Scene Writing Series, Part III - Setting, Part I

By Jax Hunter

Greetings, Campers,

I hope you are all becoming much more aware of how your scenes are coming together.

Last month, I promised that we’d take a look at “set dressing.” Setting can range anywhere from the locale in which the scene takes place to the body language of the characters. It’s a subject that simply can’t be covered in one quick column. So, this month, we’ll look at the physical setting - the place and objects that go into each scene. Next month we’ll look at setting with regards to character. This, despite the fact that it is very difficult to analyze physical setting without talking about character. 

When leafing through my screenwriting books, I found two distinct uses of the word “setting.” First is the world created for your story - the time, place, and rules of the world your characters live in. 

Paul Lucey in Story Sense refers to this as the frame of the story. Not only does the frame include the time and place within which the story is set, it also includes the theme, mood, style and the “overall visual look of the movie.” A sci-fi thriller will have a completely different look and feel than a gothic romance will. Not only will the sets be different, even the language used to tell each story will differ. 

Second is what Bo Goldman listed as going into the box that makes up a scene: setting, weather, costuming, lighting, props, animals, whatever can “jack up the drama.”  (Again, Story Sense by Lucy.)

Keep my disclaimer in mind, though: We’re looking at the subject of setting from a screenwriting perspective. That automatically limits us. That which appears on the screen or stage is particularly visual. As novelists, we have many other tools we use to paint a picture. Sometimes, because of these tools at our disposal, we neglect the visual. 

I have a number of movie screenplays on my computer. I will share with you pieces of some of these in hopes that you’ll be inspired to look much more carefully at the dressing of your characters' surroundings. Oh, and I have an assignment for you, too. Stay tuned....

The key to great description - with regards to setting - is the use of specific detail. Michael Hauge in Writing Screenplays that Sell, says: “The particulars of appearance, attire, decor, attitude, and manner which convey the essence and the uniqueness of a character or setting are the ones to employ. Such attention to detail will create and enhance the movie in the reader’s mind and will contribute most strongly to his emotional involvement in each scene. 

Specific detail. Instead of a vase of flowers - an intricately etched crystal vase holding thirteen Brigadoon roses. Instead of a car in the garage - a hot, red Dodge Viper waiting in the bay of the spotless three-car garage. Instead of mounds of snow - mounds of dirty snow laying on slabs of ice. Instead of rain - a heaven-opened-on-our-head deluge, or a soft Scottish mist, or maybe rain just now turning to snow. We paint pictures with specific detail. 

An aside here to give you a fabulous example: "Gazing across the street at the egg-carton high-rise that partially obstructed her view of the mountains, Jackie spotted one of the few reliable signs of spring: dusty ficuses and elephant ferns crowding the screened balconies, hauled outside to bask in the sun. But the brilliant rays masked a nip to the air and the trees couldn’t decide whether to trust the calendar." (From Blind Spot by our own Stephanie Kane)

Without further ado, let’s look at how the screenwriters set the scene. Mind you, their form is different from ours, but they are still using the tools we all have - words - to set their stages. (For our purposes, I have not maintained proper screenplay formatting.)

FADE IN...

From KATE AND LEOPOLD

INT. HALLWAY - EVENING

Large hallway clock -- 6:15. A pair of boots track a freshly scrubbed floor as Leopold heads carelessly up the stairway. Three steps behind, the valet snaps his fingers signaling the staff to clean up the mess.

SERIES OF CLOSE UPS

Gaudily framed portraits of somber relations.

A bird sits listless in a gilded cage.

Hot water is poured into a bath.

Carriages begin to arrive.

Orchestra leader signals the musicians to play.

Guests fill the ballroom in formal attire.

From GOOD WILL HUNTING

INT. L STREET BAR & GRILLE, SOUTH BOSTON -- EVENING

The bar is dirty, more than a little run down. If there is ever a cook on duty, he's not here now. As we pan across several empty tables, we can almost smell the odor of last nights beer and crushed pretzels on the floor.

From LETHAL WEAPON

CITY OF ANGELS lies spread out beneath us in all its  splendor, like a bargain basement Promised Land.

CAMERA SOARS, DIPS, WINDS its way SLOWLY  DOWN,  DOWN, bringing us IN OVER the city as we:

SPIRAL DOWN TOWARD a lush, high-rise apartment complex. The moon reflected in glass.

CAMERA CONTINUES TO MOVE IN THROUGH billowing curtains, INTO the inner sanctum of a  penthouse  apartment,  and here, boys and girls, is where we lose our breath, because --

spread-eagled on a sumptuous designer sofa lies the single most beautiful GIRL in the city.      Blonde hair. A satin nightgown that positively  glows. Sam Cooke MUSIC, crooning from five hundred dollar SPEAKERS.

