Writer's Block? Get a Creative Hobby!

By John K. Patterson

Writing is an act of creation. Letters and punctuation are weaved together to make worlds and people that weren't there before. We humans find joy in creating something. That's part of why writer's block is such a painful, frustrating thing.

Most of the time, we are told that the only cure for writer's block is to force ourselves to write something, even if it's gibberish. It always seemed to me like this would just drag out the editing process. That's what happened with my writing. The harder I forced myself to write past writer's block, the worse it seemed to get, and the less I enjoyed it. Inspiration and ideas fled from my presence, then stuck signs saying "Leper Colony" around me in a ten mile radius.

But then something changed. In September of last year, I started to paint. Those ideas have begun to return. I'm still not back up to my former speed, but there's definite signs of change. Positive change.

Copyright John K. Patterson

Thus began a long climb back up the mountainside. And if you're wondering: yes, I painted this.

If the encouragement to "write yourself into the ground" is leaving you six feet under, I'd like to suggest an alternative. Another cure for writer's block may lie in picking up a different creative hobby. What sort of hobby is totally up to you, as long as it requires some strategy and improvisation (creativity) from you. Photography, chess, playing the harmonica, embroidery, sketching, painting, swing dancing, clay sculpture, you name it.

It sounds counter-intuitive, since you're still not writing. However, what really counts isn't necessarily the number of hours you spend slaving away over a hot keyboard, but the quality of your work. Most writers tend to write better (and shrink their editing time) when they're enthusiastic about their writing.

So here are six reasons why picking up another creative hobby may help blocked writers get back on track.

1. Sometimes your brain just needs a break from writing, but still craves the joy of creating something. Take care of your brain and feed that craving.

2. It gives a chance for unexpected ideas to pop up. You never know when an unusual idea might whack you upside the head. For instance, you could make a pencil sketch of a red-tailed hawk in your backyard, and get the idea that your mystery's murderer is a falconer who kills her victims by tipping the bird's talons with poison and training it to attack them. Whatever works, right?

3. You are focusing your thoughts and actions toward something constructive, rather than going on a Netflix binge and beating yourself up for not finishing your novel. I've been there (sometimes I still am), and it's not pretty.

4. Your chosen hobby will likely give you something that takes less time to finish than a novel or short story. This means you can get a sense of gratification for finishing something sooner. Which, of course, motivates you. My own hobby of painting gives me a finished work in a few hours, and helps my novels and stories seem more manageable.

5. In a mental sense, it will make you more versatile. When you sit down to write, you'll be more agile in picking apart your story to see what works and what needs fixing.

6. Finally, this is a great opportunity for research. Do you have a character who likes to make stained glass? Take a class and learn the process. Is he a blacksmith? Time to head to the forge. If he likes to build model airplanes, head to the arts and crafts store and pick up a P-51 model kit. You and your characters can learn your hobbies together, in a sense.

Remember, this is merely a suggestion, and I welcome any feedback. It may not work for every blocked writer. But it seemed to help me with my storytelling. If you already have a creative hobby and you're still blocked, try a different hobby for a while and see if your writer's block starts to disappear. 

May you find success and joy in all of your creative endeavors!

Post Note from Writing From the Peak: John K. Patterson was featured in the April 2014 New Falcon Herald concerning his meshing of writing and art. You can read it HERE.

About the Author: John K. Patterson is an artist and sci-fi/fantasy author. His short stories "Escaping," "Refugee," and "Salt Flats" are available on Amazon Kindle, and he is writing a four-book epic fantasy series called The Wolfglen Legacy. Since 2007, he has volunteered for the Pikes Peak Library District as leader of the Scribes and Bards writers workshop. His addictions include painting, dinosaurs, nature, and coffee. More of his writing and art can be found at johnkpatterson.wordpress.com.

In Memoriam & Week to Come

Instead of the usual author quote for this week, we'd like to honor Amanda Bylsma, a Pikes Peak Writers volunteer who passed away unexpectedly earlier this week.

