Make Time to Read & Other Tips From the Denver SCBWI Conference

Agent Sara Megibow asked and Letters and Lines Fall Conference participants delivered singing Happy Birthday to her husband. It's a little fuzzy as I was singing and taking picture with my cell phone at the same time. 

By Stacy S. Jensen

"I don't have time to read."

That's a statement that doesn't cut it with Author Linda Sue Park. She was a keynote speaker at the Letter and Lines Fall Conference in September for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

She encouraged the children's writers present — from picture book to young adult — to spend time reading. "Saying you don't have time to read," Park said, "is the equivalent of an Olympic Athlete saying she doesn't have time to train."

"Don't let screen time take away from reading time," Park said.

She was one of many great writers at the conference. SCBWI has a strict blogging and recording policy, but allows attendees to share impressions and quotes. So here are a few snippets. I don't want to be banned from future conferences.

I spent most of my time in picture book workshops. Colorado Springs Author Dian Curtis Regan shared tips on picture book structure. She had writers thinking about page turns and whether a child would want to read their stories again and again? AND would a parent or grandparent want to spend $17 on their books?

While exploring her website post-conference, I found this fun link to Write a Young Adult Novel in Five Minutes!

During an industry panel, industry professionals from agents to editors said, "Don't write to a trend."

Sara Megibow of Nelson Literary Agency suggested writing something from your heart, your voice, and your passion.

For children's writers, whether to write to the educational Common Core State Standards seems to always be a hot topic. Kelly Barrales-Saylor of publisher Albert Whitman & Company said the standards don't affect acquisitions, but do affect sales, as it becomes a marketing tool.

Editors and agents mentioned they are acquiring new titles. They all encouraged writers to sift through their feedback and keep working. "The only way to fail is to quit," Megibow said.

This fall conference always gives me a boost to make it through the end of the year. The greatest piece of advice from the conference? I return to Linda Sue Park, who said that writers can find free writing lessons in books! True. So, grab a book or your Kindle and read.

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

"Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant." -Horace, born December 8


This week on Writing From the Peak...

...Stacy S. Jensen helps us "Make Time to Plan & Other Tips From SCBWI"

...Jax Hunter brings us the next piece in her series, "Setting, Part II"

...Kathie Scrimgeour brings us another Sweet Success!

December News, Events, & Links

PPW Events

Quick note: PPWC 2014 registration is open! Check out the details, our fabulous keynotes, and registration information at the PPW website.

The December Write Brain will be online only, and is a Q&A on Short Stories with Carrie Vaughn. Tuesday, December 17, 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Bring your questions; you'll be invited to ask any questions you might have concerning the writing, editing, publishing, and marketing of short stories. We require a reservation at www.delvewriting.com/rsvp. It's the only way we can get you the link for the online event venue.

PPW Open Critique will occur on Wednesday, December 18, 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. 

Writer's Night is canceled for the month, due to proximity to Christmas. It will return in January.

Other "Local" Events

Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers is having their RMFW Holiday Party on Saturday, December 14, 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM. They're also offering an online class, presented by Trai Cartwright.

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

The Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America will be holding their RMMWA Holiday Party in the form of their 4th Annual Noir at the Bar. Come enjoy readings by various established authors. December 12, 8 PM. Not at the usual location.

The Pikes Peak Pen Women will hold The Magnificence of Creativity: Sharing a Present of Writing, Art, or Music December 14. 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM. You are asked to bring a gift of your creativity, such as a story or painting of yours to share. RSVP required to receive the location.

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.

The Capilano Review publishes "venturesome experimental writing and art" and is looking for submissions. Submission deadline is February 28 for the spring issue. Pays $50 per printed page. The theme is languages.

Workers Write is seeking poetry and prose from the cubicle dwellers point-of-view. 500-5000 words. December 31 deadline. Pays $5 to $50.

Angelic Knight Press is taking submissions for their anthology Demon Rum and Other Evil Spirits. Deadline December 31. I didn't find any indication of payment for this particular anthology, but their overall submission guidelines state quarterly royalties and a copy of the book. More information on this specific publicationhere.

Infinite Acacia is seeking short stories for a collection, Infinite Science Fiction. Deadline December 31. 2000-6000 words, Science Fiction. Pays $.01/word. They also have a short story collection entitled Mother Knows Best, same deadline. Pays 10 Euros, plus a contributor copy.

Firbolg Publishing is seeking environmental horror short stories for the fourth entry in their Enter At Your Own Risk series. Pays a flat $40 fee. Deadline is December 31.

Crossed Genres is taking submissions of Science Fiction and/or Fantasy short stories with the theme of "Runaway" for their April issue. Pays $.05/word. Deadline December 31.

Suspense Magazine is holding the Terri Ann Armstrong Short Story Contest. Deadline is December 31. Must be in the suspense/mystery/thriller genre. No cash prize is mentioned. May be published online or in their print publication.

21 Peaceful Genders is an anthology on Transgender healthcare being run as a contest. December 31 deadline. First prize is $500. This appears to be run by two individuals, rather than a publishing house, so please do your research before entering.

The Dreadful Cafe is putting out their second anthology, Thresholds, and they're looking for submissions of fiction and art. Specifically, they'd like something that crosses genres and meets the theme of crossing boundaries/thresholds. Short stories pay $125, novelettes pay $250. Art pays on a scale. Open deadline, but will close when the desired number of entries has been reached.

Weird Tales just opened for submissions this last week. They're seeking entries with the theme of either Nikola Tessla or Ice. They will also be holding a flash fiction event online soon. Pays $.03 per word.

Writers Market has put out a call for entries for the 2015 Guide to Self-Publishing. They're taking pitches for topics through December 15. They aren't seeking writing craft pieces, rather the how-to's and tips for self-published writers. They pay competitive wages.