PASTEL colors. Window walls. New wave furniture tortured into weird shapes. It looks like robots live here. On the table next to the sleeping Venus lies  an open bottle of pills...next to that, a mirror dusted with cocaine.

From AIR FORCE ONE

INT. C-130 HERCULES TURBO-PROP - NIGHT

Eighteen combat-ready special forces, wearing assault black, jump packs and combat gear, stare down the deep end of a greasy ramp into the night sky. Village lights flicker 19,000 feet below.

The STRIKE FORCE LEADER signals to his team. Without a moment's hesitation, they dive into the darkness and plummet toward earth.

From BRAVEHEART

EXT. The SCOTTISH countryside - day

Epic beauty: cobalt mountains beneath a glowering purple sky fringed with pink, as if the clouds were a lid too small for the earth; a cascading landscape of boulders shrouded in deep green grass; and the blue lochs, reflecting the sky. We hear a voice, husky, Scottish...

VOICE OVER  I will tell you of William Wallace.

From L.A. CONFIDENTIAL

EXT. L.A. SKYLINE - SUNSET

Palm trees in silhouette against a cherry sky. City lights twinkle. Los Angeles. A place where anything is possible. A place where dreams come true. As the sky darkens, triple-kleig lights begin to sweep back and forth.

EXT. MANSION (HANCOCK PARK) - NIGHT

The KLEIG LIGHTS are out front. Valets hurry to park a line of elegant cars.

{Note from Jax - the Kleig lights are the old time spotlights used in old-time Hollywood - invented by the Kleig brothers - I had to look it up}

Okay, so there you have a starting point for thinking about your use of physical setting. Your assignment is this: the next scene you write - write it in screenplay format. Set the scene going in with over the top description. Describe everything - you can cut out the fat later. Then, briefly describe the action and write the dialogue. See if that makes the scene pop for you. 

Until next month - BIC-HOK (Butt in Chair - Hands on Keyboard)

Jax (www.jaxmhunter@gmail.com)

(This series first ran in the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers newsletter in 2005.)

About the Author: Jax Hunter is a published romance writer and freelance copywriter. She wears many hats including EMT, CPR instructor, and Grammy. She is currently working on a contemporary romance series set in ranching country Colorado and a historical romance set in 1775 Massachusetts. She lives in Colorado Springs, belongs to PPW, RMFW and is a member of the Professional Writer's Alliance.

What Writers Can Learn From Warriors

By Jennifer Lovett Herbranson

I’m taking a step back from writing about marketing your fiction, to writing on Veteran’s Day and heroes. Heroes are what make stories great and what keep readers coming back. In a culture of twerking and thugs, we could use more heroes, and in the military we’ve found them.

Thomas Ricks, a fellow at the Center for a New American Security, recently wrote, “Our relatively small and highly adept military has made it all too easy for our nation to go to war — and to ignore the consequences. One percent of the nation has carried almost all the burden of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, while the rest of us essentially went shopping. Like it or not, the (Vietnam) draft sure did encourage people to pay attention to the war and decide whether they were willing to support it.”

Veteran’s Day offers us a chance to think about war. Our military is so highly adept because of the formidable character of its service members. And war is the one situation, unlike all others, where the audacity of the human condition is on full display.

The Medal of Honor was awarded to 467 men for actions during World War II, 137 for the War in Korea, and 249 for Vietnam. Only 13 have been awarded for the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Six of those 13 are still living. Each of the warriors below looked death in the face and spit on it. I think we, as Americans and as writers, can learn something powerful from each of these real-life heroes.

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta – resides in Colorado
The first living Medal of Honor recipient from the War in Afghanistan

From the 173rd Airborne Brigade, this Soldier sprinted through open terrain several times, under heavy enemy fire to recover wounded, simultaneously throwing grenades at the enemy for cover.

At one point, he raced across the field and lay prone to recon over a hill for more comrades. What he saw was the worst he could imagine: two Taliban soldiers dragging a wounded American away from the firefight. His reaction? He engaged and killed one and wounded the other, then sprinted over the hill and dragged the American to safety.

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Leroy Petry
No right hand but he is still serving

From the 75th Ranger Regiment, this Ranger was on patrol to clear a civilian compound in search of a high-valued target. His patrol was ambushed with enemy fire. A bullet ripped through both of his legs, and still, he pulled two wounded Rangers behind a chicken coop.