People often remarked on Amanda's smile. Big and friendly, it lit up a room. She came across as quiet initially, but once you got to know her she had a great sense of humor and proved easy to talk to. Trustworthy, organized, and hard-working, she ran the Pitch Room like a well-oiled machine. If anyone needed a hand, she was a go-to person for assistance, calm, level-headed, and always ready to lend a hand.

Amanda will be sorely missed at PPWC 2014. While her position as Pitch Coordinator has been filled by past Pitch Coordinator, Bonnie Hagan, ensuring a seamless transition, Amanda's absence will leave a hole that cannot be filled. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family during this time.

Personally, I'll miss talking to her. She wasn't just a volunteer, but a friend, and my heart is heavy at her loss. Our loss.

~Shannon Lawrence
Managing Editor, Writing From the Peak


This week on Writing From the Peak...

...John K. Patterson urges recommends creative hobbies as a cure for writer's block

...Aaron Michael Ritchey discusses "The Sex, Money, and Angst Behind Hugh Howey's Graphs and Data Spiders," with graphs of his own

...We bring you conference tips to insure a successful conference or convention

...Q&As with Karen Albright Lin, DeAnna Knippling, Sarah Peed, Pete Klismet, and Gordon Warnock



We hope to see you at our Write Brain this week, which will feature conference tips & tricks, followed by pitch practice. This Tuesday, April 15, 6:30 to 8:30 PM, at the Colorado Springs Marriott, home of the Pikes Peak Writers Conference. For more information, see the Events tab of this blog or our website, www.pikespeakwriters.com.

PPWC 2014 Q&A - Beth Phelan

Beth Phelan, Agent, Bent Agency

1. What was the defining moment that made your realize you wanted to be an agent?

There wasn’t really a defining moment when I realized I wanted to be an agent, but at a certain point, I did realize I wanted to work with books. When I was a kid, I read—a lot —at the expense of friendship! I was in the middle of reading Garth Nix’s KEYS TO THE KINGDOM series when my father said to me: “You’re not going to have any friends left if you keep reading instead of returning their phone calls.”

2. What is the one thing you cannot work without? What is your creative vice?

Food! I really like to cook, so I definitely need to be eating well and it has to be delicious, or I can get pretty distracted.

3. If you could 'revive' any literary figure from the past for a one hour conversation, who would you choose?

Probably Roald Dahl because guaranteed it would be a weird conversation.

4. What is one of your more notable or unusual conference or convention experiences?

I was at the James River Writers Conference a few months ago and had a wonderful time! What made it even more special was that the convention center was also hosting a gun show that same weekend, which was random, but really fun to see.

5. If we asked your friends and family to compare you to a cartoon character, which would they choose, and why?

I’m going to have to go with Doug Funnie. I’m soft-spoken, but I have a big imagination.

6. What is one thing would you like aspiring authors to know about the road to success?

It’s hard. You have to keep pushing and remain optimistic. You should also understand that there are different kinds of success, and you should be happy with the progress you’ve made. Celebrate your achievements, big and small.

About the Agent: Beth Phelan joined the Bent Agency in September 2013 after holding positions at the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency and Waxman Leavell Literary. She is actively building her client list and is looking for complex fiction that pulls you in immediately, characters that you wish were your real friends and plot lines that drag you away from reality to a world you never want to leave. Her favorite stories are told with humor and sprinkled with surprises. Beth is looking for YA and MG fiction, New Adult and adult commercial and literary fiction, suspense/thriller/mystery, cookbooks and humor/pop culture. She does not represent sports books, history, reference books, poetry, screenplays or self-help.

Sweet Success! Martha Gilstrap

Compiled by Kathie Scrimgeour

Martha Gilstrap’s fantasy novel, The Slipaway Trail (ISBN 978-0-9887500-4-3, e-book, & 978-0-9887500-5-0, paperback, Adult, 501 pages) was released on October 12, 2013 by Slipaway Trail Publishing. The book is available at Amazon.com and CreateSpace.com or directly from author by email. 