Red Paint Hill Quarterly is seeking poetry for their next issue. Deadline December 15. They also have an upcoming anthology focusing on relationships with mothers. Poetry, deadline February 1. I'm not sure about payment at this time.

This is a contest with an honorable backing. Story Share is holding a writing contest to find low-literacy stories to support beginning readers of all ages. Cash prizes for 11 winners.

Apex Publications is holding A Merry Little Apex Christmas Flash Fiction Contest. These should be Christmas stories with a dark Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror theme. Deadline December 16. 250 words. All entrants will receive a copy of Apex Magazine. The winning piece will be published on the Apex blog, with the winner getting a short story critique, payment of $.05 per word, and a year subscription to Apex Magazine.

The New Ohio Review is currently in their open submissions window. This one closes December 15, then is open again from January 15 to April 1. Paying market. Literary market for prose and poetry.

Picayune Literary Magazine is taking submissions through December 15 of short or flash fiction, poetry, black and white photography, and black-line art. Pays with one contributor copy.

The Lindenwood Review is taking submissions through December 15. Accepts fiction, poetry, and essay. Pays in a contributor copy.

Strange Musings Press is seeking romantic stories that make you laugh. They can be any genre, as long as they involve a romance and are humorous. Deadline is December 30. Pays in royalties and an e-book copy.

The Apalachee Review is always open for submissions. Fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry. Pays two contributor copies.

Puritan Magazine is always open for submissions of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, interviews, and reviews. Paying market (pay differs per type of submission).

Martinus Publishing has a variety of anthologies taking submissions right now, with varying deadlines. The topics include: Veterans of Future Wars (December 31 deadline, pays in royalties); Altered America (December 31 deadline, pays in royalties); Life of the Dead (open until filled, pays in royalties); We Were Heroes (opens December 1, pays in royalties); To Hell With Dante (opens December 1, pays in royalties).

An open audition is being held for travel writers by Great Escape Publishing and International Living. No experience necessary.

The Head & The Hand Press is accepting submissions for multiple publications. For Asteroid Belt Almanac, they're looking for short fiction, narrative non-fiction, and visual art. Pay unknown. Deadline December 13. The Breadbox Chapbook Series is open to literary fiction and non-fiction essays of a certain length. Ongoing. They also take manuscript submissions.

Zizek Press is holding an ongoing contest for fiction and non-fiction, as well as a Bad Fiction Contest with the deadline December 10. Cash prizes.

Harper's Bazaar is holding a short story competition. Their theme is "Spring," and the deadline is December 13. The winner will get to choose an antique book and spend a week on a private island.

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.  

Voice Lessons for Writers

By
Deb McLeod

 
As a writing coach, I have had the privilege of being there more than once when a writer finds her voice. It often happens in my writing circles – my group coaching practice. There’s a reason it happens there, which I’ll explain later when I try to illustrate what you can do to find or improve your own voice.

Here’s what it looks like in the circle: The writer has a particularly good writing day. (We write and read our raw material for the juice it holds.) The good day came because they got lost in the writing and were able to express a unique take on whatever the prompt was. Or they’ve reached a depth in the scene that goes beyond the plot on the page but makes the world of words come alive.

When they read it’s clear to one and all that in some way they’ve linked with the material and with that part of themselves that has permission to speak. There’s a mastery of craft that marries with a passion about what they’re writing and it’s almost as if a writer is born. While it may not be that dramatic, what has happened is that the writer has taken her work to a new level.

What’s particularly interesting to me is that once I’ve heard that change of voice, and once it’s been validated and supported within the group, it continues to grow.

But I’ve begun to notice a pattern. We meet weekly and the writers who’ve had this sort of breakthrough usually have a few more hits and then a rather large miss. Almost as if they’ve come up against some sort of line of mastery. Perhaps they reached too far out of their own comfort zone. Perhaps they’ve gotten slightly comfortable and so a little lazy. What’s needed when that happens is an infusion of craft to challenge them and/or a slight change to the process. A longer or shorter session time. A new craft element to master. Something to keep the process fresh.

The following week they dig back in and once again I hear the difference in their work from when they started.

So what is happening in these classes and what about that process can be duplicated for other writers? I’ve been studying that question for a few months now.

Here is what I’ve come up with so far:

Step One: Mastering the free-writing process is essential to connecting with your unique way of expression.

Free-writing is pen to paper for a timed exercise. Don’t lift your pen off the paper even if you’re writing “I don’t know what to write.” Keep writing until your timer goes off. Begin short – 10 minutes or so, but don’t let yourself get comfortable with any one time. Switch it up.

Free-writing works because, with pen to paper for a timed writing, it is possible to get your editor to quiet down. If you really don’t care about the grammar, the run-on sentences, the changing tenses and any other editing horrors; if you just let your pen (your soul? your characters? your story?) tell you what it wants to say, you will surprise yourself. You will get beyond your insecurity and connect with the muse in a way you don’t when you peck out one word at a time and fuss over commas and what your critique group said was wrong with your piece last time.

Free-writing is the cornerstone of how many of my clients have found their voice. We all have internal editors grown from school, from critique groups and writing rules. So we need a way to get past that critical voice inside ourselves. Growing your internal editor is absolutely essential to the entire process. But in growing your editor you might be drowning out the voice of the creator inside.

By free-writing, you are developing a practice that gets the words on the page before the internal editor can slice and dice. Consider free-writing like practicing your writing scales. The more you practice the better you will be. It will be easier to slip into the material and see what it is you have to say.