When a grenade fell right in front of them, he picked it up to chuck it back at the enemy. It detonated, amputated his hand and raked him with shrapnel. Did he quit? No. He tied on a tourniquet, kept firing on the enemy, called in for fire support and saved the other two Rangers. After his medal ceremony, he reenlisted for eight more years of service.

Two others were awarded at Combat Outpost Keating, in the Battle of Kamdesh.

Near dawn, 300 Taliban fighters screamed down the hills from all sides and attacked this tiny outpost on the Pakistani border. Afghan coalition soldiers fled, leaving 50 Americans and Latvians to defend the post alone. At the end of the twelve-hour fight, nearly a third of the American force was either dead or wounded, and the base was nearly completely destroyed.

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha
Rallied troops & fought the entire 12-hour firefight

A 4th Infantry Division Soldier, Romesha awoke to an enemy overrun of his outpost, and he ran through a bombardment of machine gun fire, rockets and mortars to rally a counter attack, then ran back again to gather reinforcements. He sprinted back yet again, with nearly every building around him on fire, to organize and gather weapons and ammunition.

While seeking cover behind a generator, a rocket-propelled grenade hit it and exploded, wounding him in the neck, face and shoulders. In spite of his injuries, he again ran through a barrage of fire to recover fallen comrades and call in air support that resulted in the death of 30 Taliban fighters. 

U.S. Army Specialist Ty Carter 
The first time two medals awarded for same battle since Vietnam

Also from the 4th Infantry Division, Carter was wounded in the first 30 minutes of the battle but ran across 100 meters of open ground overrun with enemy machine gun fire and grenades to resupply his fellow warriors -- five times. Through a hail of bullets, he carried one wounded comrade back to cover, provided first aid and returned fire as the battle raged.

Once he linked up with Romesha, Carter acted as a sniper for teams covering the bodies of fallen comrades. At one point, he braved enemy fire to cut down a tree next to an aid station to provide additional cover for the wounded. He was wearing only a t-shirt, shorts and a flak vest, and he is also still on active duty.

Two more were awarded following a pre-dawn meeting with Ganjgal Village Elders.

A small patrol of Americans and Afghan terps (translators) maneuvered to meet with elders at a pre-arranged time and place. Upon entering the village, all lights of the village homes and businesses flickered off. Then, Taliban fighters unleashed hell from every direction, trapping the patrol.

U.S. Marine Sergeant Dakota Meyer
The first living Marine to receive the medal since Vietnam

After being denied permission four times to enter the fray and help, Meyer'd had enough. He ignored orders and jumped into the turret of a hummer while his buddy, Staff Sgt. Juan Rodriguez-Chavez, drove them into a firestorm. Houses exploded. Trees fell. Bombs, rockets, grenades pummeled the patrol, the village, and the road.

They drove using the side of the hummer as cover from machine gun fire and rescued coalition soldiers. Not one time, not two or three times, not even four times, but five times, they drove back into that barrage of hell and Meyer jumped out to grab and load comrades into the truck. The fifth time, now wounded himself, Meyer jumped in the back of yet another hummer and brought out members of his own fire team.

U.S. Army Captain William Swenson
The first Army officer to receive the medal since Vietnam

From the 10th Mountain Division, Swenson was part of the patrol to meet village tribal elders. His response to Taliban calls for surrender? He threw them a grenade. For the next seven hours, he took charge of the counteroffensive, coordinated evacuations, recovered wounded and provided first aid, and made repeated calls for air support, most of which were denied. On the last run back into the village, he rode in Meyer’s hummer, and amid an onslaught of heavy gunfire and mortars, the two of them recovered the bodies of the last four Americans.

After the firefight, he publicly berated Army leadership for not providing requested fire support and second-guessing commanders in the field. (His decoration was “lost” for well over three years, and he left active duty in 2011.) He is now considered the most decorated living officer in the U.S. Army.

Today, on this Veteran’s Day, fathers are still in Afghanistan living in mud huts with M-4s as sleeping companions. Mothers dodge mortars and eat breakfast with M9s strapped to their sides. Brothers and sons ride in Humvees on IED-riddled roads. Daughters and sisters don heavy flak vests and weapons to meet Afghan women and children in booby-trapped homes. We’ve lost 6,717 of them in 12 years in Afghanistan and Iraq, and countless more have been wounded.

While most of us will never be put in the positions these men faced, I believe their courage, persistence, and audacity provide us the very best of heroes. 


About the Author: With a combined 12 years of active and Reserve time as a US Air Force Public Affairs Officer, Jennifer Lovett has marketed books, shows, concerts and more. She is currently an Air Force Reserve Public Affairs Officer at Patrick AFB in Florida and in her full-time life, pursuing a career as a fiction writer.