The tallgrass is a wild place of hills and ravines, blue sky and freedom. The daughter of a stable owner, Kahpur can do things–without being seen–that other women would never risk, like riding horses. She’s a better rider and knows more about horses than most men, but for a woman riding at all is scandalous. Not even her betrothed knows about it. When he’s injured in an accident triggered by her actions, she desperately seeks a “legendary healer” mentioned by the town drunk. And that’s only the beginning of adventures they couldn’t have imagined. Not to mention a handsome bandit she meets!

Martha Gilstrap has been a writer all her life, passing around the latest installments of a never-finished novel in her junior high science class, long before she earned a B.A. in English. Her family’s oral tradition claims descent from the legendary Leif Erickson, a story of which she is inordinately proud, although her mother always wondered why she’d claim “that old pirate.” She studied Ryu-Te® Karate for eighteen years while writing, editing and publishing the international newsletter, taking Japanese language classes, and studying iaido, the sword-drawing art–in addition to a full-time job and a family.

 -E-mail               
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-Facebook                

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.

PPWC 2014 Q&A - Dan Leyman

1. What was the defining moment that made your realize you wanted to be an FBI agent?

There really wasn’t a “defining moment” for me. I wanted to be in law enforcement since I was in high school. Initially, I joined my local police department as a reserve member. The more I got to see, the more I realized I wanted to be in Federal law enforcement, and I set my sights on the FBI. Luckily, the stars lined-up, and I was offered a slot in a New Agents Training class.

2. What is the one thing you cannot work without? What is your creative vice?

While I know it sounds corny, the one thing I need for every crime scene, and most law enforcement endeavors, is logic. If I don’t apply logic to a crime scene, processing it becomes mechanical. As I apply logic to a scene, I start developing a theory of what happened. This also requires a degree of imagination, grounded in reality. I test that theory by looking for evidence in places that, logically, there should be evidence. If I find evidence there, that begins to support my theory. If not, I may need to revise my theory.

3. If you could 'revive' any literary figure from the past for a one hour conversation, who would you choose?

Samuel Clemens, because he seemed to have life broken down to the basics, focused on common sense.

4. If we asked your friends and family to compare you to a cartoon character, which would they choose, and why?

Taz, the Looney Tunes Tasmanian Devil, because I’m always whirling around from one event to the next, often grumbling about things I have no control over.

5. What is one thing would you like aspiring authors to know about the road to success?

The definition of success is different for each of us. Often, the road leading there is or seems never-ending. If you aren’t happy, the road will become an arduous, spirit-killing trek. Each person must find or make their own happiness and contentment, thereby making that journey an adventure.

About the Expert: FBI Special Agent Dan Leyman has been in Law Enforcement since 1984 and with the FBI since 1991. He has investigated or supervised nearly every crime the FBI investigates, from bank fraud to bank robberies to terrorism. From Police Academy to FBI New Agent Training, Special Agent Leyman had undergone extensive education in identifying, collecting and preserving evidence at a crime scene. When the FBI’s Evidence Responce Team (ERT) was founded in El Paso, Texas in 1995, Special Agent Leyman became one of its first members. His success and experience earned him his current position as Team Leader of FBI Denver’s Evidence Response Team.

PPWC 2014 Q&A - Terese Ramin

Terese Ramin, Editor, Entangled Publishing

1. What was the defining moment that made your realize you wanted to be an author/editor?

The defining moment when I realized I wanted to be an author took place when I was 9. I went to school with nuns, and they told us we should all ask St. Anthony to help us find our path in the world, so I did. No matter how many times I "asked" the response was always "be a writer." I took that to heart.

The defining moment that made me realize I wanted to be an editor happened when my husband retired and I needed to supplement the family income. ;-) I've always edited - school with nuns teaches you how to do this in a big way - but the hubs' retirement brought it home to me this way: a professional writer who wants to survive in an ever changing marketplace makes use of every skill she has at her disposal to work within her profession and get paid. So among other things, I took up professional editing.

2. What is the one thing you cannot work without? What is your creative vice?

Hmmm... In the morning my creative vice is a cup of coffee (or a latte) and a browse through the internet news. After that it's my Lhasa Apso in my line of sight - so I can make sure he's not finding trouble to get into. Otherwise I'm up checking to see what he's doing and getting No Work Done. He's been my muse for sixteen years (along with every other rescued creature that's come through the door.)

