Pikes Peak Writers invites you to register for the Prequel Programming on Thursday, April 14, 2016. These are in-depth, 3-hour workshops on a variety of topics. You can pair any morning workshop with any afternoon workshop to suit your individual needs.
This programming can be added to your PPWC Registration for an additional $90, or you can attend The Prequel ONLY for $140. Lunch is included in your PPWC Prequel registration price.
- Morning sessions run 9 a.m.-noon.
- Afternoon sessions run 1-4 p.m.
- During the break from noon to 1 p.m., enjoy lunch in the ballroom.
2016 THURSDAY PREQUEL PROGRAMMING
PREQUEL MORNING SESSIONS (9:00am – Noon)
PREQUEL MORNING SESSION #1
FOUNDATIONS OF SCIENCE FICTION
Presented by Kevin Ikenberry
The recent successes of works like Ready Player One and The Martian have cast a long overdue spotlight on science fiction and its marketability to audiences. Are you interested in writing science fiction, but don’t know where to start? This three-hour workshop will present the basics of writing science fiction and define sub genres, basic terminologies, the science of science fiction, technology, and space combat. The workshop will also include several exercises designed to build upon your own ideas and spur your own science fiction writing. Join local science fiction author Kevin Ikenberry (Sleeper Protocol) and spend a few hours learning your own journey to the stars.
PREQUEL MORNING SESSION #2
BUILDING BLOCKS FOR WRITING MORE POWERFUL FICTION
Presented by M.L. Rowland
Writers need to stretch and exercise the right side of their brains just like we all stretch and exercise our bodies in order to stay physically fit and/or grow stronger. “The Cumulative Power of Words” is a warm-up exploring how the cumulative effect of words can create a visceral response. The second activity, “Exercising the Right Side of your Brain,” produces surprising, sometimes funny, sometimes nonsensical, but often amazing results. As the right side of your brain gets into gear, you will be ready to see things through an artistic mind and describe them in new ways. After all, description is imagery. Imagery is description. Using strong mental images in fiction can create powerful descriptions that pack an emotional punch. Strong minds and strong imagery are building blocks your fiction can’t live without!
PREQUEL MORNING SESSION #3
HOW NOT TO WRITE A QUERY LETTER
Presented by Angie Hodapp
What kinds of errors and missteps do authors make in their query letters— things that agents see too often or that send up their red flags? Come learn what not to do in each of your query letter’s four parts: the personal greeting, the project summary, the story synopsis (pitch paragraph), and the biographical information. Don’t forget to bring a copy of your query letter. After the lesson, Angie Hodapp will choose some attendee queries for live feedback!
PREQUEL MORNING SESSION #4
HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH? Backstory’s Impact On Your Characters And Plot
Presented by Jodi Anderson
You have all of that breathtaking information about your characters and their lives, so what do you do with it? When do you give it to the reader or do you use it at all in your story? Knowing these things can either create a depth that builds an emotional relationship with your reader or pull them out of the world you are creating.
Join us to find out more about when, where, and how much backstory.
PREQUEL BONUS MORNING SESSION #5
LOST AND FOUND: Surviving The Wild (Part I)
Presenters to be announced
They have been called many things, but ‘ALIVE’ is the only label that matters. Living in Colorado, many of us enjoy a stroll down a trail in our beautiful state. But, there are some whose idea of a hike is much more extreme, and they spend their lives training and preparing for the worst case scenarios. Let these experts in outdoor survival share some of the knowledge they use to endure some of the world’s most extreme terrains and conditions, and get out alive.
PREQUEL AFTERNOON SESSIONS (1:00pm – 4:00pm)
PREQUEL AFTERNOON SESSION #1
FANTASY FUNDAMENTALS
Presented by Carol Berg
When we set out to write traditional or urban fantasy, science fiction, paranormal romance, or other not-quite-this world fiction, we’ve set ourselves three great challenges. Making the improbable Visible. Making it Believable. And making it Fresh. To get a handle on the decisions we’ll need to make, we’ll consider market topics like subgenre characteristics, cliches, and faux pas, as well as craft topics like basic worldbuilding and terminology—everything from gods to stew.
PREQUEL AFTERNOON SESSION #2
A NOVEL IN 90 DAYS
Presented by Johnny Worthen
The odds are against us making it in this industry. You’d have to be crazy to try to do this. Challenge accepted.
A confidence building exercise in discipline and creativity. Using focused self-delusion and the magick of positive thinking we discipline ourselves into a routine to encompass an entire project from inception to rough draft. The class is meant to inspire a writer to overcome their greatest obstacle – a completed book. The course offers concrete advice from tools to times, inspiration, pre-writing tactics and thematic considerations. Think like an author, act like an author. Be an author.
PREQUEL AFTERNOON SESSION #3
RED INK: Essential Self-Editing Strategies To Use Before You Submit
Presented by Anita Mumm
What makes some manuscripts glide through the submissions process and others languish in the slush pile? And what sets the most successful indie novels apart from the crowd? This workshop will focus on practical tips for polishing a manuscript to ensure you are putting your best work forward—whether you are submitting to agents or preparing to self-publish. Topics covered will focus on four of the most common mistakes I’ve seen in my years in the publishing industry: opening pages that fail to capture readers; inappropriate length/word count; plot threads or characters that disappear; and weak or unsatisfying endings.
PREQUEL AFTERNOON SESSION #4
SCENE AND SEQUEL: The Engine Of Story
Presented by Warren Hammond
Twenty-thousand words in, your story has died, and you don’t know how to break through, so you rewrite chapter one for the hundredth time. Sound familiar? This workshop will help you bust through the roadblocks by analyzing scene and sequel, the building blocks of all stories. Using these techniques for scene creation and chapter construction, you can create an engine that will propel you straight through to the end.
PREQUEL BONUS AFTERNOON SESSION #5
LOST AND FOUND: Surviving The Wild (Part II)
Presented by El Paso County Search and Rescue
In a perfect world, your adventure ends happily at home. However, whether it’s a short hike with your dog or the ascent of a Colorado 14’er, there are always dangers and risks. Sometimes, even the best laid plans go wrong. All it takes is one misguided decision, one simple change in conditions, to turn a walk into nightmare. These real heroes are the ones who get called when the unexpected happens. Learn about some of the skills and equipment these rescuers use to keep families together.
REGISTER FOR THE 2016 PIKES PEAK WRITERS CONFERENCE HERE!
Please remember that some things are beyond our control. ALL programming is subject to change without notice. Keep checking back between now and April for any updated information or changes.
For
the writer who is further along, consider Make your own Middle Earth: Worldbuilding
- presented by Mike Braff & Kevin Hearne. In this three-hour long workshop
you will learn the fundamentals of worldbuilding from New York Times
Bestselling author Kevin Hearne and Del Rey editor Mike Braff. This is certain
to be a fun, interactive workshop as participants will be given the tools
needed to write a short piece set in a shared world the whole class will read,
critique, and discuss as a group. Be
prepared for a fun and enlightening workshop!