Quote of the Week & Week to Come

"Fiction is to the grown man what play is to the child; it is there that he changes the atmosphere and tenor of his life." -Robert Louis Stevenson, born November 13.


This week on Writing From the Peak...

...Jennifer Lovett Herbranson pays homage to our veterans by telling us "What Writers Can Learn From Warriors."

...Jax Hunter brings us the next post in her Scene Writing series on Setting.

...We share a Sweet Success!

Do What You've Got to Do

By Mandy Brown Houk

…until you can’t…

I’m learning, slowly, that I should stop telling people I’ve “finished” my manuscript. So far, five complete overhauls later, it hasn’t been the most appropriate word choice. My writing friends understand, but my non-writing friends either think I’m crazy or a pathological liar. Both of these are possible, but are topics for another day.

Most recently, my agent and I agreed that I needed to make some revisions based on the feedback I’ve received from editors (translation: we looked at the reasons editors gave for saying “er…no…” and agreed I should address them in a rewrite).

One of the main issues was the lack of negative qualities in my main character. I love him dearly, and it showed a little too definitively in my writing. Essentially, he was George Bailey without the reluctance.

I went into the rewrite with a hatchet—not the butter knife I’d been employing up to that point. The antagonist had been an unsavory, cranky witch. But in the rewrite, she became someone who thought, spoke, and behaved so coldly, I had to walk away from the computer several times because of my angry tears. The secondary character, who is the center of the protag’s motivations and actions, had kept one secret before, innocently and without malice. Now she keeps three, and her motives are grubby, not pure.

And then I attacked the protagonist. I gave him violent tendencies, and made sure he acted upon them regularly. I wrote two chapters this way, adding in scenes and interior monologue to go along with this new, improved(?) version of the character.

After one of the most productive writing days I’d had all summer, I came home from my writing spot, and I was exhausted, spent, and crabby. This isn’t unusual for me: I absorb the moods of my characters and it takes awhile to come out of it. My daughters know good and well to avoid me on days I’m writing scenes in the antagonist’s POV,  but I’d never felt that way after a day spent with my protagonist. Still, he was different now, so I figured the feeling would pass.

And then it didn’t. It lasted for days. I believe the word “funk” would apply quite well here. I couldn’t open the document on my computer. I couldn’t talk or even think about where to go next.

After about a  week of this, my daughters asked me why they hadn’t seen me writing. So I told them. Now, they had both read the book when it was “finished” the third time. They don’t know some of the twists and additional scenes I’ve put in since then, but they know my characters. As I described what had happened with the protagonist in the new version, they both interrupted me, nearly simultaneously, and objected.            

“He wouldn’t do that!” “Wait – who did you say? No! That’s not him.”           

At this, my head cleared and I took a breath—and saw that they were 100% correct.

That’s not to say that I shouldn’t muddy up my protagonist. He needs it. He’s not real and relatable without selfish motives and negative impulses and actions. But did you notice how I described the revisions in the paragraphs above? I didn’t even do it on purpose – I just noticed it as I re-read things in the process of writing this article.

Look at the paragraph about the changes in the secondary characters, and compare my wording with the paragraph in which I describe the changes in the protagonist. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

Okay, did you catch it?

The secondary characters made their own changes. I followed their lead. The antagonist “became,” “thought,” “behaved.” The other secondary character “keeps” secrets, and her motives “are grubby.”

But in the case of the protagonist, I made the changes. I “gave him violent tendencies” and “made sure” he did something with them. I became the orchestrator, the puppeteer—the obvious, heavy-handed, dictatorial writer. I didn’t follow one of my favorite bits of writerly advice, from Andres Dubus III, to “sit in the back seat and let the character drive.”

So I went back in, and undid all my bossy mandates and let the character tell me what he’d do, and what he’d regret, and what would give him shame and haunt him. The actions were much more subtle, and he tried much harder to suppress them—but that’s true to who he is. Not perfect, but trying very hard to be.

I left that writing session feeling sad for my character, and disappointed in some of the things he’d done. But I was not uneasy and out of sync like I’d felt before.

Now for a real-life twist: I got an email right in the middle of writing this article. It was from my agent, kindly and politely declining to continue to represent me (our contract had expired, so re-signing was contingent on the outcome of this rewrite). My book still doesn’t have enough edginess for her taste, so the agency doesn’t feel as if they’re the right ones to represent me from this point forward.
 

With this in mind, perhaps the conclusion I was leading toward in this piece will ring hollow to you. Maybe you’ll decide to discard all that I’ve learned through this last revision process, since I lost an agent over it. But you know what? I don’t regret the choices I’ve made for this rewrite, even in the face of this slightly jarring outcome that has me more than a little bit nervous.