3. If you could 'revive' any literary figure from the past for a one hour conversation, who would you choose?

Madeleine L'Engle or Ray Bradbury. Their work influenced me from the start.

4. What is one of your more notable or unusual conference or convention experiences?

At the very first writer's conference I ever attended I got up the courage to have a New York editor read a passage from something I was working on out loud to a group of other writers at a round table. I hadn't even completed my first book at the time. Although I was terribly untried at the time, the editor complimented my work and encouraged me to keep on with it. Later that day I was in the bathroom and another one of the writers at the table dashed up to me and asked for my autograph. I was completely taken aback (read: shocked out of my mind). She told me she wanted it because she knew I would eventually be someone and she wanted the autograph to show her kids as having met me when. That moment was both thrilling and daunting, but it's also the first autograph I ever signed. You always remember your first.

5. If we asked your friends and family to compare you to a cartoon character, which would they choose, and why?

Lucy Van Pelt (Peanuts), Elektra, or Natalia Romanova. When "the doctor is in" she's way in and generally helpful, but when she's out, boy howdy! Look out.

6. What is one thing would you like aspiring authors to know about the road to success?

The only road to success is perseverance and practice. Practice your writing as often as possible, thicken your skin against criticism, and realize that you are not your work / your writing. The very act of putting your work in front of another person takes courage. Your willingness to refine that work, to make it better, to understand that editing is not an attack on your baby - that's the mark of the true writer, the true author.

About the Editor: Terese Ramin was born to parents who frequently wondered where she came from. A brush with mortality made her pull up her socks and finally finish her first novel. It won the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award that same year. She is the author of ten romance and romantic suspense novels, numerous short stories, and the creator/editor/author of the charitable collaboration Bewitched, Bothered & BeVampyred. Ramin joined Entangled Publishing as Editorial Director of Ignite (formerly Entangled Suspense) in June 2013. Prior to this she spent eighteen months editing for Crimson Romance and numerous years as an editorial freelancer for private clients. Ignite is the Entangled imprint for romantic suspense/mystery/thriller novels, but Terese will take pitches in all varieties of romance. Her reading tastes are eclectic, ranging from YA to NA to erotica, romance, mysteries, thrillers, SF/F, literary fiction, and non-fiction – and all of the attendant sub-genres. Aside from writing and editing, Terese works as a ghost writer, a book doctor, and a paranormal investigator. Find her on Twitter at @TereseRamin and Facebook Terese Ramin.

Scene Writing Series, Part VIII - Conflict

By Jax Hunter

Greetings Campers, this month we’re going to talk about conflict, which is necessary in stories and scenes, and inevitable in life. Since the last installment of this column, I have experienced all three types of conflict that we’ll talk about below. I’ve come face-to-face with consequences of past decisions, faced off against an evil I didn’t see coming, and struggled with the idea that good doesn’t always win.

I once judged a contest for Romance Writers of America, in which the two entries I judged didn't have enough conflict to carry them into novel-length fiction. They might have had enough for a short story, but little more, I was sorry to say.

Whenever I talk about conflict, my mind immediately goes to the old TNT “We know Drama” commercials.  The truth is that conflict is a slippery topic. It’s hard to capture, but we sure as shootin’ know when it’s not there. We stop reading. 

           

Conflict is so intricately woven in and around character creation that it’s difficult to separate them. In the germination stage of a story, we begin with a character and wonder what we can do to torture him.

           

Robert McKee, in Story, talks about three kinds of conflict (as opposed to the two we are used to - internal and external.) 

           

1. Inner conflict. This is man against himself. This is when we as the authors pit one tightly held value within our character against another tightly held value. The book I just finished features a hero who will not lie. He won’t even fudge on the truth. His para-rescue teammates make fun of him and call him Honest Gabe. So what’s the worst thing I can do to him? Put him in a position where he’d be forced to lie, right? Naturally. And what would make him lie? Well, Gabe is not only honest, he’s loyal to a fault. Enter a situation where we pit his loyalty against his truthfulness. Beyond that, we’ll test every relationship he has within that framework.