As an aside, the NaNoWriMo contest is a great tool to get past your editor. The pressure is on to produce and get words on the page so the rules are tossed in order to compete. After completing NaNoWriMo one of my clients read her work in the writing circle. She had that shift in voice because NaNo forced her editor to get out of the way. If you haven’t competed, check it out. It’s only 11 months away.

Step Two: Develop your eye for potential. Before you start hacking at your raw work and editing in the traditional sense, take a step to notice what’s working. Begin to train your eye to the potential in what you’ve produced. Be generous. If you develop this skill you will become a writer who can let the words tell you what needs to be said. You will discover and develop a depth within your work that will define your voice. I had a mentor once who told me that writers have to become the best readers of their own work. I take that to mean that I must be able to see what it is I want to say. And then say it.

In this step you challenge your internal editor to look for the possibilities and not the defects. When you’re working with a piece of raw writing, what you’re looking to identify are the images, the expressions, the plot twists, the symbols, the themes, the character revelations and anything else that makes a work come alive.

Step Three: Free-write for depth. Once you’ve taken the time to look for the possibilities in your work, don’t step into traditional editing quite yet. Give yourself permission to free-write again. Focus on developing the potential you identified.

• What about that image haunts the page? Why that image? What other forms of that might you use?
• Now that you know something new about your character, how might it show up in a different way? In a different scene?
• How does the dialogue your character uses reflect what you now know about him?

Feel free to write in actual scenes or rewrite the scene you just wrote with your new knowledge. Or sometimes just address your creative self directly. Do a free-write where you tell yourself what you’ve discovered and what you’re trying to achieve. How you can use that image or how that scene fits the theme of the story, etc. You’ll be surprised again when ideas start flowing right onto the page.

Step Four: Let your internal editor loose on the page. Once you’ve taken your free-writes and developed the scene as far as you can, give it over to that wonderful internal editor to fix.

Step Five: When you butt up against that line of mastery what you must do next is immerse yourself in craft. Studying craft is essential. Forever.

Move up the scale of craft instruction. Learn how to create tension in subtext. Learn how to show, don’t tell. Learn about conflict and scene structure. Learn all there is to learn and then find another perspective.

Find a book, a class or a mentor to challenge what you know about craft. Experiment with your new knowledge in a free-write. Stretch and challenge your writing self.

If you practice, you will wake the artist in you and free your voice to the page.

Here's another blog on voice you might be interested in. 

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.  

December Letter From the Editor

December. You either hate it or you love it. The holiday season started just before Halloween, and it's still going strong. All around us people are baking and putting up decorations, and the radio is blasting out Christmas tunes. Smells of peppermint, pumpkin, and gingerbread abound. Friends and families are planning gatherings for the holidays. Menorah are being lit. It's a festive time.

It's also a hectic month, and one writers are often the least productive during. So much to do, so many gatherings, so much shopping, greeting cards, school parties. It's utter insanity, so who has the time to write?

You do!

Try to eke out just a little bit of time each night, even if it's just a few minutes per night to keep your storyline fresh in your mind. Jot down some notes or brainstorm while you're waiting in line to purchase those gifts. At yet another party? Cocktail napkins make great paper for poetry and plot lines.

But if you choose to take a break this month, go for it. And make sure you give yourself full permission so you don't have to feel guilty about it.

December is also often a month of giving. Did you know that you can opt to donate a portion of your Amazon purchases to Pikes Peak Writers, among other charities? Amazon is offering their Amazon Smile program now. It doesn't cost you anything above the price of your purchase, but a percentage of that purchase will go to the charity of your choice. And, yes, Pikes Peak Writers is in there! To sign up for the Smile program, simply go to www.smile.amazon.com. It takes about two minutes to sign up, and then they'll do the rest of the work for you. This change will apply to your charity from then on, without you having to do anything else. It's a nice way to give to the charities you want to support while doing your holiday shopping.

Lastly, there's been a change to the PPWC 2014 lineup. Gillian Flynn had to cancel as keynote, but we will instead have Hank Phillipi Ryan, mystery author and on-air investigative reporter for Boston's NBC affiliate. She joins Jim C. Hines, Chuck Wendig, and Gail Carriger in this year's awesome PPWC lineup!

Here's hoping you lots of wonderful family time, as well as a productive writing month!

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

Quote of the Week & Week to Come

“But then, that’s the beauty of writing stories—each one is an exploratory journey in search of a reason and a shape. And when you find that reason and that shape, there’s no feeling like it.” -T.C. Boyle, born December 2


This week on Writing From the Peak...It's a new month, so we have our Letter From the Editor and the News, Events, & Links post this Friday, with information on upcoming local events, our fellow writer's groups, and publications open for submissions.

Sweet Success! F.P. Dorchak

Compiled by Kathie Scrimgeour

F.P. Dorchak’s Sci-fi action adventure novel, ERO (ISBN 0615859623 and 978-0615859620; 109,000 words; paperback; adult) was released July 19, 2013 by Wailing Moon and is now available in paperback and e-book. The book is available through Smashwords, B&N, Amazon, CreateSpace, and iTunes.

A stranded astronaut draws upon confused and contradictory memories to recall his involvement in UFO Black Operations—and Humanity’s not-so-pleasant future.

F.P Dorchak’s supernatural murder mystery novel, The Univited (ISBN 9781301573967 and 0615906826; 96,400 words; e-book; paperback; Adult) was released as a paperback October 2013 by Wailing Loon. The book is available at Smashwords, CreateSpace, B&N, Amazon, and iTunes.

Kacey Miller is on the run. Stumbling upon a heinous crime scene one sleepless night, she is drawn into an investigation where both the suspects and investigators are tormented by bizarre, supernatural experiences. She must decipher her own visions and nightmares, which forces her to confront long-denied, deep-seated, and secretive guilts—as well as her own connection with the murderers.