I still believe that the book, as it stands, represents the story I want to tell. It is true to my characters. It is a book I am proud of, though I’m willing to go back in for more rewrites if another agent decides to sign me.

So I’m going to conclude this article in precisely the way that I originally intended. Here it is: don’t force your characters to be something they’re not. Don’t go so far in your revisions that you no longer recognize those people that were conceived, born, and grew up in your head. If they aren’t right for every agent, every editor, every reader, that’s okay. I don’t like every book I read. I don’t like every song I hear. I don’t like every person I meet.

Let the character decide what he will do in the face of the obstacles in front of him. Let the character lead the story, and let the story lead you. Not your fears of remaining unpublished and your attempts to please every audience. Write the story, employing all your knowledge about pacing, story arc, craft, and language. And revise like a crazy person to make it better. 

Just make sure you know when to stop.

About the Author: Mandy Brown Houk is a freelance writer and editor, and she teaches at a small private high school in Old Colorado City. She's written for several magazines and anthologies, and has completed two novels--only one of which is worthy of the light of day. Mandy is currently seeking agent representation. Her web site is www.mandybrownhouk.com.

There's Dishes in the Sink Because Mama's in Her Office

By Deb McLeod
When the news came that Alice Munroe had won the Nobel Prize, the New York Times ran a picture online of her sitting at a kitchen table in her home. Behind her, the kitchen counter is cluttered with cups and glasses and there’s dishes in the sink. The day before the Nobel was announced, the title of this blog came to me. 

It was closing in on Writer’s Book Club night. I was leading, so that meant a close double reading of the month’s book to prepare a talk on emotion and plot arc which resulted in a twelve-page analysis and a long spreadsheet. I was prepping to host a NaNoWriMo kickoff at the library on the weekend, putting in time to edit the last 200 pages of my novel, planning a beat sheet for Novel Two that I plan to write during this November’s NaNo, organizing and updating the fourteen-day NaNo Prep campaign that would start in a week, trying to find someone in town that does pet tumor removal by laser for better odds that our beloved Patches would get the care she deserves, helping my daughter with a collage creative writing English paper, leading three writing circles, prepping and editing for a full load of writing clients, carving out a full day to go to a real estate deal structure class with my husband and, oh yeah, celebrating my birthday. 

So I fly downstairs to make my every three-hour small plate of food (health has become a part-time job, but that’s a subject for another blog) and I see the counter littered with dishes. We have a system that works fairly effectively until it doesn’t and the whole thing falls apart. It was me that let it lapse. There just was no time.

So I prepped my meal, added a knife to the dish mix and went back upstairs to my office. 

If you’re trying to establish a career or a business, if you’re trying to have a life outside of home and hearth, you’ve faced these weeks or busier ones. Everyone has read the tips and tricks of women doing it all—or trying to. Ninety-nine percent of my clients are women, so I know of what I speak. 

I have witnessed home life suck a client dry. I have seen the harried hope of writing a book wither as writers plunk down at their desks at 10:30 at night when the kids are in bed, the kitchen is clean and laundry is rolling in silent machines. Many times the only thing that gets them to that desk is my deadline—by noon the next day. I have heard of husbands who aren’t supportive, of families who "would die if they knew what I was writing.” I have seen the struggle from writers who want to but can’t claim their lives and their stories. 

“If you can give up writing, maybe you should. Maybe just for now. Maybe forever.” I have actually said those words to more than one person in my life, including myself. I did give it up, twice. But the desire, the fascination, the drive never left me alone so I came back. I surrendered to dirty dishes and a smaller income.

Like all things, writing is a matter of choice and honor. No matter which choice you make, it’s your duty to yourself to honor that choice and give it your all. If you have young kids and you want to write, know that it will get easier. That stealing moments when you can will lead to longer and deeper commitment when your children get a little older. 

Now that my daughter is grown, I’m in love with every single session I conduct at my desk, at Starbucks and in my writing circles. I love waking up at 4:00 AM excited for time with my book. I am addicted to the feeling of accomplishment. To making something. Claiming something. To finally being a part of the conversation. As much as I loved being a mom and a wife, for this I came. 

To Alice Munroe and her body of work: We thank you for giving your time.

About the Author: Deb McLeod, is a writer, creative writing coach and founder of The Writing Ranch. She has both an MFA and a BA in creative writing. She has been teaching and coaching for over ten years. Deb has published short fiction in anthologies and journals. She has written articles and creative nonfiction. Deb has been a professional blogger, tech writer, graphic artist and Internet marketing specialist.  