           

2.  Personal Conflict. Man vs. Man. In Gabe’s story, we will put him in conflict with his attorney and with each of his teammates.

           

3.  Extra-Personal Conflict. This is Man vs. Environment. This comes in the form of Man against Nature, Society, the System, Time, the Supernatural, etc. For Gabe, it’s him against the legal system, when he’s arrested for a murder he didn’t commit. 

           

McKee believes that a good story uses all three and, by extension, so does a good scene. Now, for sure, you won’t have all three in each and every scene, but you can go a long way by, at least, thinking along those lines.

           

Sol Stein (Stein on Writing) puts his characters into the “crucible.” The Crucible is when “the motivation of the characters to continue opposing each other is greater than their motivation to run away.” Or it’s when they can’t run away. So, it’s our job in each scene to make sure there is no way for our characters to simply run away. 

           

Conflict comes when your character wants something or is trying to avoid something and an obstacle stands in his way. The problem with one of the contest entries I read was that both the hero and heroine wanted the same thing and little stood in their way. Note: If the only thing keeping characters at odds with each other is something that can be resolved with a simple conversation, then you likely don’t have enough conflict. 

           

There are two ways that we authors kill conflict in our work. One is by presenting bickering instead of real conflict. Unless they force a change in our characters, arguments and quarrels are simply static and not real conflict. Jumping conflict is another problem. This is where a character goes from scoundrel to hero in one big leap. It’s important to show the steps. More often than not, character growth is more a two-steps-forward-one-step-back sort of thing, which is not to be confused with a character who is simply wishy-washy and doesn’t know what he wants from one moment to the next.

           

So what if we find that our conflict is weak? 

           

Well, our protagonists are only as good as the antagonist they face, whether internal, personal, or extra-personal. Beef up your antagonist and you automatically beef up your conflict - and your hero will respond in kind. Also, look for areas where you, as author, have pulled your punches. Sometimes we let our heroes off too easily because the emotion is too high for us to deal with. Because of this, we miss the opportunity for high drama. Remember, the reader is there to experience emotions - good or bad. Don’t pull back; let them have it. 

           

Before ending, I want to touch very briefly on villains. Remember, villains (antagonists) are motivated to do what they do because it’s right in their minds to do it. Often, our antagonists aren’t the bad guys who push over little old ladies or kick dogs. Think about Sam Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) in The Fugitive. He was certainly the antagonist, but not the bad guy. And even Hannibal Lector thought he was a good guy.

           

I have a conflict RIGHT NOW. . .There’s not nearly enough room here to do a good job on conflict. All I can do is call your attention to the importance of conflict in each scene. Start by asking yourself what your character wants NOW, why he wants it, and what’s standing in his way. Then, go forth, you authors, and torture your characters.

           

Until next month, when we take a look at set dressing, 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.

PPWC 2014 Q&A - Cindi Madsen

Cindi Madsen, Author

1. What was the defining moment that made your realize you wanted to be an author?

I always had stories in my head, I just never thought of writing them down until after I had my first baby. As soon as I started, though, I was hooked, and I knew I wanted to be an author from that point on.

2. What is the one thing you cannot work without? What is your creative vice?

Mountain Dew. I really need that and my music. So I guess the music's my vice and the Dew is my can't work without.

3. If you could 'revive' any literary figure from the past for a one hour conversation, who would you choose?

Mary Shelley. I'd want to know all about Frankenstein.

4. What is one of your more notable or unusual conference or convention experiences?

I met one of my best writer friends after we'd both gotten harsh feedback from the same agent. By the end of the dinner we were laughing so loudly it erased the bad, and now she's who I go to with all of my writer ups and downs. We always joke that we owe our friendship to that person. I've also been able to fangirl over authors I love, which is super cool.

5. If we asked your friends and family to compare you to a cartoon character, which would they choose, and why?

Probably Rainbow Brite. She was my favorite when I was a kid, and I love me some color. Plus she had really awesome boots and a horse that rode on rainbows. Win all around.