F. P. Dorchak writes paranormal fiction (no, not vampires), delving into the realms of the supernatural, the unexplained, and the metaphysical to explore who we are and why we exist. You can find F.P. by email: fpdorchak@fpdorchak.com or at his website.

We love to hear of fellow Pikes Peak Writers' Sweet Successes, including story acceptances, winning contests, getting published and book signings. Please email Kathie Scrimgeour at ppwsweetsuccess@gmail.com if you've got a Sweet Success you'd like to share.

A Song for You

By Mandy Brown Houk

“How do you think up characters?”

“Do you write about real people, like your mom, or whatever?” (Hidden behind this inquiry, especially if asked by a close friend or relative: “Are you basing a character on me, and if so, am I going to learn that you secretly hate me?!”)

As a fellow-writer, you’ve all heard questions like these, and if you’re like me, they can be hard to answer.

I’ve been known to take note of an intriguing-looking person I’ve seen in public, and make up a mythology around her – like the woman at the DMV who was impeccably coiffed and dressed, except for the ratty old pocketbook.

And my characters sometimes share a habit with someone I love (the father in my first book sings his kids to sleep with morbid tunes like Tom Dooley – just like my own daddy did when I was young). But the similarities between my imaginary friends and my real ones end there.

I’ve never had a system that I can condense into a pithy answer to satisfy my curious non-writing friends—but over the last year or so, that’s begun to change.

Without consciously deciding to, I noticed that I was listening to songs in a different way. Thanks to the aforementioned troubadour daddy, I grew up with a deep love for song lyrics. My favorites, of course, are songs that either tell a story or hint at one (read: folk and bluegrass).

As I was revising my last book, working to add complexity to the inner lives of my characters, there were certain songs that would catch my attention. I noticed, for example, that when listening to Switchfoot’s This is Home, I would hear it in my main character’s voice, because it spoke so clearly to his longings for family and rest. In fact, it was this song that helped me see how the book had to end, at least for this character, and it showed me what obstacles needed to be in his path.

The song Safe, by Brit Nicole, could have been written by my secondary character, who is a selective mute. Every time I listen to it, I am reminded of what fears threaten her, what keeps her silent, and what makes her want to speak.

All of the primary characters in that book have at least one song. Even though the characters were born in my head before I associated them with songs, the songs have helped me see them more clearly, and to put more complexity on the page.

Now, as I’ve turned to a brand new manuscript, I’ve decided to intentionally seek out songs from the very beginning of the writing process (which, for me, consists of several months of thinking and daydreaming before I actually start crafting the story).

The song Barroom Girls, by Gillian Welch, gave me a vivid image of a sad young dime-a-dance girl from the 1930s. I have no idea if that’s what Ms. Welch was going for, but she’s my character now.

Barroom Girls hints at the objectification of the young woman, and her dissatisfaction and loneliness, but that’s not enough. It only gives me the character’s circumstance and general mood. The character is still cardboard and two-dimensional, and I have no idea what she wants, regrets, fears, loves, or despises.

And so, I keep listening to music (suffering for my art), seeking the songs that she would sing. Or the songs that, if she heard them, she’d cry. Or she’d cover her ears because the lyrics are too true to hear.

Just last week, I found one: Scarlet Tide, by Alison Krauss. I know now that my character has lost someone. It keeps her apart from others, detached, because she hasn’t decided if loving people is really worth the risk.

I’ve started a playlist for her, and as I add to it, I’m hoping to happen across a song for an as-yet-undiscovered character as well. It’s a new approach, but it feels promising, and I certainly don’t mind assigning myself hours of bluegrass, folk, and even jazz.

Maybe this is an odd idea to you, or maybe you’ve done something similar. I will say that I know my barroom girl better than I’ve known other characters this early in the process.

Give it a try and see what happens. Or post in the comments below, sharing your own methods for inventing and developing and learning about your imaginary friends.

Who are they, what do they want, and how do you know?

About the Writer:  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.

Don't Leave Your Readers Fragmented

By Donnell Ann Bell

Fragmented sentences have left me feeling  fragmented of late.

Writing is all about feeling. If you write a story, the number one thing you must be concerned about is not perfect sentence structure, not whether your plot is the most brilliant ever, and not even whether the characters are quirky and out there. The number one thing writers must be concerned with when adding words to the page is how am I making my reader feel?

Feelings are why readers continue to read – not because you’ve written the best book ever, and not because you’re the next Gillian Flynn or Charles Dickens. You’ve grabbed your reader, done something to their heart and they’ve become invested in your story.

That being said, authors have a tendency to glom on to whatever works. Whether I’m judging a contest, or reading a book of one of my peers or my favorite NY Times bestseller, as a writer I can’t help but notice when something trends. Books are a lot like Twitter. Authors find out what they perceive as hot, and make an unconscious decision, or perhaps conscious, to implement that trend in their next book.

One of my earliest critique partners, Colonel Jim Roper (ret.), gave me some advice that I’ve never forgotten. He said, “Find your own voice.” That advice truly resonated with me, and from that point on, I’ve done my best not to copy other writers. True, we choose a genre that we prefer, but if someone starts a style all his own and the next twenty writers jump on the “Me Too” bandwagon, that kind of dilutes his style, doesn’t it?

Example: I don’t know what writer came up with using the period for emphasis. Because I mainly read mysteries and suspense, every so often I’d see a writer use something like: He had to stop him. Couldn’t. Let. That. Happen. The first few times, placing a period after a word might have been effective. Incorporated into every other book, however, the style became redundant. Interestingly enough, I’m not seeing it used much these days.