November Letter From the Editor

November, a month of thanks, frantic writing, and...conference registration!

That's right, registration for PPWC 2014 will open November 15. Are you ready?

In addition, this month is, of course, NaNoWriMo. Writers everywhere are trying to meet that 50,000 word goal. Others have set their own goals and are working hard at achieving them. Still others are happily thumbing their noses at the crazed hordes out there, determined to write like any other month.

Either way, this is a month to be thankful for a lot of things if you're a writer. Now is the time to think about the bounty given us in the form of creativity. Without the stories in the minds, where would we be? We can give thanks for writing communities, online or in person; for spouses who give us time to write, maybe watching the kids or simply understanding our eccentricities. For every yes we get we when query; for every no we get when we query, making us one step closer to that yes. We may be thankful for spaces to write, whether they're at a coffee shop, the local park, an office of our own, or a tiny cramped corner of the breakfast nook table.

We here at Writing From the Peak are thankful for all of you, and the same can be said for Pikes Peak Writers as a whole. Without you, we wouldn't exist, either the blog or Pikes Peak Writers. We hope you'll stay with us for a long time to come, and that you'll allow us to celebrate your accomplishments, big or small, or share your disappointments with an uplifting word or simple understanding.

Have a wonderful November and a fantastic Thanksgiving! And good luck to anyone with goals this month, whether NaNo inspired or not.

~Shannon Lawrence
Managing Editor, Writing From the Peak
PPW NCE Director

Quote of the Week & Week to Come

"It perhaps might be said--if anyone dared--that the most useless literature of the world has been that which has been written by the men of one nation concerning the men of another." -Stephen Crane, The Portable Stephen Crane, born November 1


This week on Writing From the Peak...

...The November Letter From the Editor

...Deb McLeod discusses letting things go to get your writing done in "There's Dishes in the Sink Because Mama's in Her Office"

...Mandy Brown Houk tells us to "Do What You've Got to Do"

November News, Events, & Links

PPW Events

Before we get into the events, The Zebulon closes today AT NOON! Hurry and get those entries in. More information can be found at the Contest Tab at pikespeakwriters.com.

Our Write Brain this month will be Finding Your Way Out of the Woods: Using Improv to Get Unstuck and Defeat the Brambles of Writer's Block, presented by Angel Smits. This two-part Write Brain will be Tuesday, November 19, 6:30 to 8:30 PM, at Penrose Library on Cascade. During the first part, Angel will show you how to get unstuck, whether you're participating in NaNo or not. During the second half, we'll break into groups of your choice to either enjoy improv writing exercises or work on your own NaNo projects.

Writer's Night will be Monday, November 25, 6:30 to 8:30 P.M., in the Principal's Office at Ivywild School, 1604 S. Cascade Ave.

PPW Open Critique will occur on Wednesday, November 20, 6:00 to 8:30 PM, at the Cottonwood Center for the Arts. The first 8 to RSVP may bring 8 pages of their manuscript to critique.

Registration got Pikes Peak Writers Conference 2014 will open November 15. Our keynote speakers are Chuck Wendig, Gillian Flynn, Gail Carriger, and Jim C. Hines.


Other "Local" Events

Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers welcomes Colleen Oakes for their free monthly workshop World Building, Don't Let the Dream Collapse. They also have two online workshops in November.

Colorado Springs Fiction Writers has various meetings throughout at the month at different locations. Visitors are welcome. 

The Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America will do a program on Firearm and Ammunition Analysis, presented by Ted Ritter. November 14, doors open at 6:30 PM, $25 for non-members.


Publications Open for Submissions and Contests:
Please note: Inclusion of links in this post does not equal sponsorship by Pikes Peak Writers or a relationship between the two entities.  Please always be sure to pursue due diligence before submitting anything to a publication or contest.
 

Vestal Review's current submission window closes November 30. They take flash fiction up to 500 words. It must have a plot. Cash payment differs according to length. Most genres accepted.

Wolf Willow Journal is accepting poetry, flash fiction, short stories, creative non-fiction, photography, and artwork. Their focus is literary, but they'll look at other genres. Deadline is November 30 for the winter issue with the theme "liminal space(s)." Flat fee depends upon type of submission.

Vine Leaves Literary Journal is in their January issue submission period through November 30. They take prose, poetry, artwork, and photography. Pays $5 U.S. for each acceptance. I highly recommend reading a free issue on their website. It's a fantastic journal.

Solarwyrm Press is putting together an anthology of short fiction with the theme "precocious children in adult stories." Deadline November 30. Will pay a flat fee of $50 per story if successfully funded via Indigogo.

