hack; just remember, “try it and see” doesn’t apply to skydiving or lion taming.
  13. Use what you have; unless it’s a floppy disk, then maybe it’s time to upgrade.
  14. Use levers, not people; because people are terrible at being levers, they keep asking for coffee breaks.
  15. Release early, release often; otherwise, you’re just hoarding half-baked ideas, and there’s no market for those.
  16. Distrust all claims for the one true way — except for pizza, pizza is always the answer.
  17. Think ahead, but don’t worship your plans; remember, not all who wander are lost — they might just be looking for their keys.

What I’m doing now

I’m rebuilding this site as a home for essays about craft, devotion, and the creative cycle I call the Inner Fire — the idea that genuine ambition, fed daily by rare and valuable work, is self-sustaining and worth more than any amount of consumption. I also sew bags and purses, build things with my hands, and read too many books at once — and I’m even writing one to help people escape from the doomscrolling grip.

Burn slow. Build deep. Be the proof.