The redundancy issue brings me to the topic of this blog and why I’m feeling fragmented. Some authors are using fragmented sentences every other sentence. And the fact that they’re not completing sentences leaves Me. Slightly. Yanked. Out. Of the story. 

There are tricks that writers use to increase the pacing of a manuscript. If you’re writing an action scene, and you want to pick up the pace, shorten your sentences. If you want to slow the pace, lengthen your sentences so that your reader will take a breath. I’ve read that something in the brain is triggered when sentence structure is varied. But if you’re fragmenting your sentences because you think it ups the excitement or makes you a more compelling writer, consider changing what I personally feel is an ineffective style and an overused trend.

Am I saying never use a fragmented sentence? Absolutely not (there – feel better?)  All I ask is that when you do write a fragmented sentence, you’re doing so deliberately and not because you think it elevates the scene. Words are tools; writers are the tradesmen. Every word in your manuscript belongs to you. Don’t leave your sentences or your readers fragmented. Remember, we readers have feelings. 

About the Author: Donnell Ann Bell is a two-time Golden Heart® finalist who previously worked for a weekly business newspaper and a parenting magazine. Her debut novel The Past Came Hunting became an Amazon bestseller, reaching as high as #6 on the paid overall list. Her second book, Deadly Recall, brought to you by Bell Bridge Books, reached #1 on Amazon. Learn more about Donnell atwww.donnellannbell.com.

Quote of the Week & Week to Come

"Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't."

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started."

-Mark Twain, born November 30


This week on Writing From the Peak...

...Donnell Ann Bell advises "Don't Leave Your Readers Fragmented"

...Mandy Brown Houk has "A Song For You"

...We celebrate a Sweet Success!

Preparing for the Pitch

By Kaye Lynne Booth

As a first time conference attendee of the Pikes Peak Writers Conference, I was enthusiastic for the experience, but also a bit apprehensive. It would be the first time I had ever pitched a book to someone that was actually in the literary field. I would be pitching one of my children’s books, Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend, to Pam von Hylckama Vlieg, of Foreword Literary Agency. I was hopeful, as all writers must be as they approach the opportunity to pitch their books, but I was nervous, as well. I worried that I would stumble and fall on my face when the time to pitch finally arrived.

I spent the whole week prior to the conference practicing my pitch to anyone who would listen. I work in a long-term nursing facility, and my residents were a great audience. I’d breeze into a resident’s room and recite my pitch while making up a bed or delivering ice water. Many of my residents are supportive of my writing, so I would just take a deep breath and plunge in, concentrating on reciting the words I’d taken so much time to craft perfectly. Much of the time, I stumbled and stammered, or the words wouldn’t come, or they emitted from my mouth in the wrong order.

“Slow down,” one of my residents said. “Be sure they can understand what you’re saying.” That was some of the best advice I could have asked for and it came from someone who wasn’t even a part of the literary scene. Eight minutes isn’t long, so I was diving into the pitch as if it were a bitter pill, to be swallowed quickly before it could dissolve in my mouth. When I stopped to really think about it though, it was only seven sentences. Eight minutes was easily enough time to treat it as a hard candy and suck on it awhile, savoring the sweet flavor.

One of my young co-workers, who had experience in speech and drama asked, “You’ll have a cue card, right?” I had no idea. I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to stand up in front of this woman and present my pitch as if I were class Valedictorian. I would have eight minutes to make a good impression of myself and my writing. Somehow reading it off an index card didn’t seem to be the best approach, but it might help if I could carry it around with me, pulling it out each time I had a few minutes to practice. The truth was, I didn’t know what to expect. I’d never done this before. I was treading into new and unexplored territories.

Just getting to the conference posed several unforeseen obstacles, and I didn’t arrive until after noon on Saturday. I was crossing my fingers that I hadn’t missed my pitch appointment. I breathed a sigh of relief when I opened my packet and found my appointment wasn’t scheduled until later in the day.

I set about seeing what there was to see and searching for people I’d hoped to have the opportunity to speak with during the conference. Near the registration table, I saw a sign that read Practice Your Pitch. I’d been so busy trying to navigate the obstacles that stood in the way of my attending this conference that I hadn’t practiced my pitch all morning. What a relief to know I had another opportunity before I had to present it to an agent. Here was my chance to practice with someone who would know what I was up against.

I approached the pitch coaching desk and asked if they’d listen to my pitch. Of course, they agreed to. That’s what they were there for. I did well, managing to get the whole thing out with a minimum of stumbling. Then he asked me to do it again. The second time, I stumbled all over myself until my tongue was tied in knots. Boy, was I in trouble. What if I did the same thing during the real delivery of my pitch? The guys at the desk, (one, I later learned, was fantasy author Todd Fahnestock) were great. They had me stop and tell them about my book. Todd picked up on two or three things that caught his interest, suggesting that I focus on these things more, right at the beginning of the pitch. To hear Todd say it, my hummingbird’s battle with the bees sounded just as exciting as a character in one of his fantasy novels battling a fire breathing dragon. He made my story sound so fascinating, even I wanted to rush out and buy it.

They also provided pointers on what to expect during the pitch session. I was going about this as if it were a school presentation which I had to deliver from memory like a performance. They suggested that I relax a little and talk with the agent before jumping into the pitch. It made me realize that although I had an appointment with an almighty agent, she was a person like any other, not someone to fear or be nervous about.

Attending the next two sessions left me little time to rework my pitch following the suggestions offered at the pitch coaching desk. I pulled it out during each break, but ten minutes isn’t very long to try and make my book sound more exciting. What I came up with was a sensationalized version that made my children’s book sound like a fantasy novel. It just didn’t sound like my simple little children’s book that carried with it a message of friendship.