World Weaver Press has two anthologies closing for submissions November 30 (one due to an extended deadline). They're seeking stories about the fae and Krampus (who punishes naughty kids as the sidekick of St. Nicholas). Flat rate payment of $10, plus a paperback contributor copy.

A River & Sound Review closes for submissions for this reading period November 30. They accept poetry, short fiction, non-fiction, and humor. Pays $25 for poetry, $50 for prose.

Fringeworks has extended the deadline on their Jack the Ripper anthology, Catch Me When You Can. New deadline is November 30. They want original stories about Jack that make the reader think. Pays in royalties.

Are you a woman who has already published in science fiction? Alex Dally MacFarlane is seeking reprints for the Mammoth Book of SF Stories by Women. Deadline November 30. Pays up to 2 cents per word.

Roane Publishing is taking submissions for two anthologies, both with a deadline of November 15. Winter's Sweet Kiss is about love in winter, while Bad Boys Rock is an erotic anthology. Pay unknown.

Chrome Baby is seeking submissions of flash fiction for their December issue. Pays a nickel per word. Though it is for December, they are not seeking Christmas stories. Deadline is November 15.

Garden Gnome Publications is accepting submissions for their Biblical Legends anthology series. They seek flash fiction, short fiction, poetry, essays, and nonfiction. Pays $3 per flash, $7 per short, $11 per essay, $13 per poem. Deadline for Garden of Eden theme is November 23. Sodom and Gomorrah deadline is March 23. Deluge deadline is June 23. Land of Nod deadline is September 23.

Digital SF is always accepting submissions. They take short stories, novellas and novels (for serial publication only) in the genres of hard sci-fi, space opera, and speculative sci-fi. Pays a percentage based upon word count, further based upon how much money minus fees is brought in. E-publication via Kindle only.

Walking on Thin Ice is a short story contest with the theme of mental health and the stigma attached to it. Deadline is November 15. Cash prizes. No entry fee. Winning entries will be published in an e-anthology.

Arcadia Magazine is open to any and all genres and topics in a variety of art and writing categories. Pays with a contributor copy.

Submission and Contest links originally posted on The Warrior Muse.

About the Author:  After years of letting her writing fall by the wayside, Shannon Lawrence has recently thrown herself back into it. Her main focus is fantasy and horror and she has just finished a Young Adult Fantasy novel. She has a flash fiction piece featured in the anthology Sunday Snaps: The Stories, and her short horror story "The Blue Mist" will be in the March 2014 issue of Nightfall Magazine. She has also discovered a love of photography and enjoys photographing the breathtaking Colorado scenery and wildlife, as well as her children. She blogs about reading, writing and photography at www.thewarriormuse.com.  

Spooks, Tricks, & Codes: That's What October is All About

By Jennifer Lovett Herbranson

 

Often, writers tell me the reason they don’t want to communicate or market online is because they fear a loss of privacy or a breach in security. Security and protecting privacy is a must no matter where we are, online or not.

My neighborhood in Colorado went all out for Halloween. Everyone put up lights and decorations that lasted the entire month of October. On Halloween night, Joe set up a coffee and hot chocolate stand in the yard. Rob turned his garage into a haunted house. Sofia gathered up all the girls and took them trick-or-treating together. It was loads of fun. But part of the fun was security. Travel in groups, don’t take candy from strangers, and beware of tricks.

 So this month, in the spirit of Halloween, I wanted to chat about Internet security and help put those privacy fears at ease.

1- Spooks.

Is the NSA really spying on you? Who knows, but other people are probably trying to. Online privacy is important. Not because thugs are gonna' break into your home after you post your Barbados vacay pics (although I have heard of that happening), but because thugs will steal your information, run up hundreds of thousands of dollars in credit card debt in your name, and send your credit down the crapper. Yes, that can happen.

The information you post is what’s out there. So leave some out.

• Never post identifiable information: phone number, address, social security number, age. Yes, age. If you want to post your birthday, that is acceptable. Just don’t post the birth year because that information is required to open credit cards.
• Use a Skype or Google Voice number instead of your cell or home phone.
• Have one email address for all things commercial/advertisement.
• Never buy anything without the Secure Credit Symbol.

2- Tricks. 

Phishing is an Internet scam that tries to obtain your bank account information. They come in the form of email notices that ostensibly want to give you money. But in reality they just want to steal yours.

Spam is the excessive sending of emails that have no relevance to your life. These generally come in the form of Viagra knock-offs and lonely hot women. Hey, if you ever need an ego boost, simply look in your spam folder to see all the folks who care about your sex life.

