Ben Wilson

Ben Wilson

science fiction · military fiction

Ben C Wilson - Science Fiction and Fantasy Author

Science fiction and fantasy author. Former soldier, former technologist, current skeptic of complicated solutions. I write about humans meeting the impossible.

The Journey

I first wanted to write when I was a young teen. Somewhere I got the advice that to be a writer I had to experience life, so I did exactly that. I joined the Army, saw the world, and earned my honorable discharge. I met incredible people, both in uniform and out. I experienced cultures far beyond my home state of Arkansas. The experience taught me that there are many perspectives, even if only one is right. Take people as you find them and try to understand them. Most importantly, it filled me with stories.

I was always a storyteller—the South is a storytelling culture, as is the military. I’ve got an anecdote for any occasion. Too many, if you ask my friends. The hard part was writing them down.

Now in my 50s? As Doc Holliday said in Tombstone, “I’m in my prime!”

Why Science Fiction

They say to write what you read. I grew up on a steady diet of science fiction and fantasy movies. But it was Orson Scott Card, Alan Dean Foster, L.E. Modesitt, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Iain M. Banks who showed me what these genres could really do. They used alien worlds and impossible magic to examine very human truths.

That’s the power of science fiction and fantasy: we can strip away the familiar and see ourselves more clearly.

For Readers

If you’re looking for stories that trust your intelligence and respect your imagination, welcome home. Adventures without assault. Romance without raunch. Clear moral stakes where choices matter and endings satisfy.

Books

Recent Posts

The Great Fruitcake

There are few still living who were there for the revelation of the Great Fruitcake. Whilst debating with an evolutionist who said the universe came into existence on its own from a dense hydrogen mass, the revelation came to me. Now I pass this to you.
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White Waters and Using Artificial Intelligence

We’re three years into the AI revolution. Among my fellow authors, there has been much weeping and gnashing of teeth. Some love it and plan to use it. Some hate it and anyone who tries. In truth, it’s complicated.
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Notes

How Much Is Too Much World-Building?

I get it. Writers have heroes. We think we have competition. At the end of the day, we’re all trying to find the right way to write our novels.
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Author Nation 2025 Recap

For the past five years, I’ve gone to perhaps the largest conference for self-published authors. I wanted to go in 2019, but I didn’t think I was ready. I went in 2021, and quickly learned that nobody is ever ready for their first conference. It was 20Books Vegas run by Craig Martelle, but Joe Solari took over in 2024 as Author Nations.
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Back in the Saddle

November marked my return. Not just to writing, but to a version of myself I’d been waiting to meet.
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Preflight Complete: The Year I Stopped Playing It Safe

How many truly pivotal moments are there in a life? By my calculation, I’m on my eighth in a few years over half a century. I’ve served the government in some capacity since I was 19. After 35 years, I’ve retired with just enough runway for me to take off in a different direction. 2025 is the year I taxied.
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Three Words for My 18-Year-Old Self

There’s a social media earworm: “What three words would you say to your 18-year-old self?” I laugh it off when I see it. But it came up again.
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Economics of Being a Writer

A fellow author I respect recently shared some insights on the economics of being a writer. The results were not as detailed as I like, so I opted to have Claude do deep diving. After reviewing 471 sources, it came back with some interesting findings.
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