Even if I came up with something that sounded really good, there was no way I would have time to memorize it. Crap. I was nervous all over again. I could walk in and read something that I hadn’t had enough time to perfect, something that sounded only vaguely like my story, or use the original pitch I had memorized. My choice was clear.

I headed up to the seventh floor, where the pitch sessions were held about twenty minutes early. They offered a mint from the bowl on the sign-in table. Nifty idea. It couldn’t hurt, right? After listening to pitches all day long, the agents probably appreciated the gesture. Once I checked in, there was nothing to do but wait.

The lobby for the pitch sessions began to fill up. At least I wasn’t the only one that was nervous. One author tried to wear a trail in the Marriott’s tapestry carpet, as she stayed in constant motion, pacing from one side of the small lobby/waiting area to the other. If I hadn’t been nervous before, I was now. Others seemed as cool and collected as the Dalai Lama. There was a suspense/romance author, who sat chatting pleasantly with the girl running the registration table, and one man in a business suit claimed he pitched a different work earlier in the day and seemed quite at ease with the whole process. I sucked on my mint, trying to relax and went over the pitch in my head.

I’d decided to keep in mind the advice of my pitch coaches for the next year’s pitch, the one for my first novel. Their suggestions were sure to be great when applied to the western novel I’ve been working on, but children’s books are different. Their pitches don’t need sensationalism - they need to highlight what the book has to offer kids, especially those that will appeal to parents in the younger age groups. At least, that was how I saw it.

Finally, a tall dark haired girl in a gray tweed jacket with a black hat and pants stepped into the room and called out the names of those scheduled for the next pitch appointment. We followed her like herded cattle through the short hall to a large open room with several small round tables set up. I recognized Pam from her photo on the PPWC website, and as I took my seat across from her, she turned to me and smiled a smile that set me instantly at ease.

As suggested, I started the ball rolling by introducing myself and asking her if it had been a long day. Pam was pleasant and personable, easy to talk to. Once the introductions were over, I said, “So, let me tell you about my book.” I went into my pitch, which I managed not to muddle too badly and we talked about what category the book would fall into and word counts. As it turned out, Heather Hummingbird had way too many words for a picture book, so I would need to do some trimming. She gave me a slip with the information on what to send where, and we exchanged pleasantries before I exited the room with a smile on my face.

As it turned out, all of my anxiety was for nothing. That short eight minutes wasn’t really difficult at all when I followed the advice of my pitch coaches to just talk to the agent as a fellow human being. I think aspiring authors tend to place agents and editors on the almighty pedestal, looking up to them in awe. After all, here are the men or women that can make or break your manuscript, or are they? Just because one agent turns you down, doesn’t mean there’s not another out there that will think your book is fantastic. Rejection is something that every author must learn to deal with. But if you take advantage of the opportunities that come to you through great events like the Pikes Peak Writers Conference and face them in a professional manner, you can increase your chances of publication, and that’s a good thing to know.

About the Author: Kaye Lynne Booth has been published in Dusk and Dawn Magazine and was a featured poet at the 2008 Fremont County Writers' and Artists' Fair.  Her poetry has also been featured, as co-creator, with the work of artist Mitchell Barrett and was exhibited and sold at the Affordable Art Fair, Battersea Park, London with Kaleidoscope Gallery. Kaye edits through her Write it Right Editing Services at Kaye’s Literary Corner. Kaye has edited poetry, short stories, essays and novels.  She has written a children’s series, a middle grade mystery, and a Colorado based western, (as yet unpublished). She’s published articles, essays and short stories online. Her most recent article was published in The Freeman Magazine. Kaye Lynne is the SouthernColorado Literature Examiner for Examiner.com, as well, and her Writing to be Read blog is dedicated to sharing her writing expertise and helping other writers along the way.  Kaye has been a member of Pike’s Peak Writers since 2011.

Dig Deeper for Your Characters

By Karen Albright Lin

We hear it all the time: create characters that are sympathetic, at least interesting. But how exactly do we do that? Consider these ideas for going beyond that simple formula.

Avoid subtlety. Many of us feel more comfortable when we dodge conflict and high risk behavior. We often don’t want to stand out, especially if it involves ruining our reputations. We want life to be easy. But instead of attempting to make a character’s choices safe and believable, make them bigger than life. Just as readers crave living vicariously in worlds in which they can’t live, readers want to take a 300-page journey with people who will do things they would never do. Shoot for cataclysmic decisions, external or internal. It may feel uncomfortable to put your characters through what would be horrifying to you. It may feel too big, but write it big with the knowledge that you can always trim it back. And take Donald Maass’s advice: make your character do what he would never do.

Go beyond the basic history we learn through sprinkled-in backstory. Create “headlines” for your characters, even your secondary characters. Think of a “headline” as a personal theme. Examples might be: Ann reacts to situations the way Jesus would. Paul was raised with, and acts out of, guilt. What unique experiences have they had that few others have had? These will often inform their thoughts and actions.
Consider his moral code. Is he sober, trustworthy, impulsive, principled? What are her dreams and ambitions? Is she like the character, Juno, who wants to find a good family for her out-of-wedlock baby? Even if those goals don’t play out in your plot line, readers will sense them. What’s her inner life like? Her self-talk, her fantasies? How does she express herself?

Even your hero has a shadow side. What are his demons and difficulties? Where is he powerful? Is it his sexual prowess? His alpha nature? Are these his real strengths or his feigned strengths? Is there a cultural component? I’ve modeled characters after my husband and his family members, all very superstitious because the Chinese have accumulated countless magical beliefs over the course of 5,000 years. Consider writing a meaning web. How do their beliefs and opinions, politics and religion meld or conflict? How do their careers guide or inhibit, enhance or burden their lives?