Savvy Internet folks can spot a phish or a spam just by the subject line of an email.  But if you can’t, no worries. Here are some tips.

 

• If it comes from Africa, delete it.
• If it comes from someone you don’t know or aren’t expecting, do not open the attachments.
• Never give out bank account information, ever.
• Never give out credit card information.
• Report Spam and Phishing back to your email carrier. There should be an option in your email or inbox.

3- Codes.

How many characters is your email password? Is it the same password as your Facebook and Twitter passwords? Are they the same as your bank account or Amazon accounts?

If the answers are less than 5 characters and yes, I would bet the NSA has already cracked your stuff wide open. I know it’s tough, but have a different password for every account that needs one, and if you need to write it down, put it somewhere safe.

Here’s the deal: passwords of more than 12 characters are harder to crack and you should NEVER, NEVER, NEVER use the same one twice. Yes, if you use your address, maiden name or birthday as a password, the guy watching your house from across the street is probably accessing your home computer. 

Here’s a great idea I found for creating hard-to-break passwords:

• Come up with a phrase or jingle you really like (preferably one you can sing).
• Break it down into the first letter of each word, alternate capitalization.
• Then add a zip code, with numbers and then with characters.
• Examples below. (Don’t use them, make up your own.)

She can’t carry a tune in a bucket, 12345

ScCaTiAb123$%!@#45

 

He’s happier than a hog in slop, 12345

HhTaHiS123$%!@#45

 

I brought you into this world and I can take you out, 12345

IbYiTtWaIcTyO123$%!@#45

 

Internet security is really not all that hard. Don’t put out anything you wouldn’t want in the hands of a criminal. Never open an email you don’t recognize. Make sure your passwords are lengthy and vary in characters. The Internet really has too many fun things to take advantage of and if you’re careful, you’ll still maintain a level of privacy you also enjoy.

About the Author: With a combined 12 years of active and Reserve time as a US Air Force Public Affairs Officer, Jennifer Lovett has marketed books, shows, concerts and more. She is currently an Air Force Reserve Public Affairs Officer at Patrick AFB in Florida and in her full-time life, pursuing a career as a fiction writer.

What's Your Game Plan for Your November Challenge?

By Stacy S. Jensen

October is a busy month.

In addition to stockpiling candy for my late night writing (or neighborhood kids in need of a treat), it's the month before one of the biggest writing challenges of the year PiBoIdMo.

I don't participate in National Novel Writing Month. I pledge my November writing allegiance to PiBoIdMo or Picture Book Idea Month. It's one of the many spin-offs from the fabulous NaNoWriMo event that gets writers...writing.

PiBoIdMo, created by author Tara Lazar is a blessing for me. The challenge is to write a picture book story idea each day of November. The daily ritual of thinking about stories and writing them down carries over throughout the year. If an idea strikes, I write it down.

Tara also hosts a wide variety of published authors on her blog to share tips about writing picture books and to inspire all the participants to keep writing.

This will be my third year as a participant and, hopefully, another winner!

In October, I'm going through my previous year list of ideas in preparation for the challenge. I plan to organize them into types of books — like concept, fiction and non-fiction.

I want to expand at least five ideas by completing some pre-writing work, including character sheets, titles, and pitch lines. My goal is to find five solid ideas that are fresh — not recently on the market. I may write a draft, but I have a few others under revisions. This goal is to keep me moving forward as I get ready for November.

When PiBoIdMo begins on November 1, I want to add another layer to my daily idea challenge. I will add titles and loglines for my manuscript ideas.

In the past, I've looked at some ideas post-PiBoIdMo and thought, "Now what was I thinking?"

My goal is to dig a little deeper when I write down an idea. More information gathered with my idea should help me create a better first draft. Yes. It will likely still be a "vomit" draft, but I'm hopeful it will be better.

Are you participating in a writing challenge in November? What are you doing to be ready for November 1?

About the Author: Stacy S.Jensen worked as a newspaper reporter and editor for two decades. Today, she writes picture books and revises a memoir manuscript. She lives in Colorado Springs with her husband and toddler.

Quote of the Week & Week to Come

"There is no subject so old that something new cannot be said about it." -Fyodor Dostoevsky, born October 30


This week on Writing From the Peak...

...Stacy S. Jensen asks "What's Your Game Plan for Your November Challenge?" Are you participating in NaNoWriMo or PiBoIdMo?

...Jennifer Lovett Herbransen discusses computer security in Spooks, Tricks, & Codes

...We bring you the November News, Events, & Links for local and PPW events, plus publications and contests seeking submissions