PPWC 2013 Recollections

By F.P. Dorchak

PPWC 2013. Yeah, I was a little tired, but not too bad, really, better off than I usually am at this point. Truth be told, my neck needed a good crack (it's better now). This year (as last year) I didn't pitch any work to anyone---short of showing around the cover I had created for my upcoming supernatural murder mystery e-book.

But, first, a HEARTY standing ovational thanks to all who worked their butts off getting this conference up and running! It's hard work, and it went off exceedingly well! You all done good!

So...what did I do to justify my $395 event fee?

Plenty!

I took in as many sessions as I could over those three days, focusing on e-book methods and madness (aside: I received many compliments on my cover, created by Karen Duvall, and it really did come out great as a hard copy!). I filled up the rest of the time with other things, like:

• How horror bleeds into other genres. Get it? "Bleeds"?
• How to talk up your book to potential readers ("Hey, do you like to read?")
• How to create e-book covers (Mr. Schwartz really liked my soon-to-be-ebook's cover)
• How to make the Indie and NY thing work together, and not be an "either/or" proposition
• A little about how to write psycho characters ('cause, like, I really need to understand myself, there...)
• Adapting novels to screenplays, and what that process is (I adapted this mystery of mine into a script years ago---Amber Benson taught this!)
• How to deal with the sophomoric slump, or "that next book."
• How to deal with writer's block---which was quite enlightening (on several levels) about how different the reasons between guys and girls are, when it comes to this---or, maybe, not so much?!
• What to do once you're published. Yeah, you're just getting started....
• How to write funny, 'cause Lord knows I need that, too (in my personal life)....

As I'd previously mentioned, I'd also moderated a couple sessions, one read-and-critique session with Kate Testerman and how to write a short story (and send it) in 4 hours, with Zombie-lover DeAnna Knippling (yes, pronounce the "n" in her name). I felt just a little like a fish out of water, moderating, since it's been about 2 years since I'd done any of that. But it was fun getting back into things.

I also met and talked with all kinds of writers. This time out I was trying to get a little more outside my comfort zone by sitting at tables for food consumption (during our lunches and dinners) with authors and others not associated with my brand of paranormal fiction bent. I also met and talked with the more "famous-y folk," listing them in no particular order other than...well...the order I've presented below:

• Terry Banker (always "up," always friendly, always quick with a handshake and a "How've you been, Frank?" He always remembers me...)
• Becky Clark (now, um, Becky. Yeah. I'm still trying to define and categorize her. Might have to make up a word. I'll have to get back to you on this one...)
• Todd Fahnestock (I was so interesting to him, that his eyes glazed over and he had to prop himself up against a wall; that I had him held captive and pinned there only helped in that endeavor...)
• Becky Clark (nope...still got nuthin'...)
• Lynda Hilburn (we've interacted before by email, but you know you're in trouble when her first words to you are, "So, what are your hopes and dreams"? Did I mention she's a licensed and practicing psychotherapist?)
• Lisa Renee Jones (maaan, I wanna' be rich like her!)
• Becky Clark (okay, okay, got one: she tells cool jokes, like "All work and no play make Lincoln a full-term president" Get it? Get it?)
• Aaron Ritchey (this man...he needs his own show; my face and sides still hurt from his EMCEE antics---his 200K "NanoPeakoPikeo" (pardon the spelling, Mr. Ritchey) effort over this weekend; he made me buy his book by being So. Damned. Funny.)
• Becky Clark (Becky, Becky, Becky...she...she...defies...Becknification...)
• Amber Benson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer star; yeah, PPWC had her; that's the kinda' clout PPWC wields, my friends; she is so danged sweet!)
• Barry Eisler (he worked his "Agency Mind Tricks" on me to buy one of his books. Damn him...I-I mean...yes, yes, Mr. Eisler, I...will...buy...all your books....)
• Becky Clark (okay, she uses lots of K-words, and exaggerates---a lot---but...she did let me take a picture with her...)