A great trick that can enrich a personality theme is to give the hero at least a smidgen of the worst trait you find in the antagonist. That way it’s like he’s battling himself. That gives you one more potential inner conflict and possible arc.

Will your protagonist meet his goal? He doesn’t have to. He can instead learn that it shouldn’t have been his goal. In When Harry Met Sally, Harry’s original goal was to prove women and men couldn’t be just friends. She believed they could. By the end of the movie, Harry and Sally have worked through numerous conflicts over attempts to be friends and come together as lovers.

Use plot tricks to enlighten us about your protagonist and antagonist. These will lead to arcs. Try creating a conflicted character or situation and work backwards. Change points of view at key moments. Consider sprinkling humor throughout a serious book and somber moments in humorous novels. Whatever traits you’ve given your characters, use them to guide their actions and be sure there is payoff.

Have big surprises, plot twists and reversals come from the actions of the hero, not by accident. In the course of the book, reveal something about the human condition; give readers the opportunity to laugh, cry, worry, feel uplifted, or inspired to be someone better.

Understand what is exceptional about your protagonist, antagonist, even your secondary characters. Readers forgive plot difficulties, but if they aren’t interested in your characters they’ll put the book down. You want them to stay up all night reading and then immediately buy your next one. Fascinating and nuanced characters will do that.

About the Writer:  Karen is an editor, ghostwriter, pitch coach, speaker and award-winning author of novels, cookbooks, and screenplays. She’s written over a dozen solo and collaborative scripts (with Janet Fogg, Christian Lyons and director Erich Toll); each has garnered international, national and regional recognition: Moondance Film Festival, BlueCat, All She Wrote, Lighthouse Writers, Boulder Asian Film Festival, SouthWest Writers Contest, and PPW Contest. Find out more at www.karenalbrightlin.com.

The Five Insurmountable Problems of NaNoWriMo

By DeAnna Knippling


So you’re thinking about doing NaNoWriMo this year for the first time. Or you’re thinking about doing better this year. Or you’re partially through NaNo and you’re stuck and you hate life and you’re reading NaNo blogs because you just like to punish yourself for not being good enough as a writer.

Um, yeah.

NaNoWriMo is a kind of hothouse of writing. It brings up all kinds of ugly things that encapsulate our failures as writers - or at least the failures as we see them.

So let’s get past that, not by treating NaNoWriMo as a kind of writers’ resolution, (”This year, I will write 50,000 words, mostly by...I don’t know, just forcing myself!”) but by looking at the root causes.

Here’s my premise: anything that stops you from writing is a bad writing technique.

1. I don’t know what to write.

Tip: Pick the first memorable person you think of, drop them in a memorable setting (it’s easier if you know the setting reasonably well), and give them a problem they can’t solve using their normal M.O. (that is, don’t give a firefighter a fire to put out--give them a parent with cancer).

It’s not that we don’t know what to write. It’s that we get hung up on finding the perfect thing to write. Why is that? Because we’re secretly convinced that stories aren’t about how the story’s told, but about the idea that sets them off.

And yet. Everybody who’s ever admitted to being a writer in public has heard this: “I have this great idea for a book. Why don’t you write it for me - I’ll even give you a percentage of the profits. Fifty-fifty!” As though the idea was worth half the work in the book. You’d laugh at that person...if it wasn’t you.

If you’re held up on the idea, then coming up with the perfect idea has got to go. Because anything that stops you from writing is a bad writing technique.

2. I have no time to write.

Tip: Give up Facebook and Twitter for November. If you want to get really extreme, give up all non-job reading and entertainment for the month...no reading, no games, no going out, no socializing...but them’s desperate measures.

You have time to write. I’m sorry, you do. It’s not about time, it’s about fear.

I had a talk with my daughter yesterday about math class, which she normally likes and finds easy. This year, she has a math teacher who throws things at her faster than she’s comfortable with. I could have a talk with the teacher about slowing things down for her or helping her somehow. Maybe getting her a tutor (well, other than me). Instead my daughter and I discussed learning and what it feels like, and how easy it is to run away from feeling like that. I told her that part of a good teacher’s job is to unsettle you, to get you used to and over the terror of learning.

I told her it’s okay to take breaks from your homework, but she can’t run away.

You have time to write; it’s just easier to justify cooking healthy meals and spending some extra time with the kids and doing laundry and Dr. Who and even puttering around on Facebook than it is to face learning something new. If you have fifteen minutes, you can have a page of fiction.

Yes. You can. When you’re not screwing around like a kid trying to avoid homework. When you’re not paralyzed by fear.

Telling yourself you have no time to write stops you from writing--it’s a bad writing technique.

3. I write nothing but crap.

Tip: Check all the items on this list:

• Did I drink enough water?
• Have I eaten? Have I eaten something other than crap during one of my last two meals?
• Have I had enough sleep?
• Have I had enough exercise?
• Have I journaled/stress relieved lately?

Some people are surprised to find out that mental effort is physically draining, and learning something new is even worse. NaNo is a writing marathon, and it will burn energy and other resources faster than you’re used to. When you feel drained and horrible about your writing, first check that your body (or subconscious) isn’t trying to send you a message: I need fuel and/or repairs.

The other part of this issue is the nature of crap.

The bad news is that we all write crap. The good news is that when you know you’re writing crap, it means you’re ahead of the game--seriously. In order to learn something new, you have to be uncomfortable with where you are now. Viscerally. Painfully.

The idea that you have to feel like you're writing well in order to be a good writer sounds logical but it will keep you from writing and improving. It’s a bad writing technique!

4. I wrote for a while, but now I’m stuck and I don’t know what to do.

Tip: Write the next thing. Or maybe back up a paragraph or two, delete that, and then write the next thing.