6. What is one thing would you like aspiring authors to know about the road to success?

You'll probably get knocked down, and writing's not easy, but it is the best job in the world, and if you love it, don't ever give up.

About the Author: Cindi Madsen is a USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance and young adult novels. She sits at her computer every chance she gets, plotting revising, and falling in love with her characters. Sometimes it makes her a crazy person. Without it, she’d be even crazier. She has way too many shoes, but can always find a reason to buy a new pretty pair, especially if they’re sparkly, colorful, or super tall. She loves music, dancing, and wishes summer lasted all year long. She lives in Colorado (where summer is most definitely NOT all year long) with her husband and three children. She is the author of YA books All the Broken Pieces, Cipher, Rift, Resolution, and Demons of the Sun and adult romances Falling for Her Fiancé, Act Like You Love Me, Resisting the Hero, and Cinderella Screwed Me Over, which has sold to France, Germany, and Turkey.

PPWC 2014 Q&A - Evangeline Denmark

Evangeline Denmark, Author

1. What was the defining moment that made your realize you wanted to be an author?

When I realized, once and for all, that I truly could not sing and had no future as a rock star. Just kidding, kind of.

I can’t narrow it down to one moment because there are several that have been key in my journey, but I’ll share one of them. When I was in high school, I wrote, memorized, and performed a dramatic monologue about an Irish immigrant for a competition. I won first place and received a lot of pats on the back for my work, but it wasn’t the glory of winning that stirred me. My addiction for creating characters and living in their worlds began with that experience. The sheer love of the creative process has kept me going through the hard stuff every writer faces.

2. What is the one thing you cannot work without? What is your creative vice?

I can’t work without my laptop and some quiet space. When it’s crunch time, chocolate-covered espresso beans are my go-to vice.

3. If you could 'revive' any literary figure from the past for a one hour conversation, who would you choose?

Jane Eyre

4. What is one of your more notable or unusual conference or convention experiences?

I attended a conference that made a big deal about being “fragrance-free,” meaning perfume or cologne wasn’t allowed. They even had reminders flashing on screens during meals that read “Such and Such is a fragrance-free conference.” Well, as we all know, artificial fragrances are designed to mask natural ones. I got on a crowded elevator with some fellow attendees and since we were so tightly packed together, I thought a joke would make things more comfortable. So I said in my best flight attendant voice, “We’d like to remind you that Such and Such is a fragrance-free conference.” Nobody laughed. Wrong conference for me.

5. If we asked your friends and family to compare you to a cartoon character, which would they choose, and why?

Elastigirl/Helen Parr in The Incredibles. I’m a mom with lots of things to juggle. It can feel like being a writer is my secret identity, especially when I try to act normal around non-writers. I can also lecture with the best of them.

6. What is one thing would you like aspiring authors to know about the road to success?

If you choose to walk this road, do it because you love writing. No other reason will see you through.

About the Author: Evangeline Denmark has storytelling on her heart and in her blood. The daughter of best-selling novelist, Donita K. Paul, Evangeline grew up living and breathing good stories. She has co-authored two children’s books, The Dragon and the Turtle (Waterbrook, 2010) and The Dragon and the Turtle Go on Safari (Waterbrook, 2011) and also writes YA and adult fiction. You can find Evangeline online at www.evangelinedenmark.com and www.dragonandturtle.com.

April Letter From the Editor

It's April! Which means Pikes Peak Writers staff and volunteers are scurrying about to put together the final details of Pikes Peak Writers Conference 2014! It's a mad scramble and a lot of hard work, but it's always worth it in the end. Are you as excited as we are?

If you haven't seen them yet, we've been posting faculty Q&A's every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Want to know what cartoon character your favorite faculty member resembles? What led them to the path they've taken? Or what their words of advice to you might be? Check out the Q&A's!

On Friday, April 18, we'll have a Conference Tips post as our final Countdown to Conference. Have any tips you'd like us to share in the post? Leave them in the comments below!

Are you planning to pitch at conference? The April Write Brain, Tuesday, April 15, will be followed by pitch practice. Come for the conference tips, stay for the pitch practice.