Besides all the famous-y ones, I've also met up with those who I many times see only once a year. If that makes any sense. I (hopefully) made some new ones, and met several I've only dealt with electronically, so it was really cool to put pixels and faces and names together. Without having to virus check. One person, Lynda Hilburn was particularly funny in our first face-to-face, in that we'd been talking for a while at food time, Friday (you know about my hopes and dreams, which quickly morphed into my issues with cigars and lint---to this day I still don't know how she did this or where it came from---but in the middle of the ballroom banquet hall she had me up on a couch, recording our session...interlacing images and analyses from Dante's Inferno into my hot, steaming tears and mother issues), when she glanced down to my name tag and blurted: "Oh, you're that Frank Dorchak!" I wasn't quite sure how to take that, so we explored that for a while...

To be honest...I almost did not attend this year.

I'm not gonna' get into reasons why (Lynda's writing a paper on that for Psychology Today), but the point is, I did go. I learned so much about the e-books, the latest agent and editor Weltanschauung  (I love that word: Weltanschauung, say it aloud with me...), and I met so many wonderful, friendly, and, yes, even sweet people (and I don't use "sweet" much, besides "Please pass the sweet...ner"). I give Becky grief, 'cause, well, she gives it right back. Like a two-by-four to the back of  the head. Lynda---she tells people she's not good at small talk and gets right to the heart of any conversation in an instant. She's a wonderful, wonderful woman and an excellent conversationalist. You will never be bored talking with her. Ever. She has so much to say, each of her words so dense with meaning and intent, you're utterly fascinated by her and where her mind goes---and none of it is small talk. Everyone I met and talked with, they all have their stories, their own lives, and I would never have enjoyed any of it...had I not attended this conference.

So, what's my fricking point, already?

If you're a writer, a writer groupie, or simply "just" Becky Clark, and you're hesitant about attending a writer conference---maybe it'd be your first---afraid of putting yourself out there, meeting others, sitting at lunch and dinner tables with people you do not know---that's okay...to be apprehensive---that which does not kill us, makes us stronger (usually)---but do attend. Do not put it off. Do not skip it. Go and enjoy like-minded people you will not find anywhere else. You won't regret it. But you won't know you won't regret it until you come. To at least one. So, make those plans for 2014. Come out and see us. We don't bite.

Well, at least the non-vampire/zombie attendees don't bite....


About the Author: F. P. Dorchak writes about the supernatural, the metaphysical, the unexplained. His first novel, Sleepwalkers, was published in 2001. His newest, The Uninvited, is now available through Smashwords.

Quote of the Week, Week to Come & I Write Because...

"Write down the thoughts of the moment.  Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable." -Francis Bacon

This week on Writing From the Peak...

...Stacy S. Jensen lets you know how you can Help an Author Out by leaving a review.

...Our new columnist, Donnell Ann Bell, talks about Accepting Advice.

...And Debbie Maxwell Allen discusses query letters in Ready to Test-Drive Your Query Letter.

Also, don't forget the Write Brain this week! Page Lambert pays us a visit to discuss Manifestation of Yearning: The Flesh & Blood Factor of Storytelling. More information available on our website, the Event tab, and our Tuesday post.

Now we've got another installment of I Write Because..., provided by attendees of the 2013 Pikes Peak Writers Conference.

I Write Because...

...The stories are in me. They find their way out one way or another!

...Working fast food eats my soul.

...I am alive and human.

...Okay, so here's the thing...I loved playing "pretend" as a kid. Hours and hours of adventure & derring do, cops & robbers, cowboys & indians, mysteries to solve, treasures to find...And then I grew up. And nobody wanted to play pretend. But I still had all those adventures in my head, firing my imagination. So I wrote. I write. I keep writing. And now I've found friends who want to share my adventures. My readers.

...I have to. It fuels me to live the rest of my life happily. Without it, I am a shell of myself.

...It makes me happy and at peace.

...I can't stop!

...Everyone has a story to tell--and stories are what give life meaning. Plus, it's fun. :)

...Robot dinosaurs from Mars need a voice.

I Write Because...What Really Matters

By Rob Killam

Amid the flurry of workshops, networking, eating, and socializing that went on at Pikes Peak Writers Conference 2013, Barry Eisler's keynote speech concerning the conflict between independent publishing and traditional publishing set off a firestorm that attendees are well aware of. It shortly got to the point that Pikes Peak Writers addressed the subject on Facebook, with a post on April 23rd:

Barry Eisler’s keynote speech at PPWC on April 20 regarding digital versus traditional publishing has ignited something of a firestorm on the net. We believe this conversation has value, and we hope that it can occur with respect for both sides. Whether writers elect to self-publish, to follow a traditional publishing model, or to create a hybrid of the two, the Pikes Peak Writers Conference remains a place for education and open exchange of ideas.