Last year I took up knitting as a bucket-list kind of thing. I’d failed miserably at it as a kid - my mom’s right-handed to my leftiness, and she’s no good at explaining things from the other direction. I thought I was doomed. However, then I realized I have the Internet. I must have gone through fifty knitting videos on learning how to get started knitting before I found The One That Made Sense. At one point, I could have watched knitting videos all day. Instead of actually, you know, knitting.

You can, and should, and will do research to find out what works for you. But it has to be based on your personal trial and error, not on other people’s advice. No class, no mentor, no co-author can replace Butt in Chair, Fingers on Keyboard. The only way to get comfortable with writing is to write.

But what if you’re stuck? Seriously stuck? And you can’t write another word?

You can. You must.

During any long writing project, you will more than likely get stuck at some point, especially as you realize you have no idea what you’re doing, what you’ve been doing, or what you’re going to do next. I’ve talked to writers at various levels of experience. As far as I can tell, this feeling never goes away.

So you look up and realize you’ve painted yourself into a corner. Oh, no - there’s no way to get the characters out of this situation! Clearly, it’s time to completely rewrite the entire book. Or just quit writing. FOREVER.

Except there always is a way out of every fictional situation, no matter how bad, because the characters get to destroy the walls and tramp all over the paint. Nuclear bombs? Alien invasion? Falling in love with someone else entirely? That’s what edits are for: rewriting the opening so the ending fits.

When you get stuck, write the next sentence. It might be weird, ungrammatical, awkward, annoying, offensive, etc., etc. Just plain wrong.

It is also yours in a way that the best-planned, structurally pretty sentences will never be. When you have pushed past everything you can think and plan, then you enter into a territory of naked honesty, which is often ugly and just plain wrong.

This is where the art of writing lies. The rest is craft. You need to know craft. I love craft. But this is where the art is, where you go, “I have nothing. I know nothing. I am writing out on a limb, on a one-sided bridge off a cliff with no opposite bank. I am skydiving without a parachute. I am a fake. I am full of crap and so is this.”

But that’s where the good stuff is.

This idea that you’re stuck because you’re at a dead end - it’s a lie, it’s fear talking. It stops you from writing - so it’s gotta' go. You’re stuck because you’re at the edge of the cliff. The next sentence you write must be magic. Not because it was good (although it will be, if you let yourself recognize it), but because you were able to write it at all.

5. Now what?

Tip: Continue to be a pain in the butt and do what’s right for you as a writer.

At some point, you’ll decide that you’ve finished your NaNo novel, or that you’re not going to.

In either case, you’re going to hear some negative things about NaNo authors, or people who don’t finish, or people who do, or new writers in general, or whatever. The people who depend on you will be relieved that it’s over. You will be relieved that it’s over.

You’ll be left dangling. Now what?

People will give you advice. A lot of it will sound really logical.

However, if it makes you want to stop writing, it’s a bad writing technique. No matter how logical it is, no matter how long people have been doing it. It’s bad. If you just want to work on something new and not finish your NaNo project - do that. (If you never want to do NaNo again - then don’t!) If you want to keep writing every day despite the fact that people tell or imply that you suck - then write. If the idea of submitting makes you want to never write again - then don’t submit (yet). If the idea of having to perfect your work before you can submit it makes you want to roll up in a ball - then submit before it’s perfect. If getting too many rejections kills you - then take it slow, or wait until you've written five other things and you don't care whether that old thing gets rejected or not. Work around the problems until they aren’t problems anymore. Learn one thing at a time, not all at once. Be kind to yourself. Keep writing.

Everything else is a bad writing technique.

About the Author: DeAnna Knippling started freelancing in May 2011 and wouldn’t be able to do it without her wonderful family and friends, especially her husband. In fact, she owes a lot to Pikes Peak Writers for helping her be a better writer, especially through the Write Brains, both in the lectures and in meeting lots of other writers.

Her reason for writing is to entertain by celebrating her family’s tradition of dry yet merry wit, and to help ease the suffering of lack of self-confidence, having suffered it many years herself. She also likes to poke around and ask difficult questions, because she hates it when people assume something must be so.

For more kicks in the writerly pants, see her blog at www.deannaknippling.com or her ebook How to Fail & Keep on Writing, available at Smashwords, B&N, Amazon, and OmniLit.

Quote of the Week & Week to Come

"Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it." -C.S. Lewis, born November 29.


This week on Writing From the Peak...

...DeAnna Knippling addresses "The Five Insurmountable Problems of NaNoWriMo"

...Karen Albright Lin discusses how you should "Dig Deeper for Your Characters"

...Guest poster Kaye Lynn Booth talks about "Preparing for the Pitch"

Sweet Success! Kristi Helvig

Compiled by Kathie Scrimgeour

Kristi Helvig’s new young adult science fiction novel Burn Out (Egmont USA, ISBN-13: 978-1606844793, hardcover, 245 pages, ages 12 and up) is now available for pre-ordering at Amazon & Barnes & Noble. The book will be released April 8, 2014. You can also check it out on Goodreads.

Most people want to save the world; seventeen-year-old Tora Reynolds just wants to get the hell off of it. One of the last survivors in Earth's final years, Tora yearns to escape the wasteland her planet has become after the sun turns "red giant," but discovers her fellow survivors are even deadlier than the hostile environment.

Kristi Helvig is a Ph.D. clinical psychologist turned sci-fi/fantasy author. She muses about Star Trek, space monkeys, and other assorted topics on her blog. Kristi resides in sunny Colorado with her hubby, two kiddos, and behaviorally-challenged dogs. Kristi@kristihelvig.com.