While I was not in the auditorium for Mr. Eisler's speech, I've become familiar with the varying opinions on what he had to say. In order to understand my take on it, you should also know that--about a hundred yards from where the controversy started (at least at the conference)--there was a poster board on an easel. At the top of that board was the phrase "I Write Because..." Attendees were given the opportunity to write down their reason(s) for writing on a piece of paper and tape it to that board. It was a fun idea, but it also showed me something about the "publishing controversy."

Among the reasons people had for writing were:

It's therapy. (That was mine.)

I can't not write.

The blank page will win if I don't.

There were other reasons people had, but one reason never made an appearance: "I want to be published." From what I understand, Jeffrey Deaver (one of the latest James Bond novelists) makes a distinction between people who want to write, and people who want to have written. The former is what I see most often at conference; they're the folks who love writing because they love the craft. The latter are what Donald Maass calls "status seekers" in his book, The Fire in Fiction. They're the kind of people who couldn't care less about actually writing, because they just want money and fame.

I daresay that writers would write even if there was never a penny to be made for it. Of course, the fact that someone is willing to pay us for it means that we can do something we love in order to "put bread on the table," as it were. As it should be, there are any number of ways to make money writing. Some ways are more honorable (read: honest) than others, and some are definitely more successful than others. Without going into the facts and figures and statistics of it (because math makes my brain hurt), I will borrow a note from Robert Frost's poem Fire and Ice, and say that both traditional and independent publication are good.

Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice. From what I've tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate to say that for destruction ice is also great and would suffice.

Of course, Mr. Frost was not referring to the debate between two forms of publication when he wrote Fire and Ice, but his point stands: the world could end through both fire and ice. Similarly, writers find publication through both independent and traditional publishing. Regardless of the manner in which we choose to publish, the core standard--that which determines our worth as a writer--remains unchanged. You cannot expect to succeed as a writer for the masses if you do not start with a good story. We have standards for what a good story is, and the parameters for that remain unchanged regardless of how we publish.

The reason for the unchanging standard is simple: we do not write for a publishing house, or for an independent publishing service. Those are venues to distribute our writing to those who will truly judge our work: the reading masses. If you are not a good writer as far as the masses are concerned, then your work will not be widely read (unless it's read for the curiosity of whether it's really that bad). There are some polarizing authors (Stephenie Meyer of the Twilight franchise comes to mind) whose work is both highly praised and highly criticized, but for all of the discussion concerning Meyer's work, it has to contain some talent to draw an audience.

I am not a fortune teller, but I can easily predict the outcome of any discussion on the debate Mr. Eisler inadvertently started. Those who approach from their various sides will remain largely unchanged, and--like so many theological disagreements--the debate will continue, with no one side being proved more beneficial (read: more "right") than the other. Pros and cons exist on either side, but just as writers have the choice of what to write, they have choices in how to be published. No one side is better than the other, despite how die-hards on either side might wish.

What matters most is that we as writers continue to write, not for the fame or money, but because writing is in hearts and minds, and thus the body must follow. We are compelled to write, not to be rich and famous, but because it's therapy, or because we can't not write, or because the blank page will otherwise win. Sure, there will be a time for all of us to decide when and how to publish, but we can't get there unless there's a story to be written. Regardless of your viewpoint on the debate, you're not going to get anywhere if you forget why it is you write in the first place.

About the Author: Rob Killam has been a freelance writer since 2009. He is currently living in Colorado Springs, where he is working on his debut novel, a Springs-based science fiction novel. (Photo by Jared Hagan)

Quote of the Week, Week to Come, & More Why I Write

"A critic can only review the book he has read, not the one which the writer wrote."  -Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960

This week on Writing From the Peak...

...Conference attendees talk about their experiences

...PPLD Andrew McCarthy Event

...Our monthly run-down of writing news, local writing events, and helpful links on contests and publications seeking submissions.

Also, we'll be continuing our Why I Write posts, taken from notes conference attendees tacked up, telling us why they write. These will be posted each Sunday this month with the Quote of the Week and Week to Come.

"I write because...just because."

"I write because...what else?"

"I write because...I am compelled to heal myself and give away the truth to others."

"I write because...I love to dream."

"I write because...I love stories."

"I write because...I went through a period of time when I couldn't find science fiction I loved, so decided to write it."

"I write because...I feel compelled to create."

"I write because...the stories and characters are in my head. I must write to get them out. If I don't...bad juju."

"I write because...birds gotta' fly, writers gotta' write."

Results for the "Done" Short Story Contest

By DeAnna Knippling

Congratulations to everyone who entered the contest!  Here were the rules, which I first put up at the Pikes Peak Writers' Conference:

Do you have what it takes to write a perfect short story?  Me either.  So we’re not going for “Great.” We’re going for “Done.”
Rules:

• Your character is an insecure traveler who is obsessed with obtaining something in particular.  You get to pick what they’re obsessed about.
• An ancient ruin in the middle of a forest.  Any place, any time, doesn’t have to be our world.
• Your character is about to get married to the wrong person (whether they know it or not).
• Story AND PROOF OF SUBMISSION must be emailed to dknippling@gmail.com by midnight Wednesday, April 24

Prizes:

• $50 Amazon Gift Card for first story received.
• Two $25 Amazon Gift Cards drawn from all stories received by deadline.
• No other judging will be performed.  Goofy?  Serious?  Planet destroyed by aliens, the end?  All we care about is done!

The point of all this?

• To help motivate people to write, finish what they write, and submit what they write (look up Heinlein’s Rules sometime).
• To take perfection out of the equation and just have fun!

Here are the results:

We had 10 entries.  Yay!  Each entrant had a one-in-ten chance of winning.   But wait...

Of the 10 entries, in the end, five didn't give proof that they submitted the story to a market.  Upon rereading the directions, I allowed that it might have been easy to overlook that requirement, so I emailed all the people who didn't send proof to let them know...and still ended up with five who didn't get back to me.

Which mean that each entrant had a one-in-five chance of winning.  But wait...

Of the five remaining entries, two were received past the deadline.

Which mean that each entrant had a one-in-three chance of winning.  But wait...

There are three prizes.

So!  Everyone who followed directions...gets an Amazon gift card out of this.  I'll reveal names in a minute.

Other items of interest:

• Wordcount ranged from 705 to 5700 words.
• Genres submitted: SF, Fantasy, Adventure (Mainstream or, mmm, maybe Thriller on that one), Modern fairytale (fantasy), Western Romance, Romance, Fantasy, Pulp Adventure (Mainstream or Mystery/Crime, depending on how the writer was feeling about markets that day), Magic Realism (Mainstream or Fantasy), and Mainstream Fiction (that could easily slide into Mystery/Crime with a few edits).

Two of the stories used the same-ish setting (Mexico), but in commmpletely different ways.

What did we learn out of this?

• ME: Write clearer directions.  WRITERS:  If submission guidelines aren't clear--ask.  And follow up on feedback ASAP!
• ME: Specify standard manuscript format.  WRITERS:  Always submit your work in standard manuscript format unless specifically instructed otherwise.  I prefer Times New Roman subs, but hey, Courier's cool.  Do not show up at your writer-job-interview wearing bunny slippers.  Sadly: LOTS of bunny slippers here.
• ME: You have to draw the line somewhere.  WRITERS:  Deadline, deadline, deadline.
• ME:  People were a lot more positive about this than I expected.  However, a lot of people I remember saying "Oh, what a cool idea" didn't send anything.  A couple of people told me that they started but didn't finish (extra props to them...but no $).  WRITERS:  No, you can't chase downevery opportunity that comes your way, but you should be chasing down as many as you can.  Repeatedly.  Because often if you follow the directions...you win.

Were the stories any good?  Ahhh, that wasn't part of the contest, was it?  But let me say - they were stories, no better or worse than what I see come through the slush pile.

Great job to everyone who participated!  Keep working on professionalism...you're already ahead of the people who didn't turn anything in.  As for the people who didn't submit:  You can't win if you don't play.  Rejection isn't losing, it's just a busted lottery ticket :)

Winners!

• First in - John K. Patterson ($50 gift card).
• In by deadline - Dori McCraw ($25 gift card).
• In by deadline - AmyBeth Inverness ($25 gift card).

Thanks all, and we'll have to do this again sometime :)