Not going to conference this year? No worries. We've still got our usual great content from our regular columnists for you on our regular posting days (Q&A's are all being posted on our usual "off" days.) There's plenty to read up on that has nothing to do with conference, so stick around!

Whether you're attending the conference or not, have a fabulous writing month and reach for those goals!

~Shannon Lawrence
Managing Editor, Writing From the Peak
Director of Non-Conference Events

Quote of the Week & Week to Come

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." -Maya Angelou, born April 4.

Maya Angelou
By Adria Richards [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)],
via Wikimedia Commons

This week on Writing From the Peak...

...The April Letter From the Editor

...The next entry in Jax Hunter's' series on Scene Writing, Conflict

...A Sweet Success post

...Q&A's with Evangeline Denmark, Cindi Madsen, Terese Ramin, Dan Leyman, and Beth Phelan

PPWC 2014 Q&A Michelle Johnson

Michelle Johnson, Agent, Inlings Literary Agency

1. What was the defining moment that made your realize you wanted to be an agent?

In Virginia I had a writers' center and bookstore. We had a lot of book launches and author events for the local authors, and at the same time I was freelance editing for a couple of small presses. Every author I worked with told me that I should be an agent because of the way I worked with them - for them. I love helping people achieve their dreams. I applied for and accepted an intern position at an agency, and I told one of my mentors. She said "Ohhhhh, Dream Maker!" I got chills, and knew right then it was what I wanted.

2. What is the one thing you cannot work without? What is your creative vice?

Coffee. Always coffee.

3. If you could 'revive' any literary figure from the past for a one hour conversation, who would you choose?

C.S. Lewis. Or maybe Poe. I only get one? Emily Dickinson - final answer.

4. What is one of your more notable or unusual conference or convention experiences?

I think my favorite conference experience has to be the time I offered representation to an author during her pitch. She had queried me before the conference and I had requested the manuscript. When I realized I would see her there I read the manuscript on the flight. And was I ever glad I did! An amazing book by an incredibly talented author.

She pitched a different book at our pitch session. I asked to see the manuscript. And then I offered her representation for the first book. It was an amazing moment.

5. If we asked your friends and family to compare you to a cartoon character, which would they choose, and why?

I had to ask a friend, since I had no clue as to what this answer might be. She said: "Can I say Batman? Because you pull knowledge out of your hat like random weaponry or gadgets, and I bet when you hit things sound effects appear above your head in lightning shaped bubbles."

(I neither confirm nor deny the lightning shaped bubbles).

6. What is one thing would you like aspiring authors to know about the road to success?

I think I would most like them to know that when you get feedback from anyone - an agent, an editor, another writer - taking it personally is the worst thing you can do to yourself. If someone has offered you another way to view your story, listen to what they say, don't close down because you thought your writing was perfect. If you want to make it, use every resource you can. Sometimes there are gems inside those rejection letters. Read them. Learn from them.

About the Agent: Michelle L. Johnson is a literary agent, the founder of Inklings Literary Agency and has a business administration background in addition to a lifetime of working with books (sales, editing, and writing) and authors (marketing, promoting, event planning). She is also a script/story consultant for an independent film under production in Halifax, NS. Before founding Inklings Literary Agency, she was an agent with Corvisiero Literary Agency. She has spent many years in the editing field for private clients and multiple independent publishing houses. She owned and operated a Writers’Center and Bookstore in Virginia Beach, organizing numerous special events for authors and artists alike. In adult, NA and YA fiction Michelle looks for Contemporary, Suspense, Thriller, Mystery, Horror, Fantasy, and also loves Paranormal and Supernatural elements within those genres. She is also interested in romance of every heat level. She is especially fond of plot twists that surprise her and deep, well-rounded characters that make her laugh and cry. For Non Fiction, she is interested in Memoir and True Crime.

April News & Events

Compiled by Shannon Lawrence, Managing Editor

PPW Events

Note: More information can be found on each of the below events on our Events tab, above.

The April Write Brain will be PPWC 2014 Conference Prep, with the Conference Director, M.K. Meredith, Programming Director, M.B. Partlow, and Faculty Coordinator, Jason Henry. They'll give you tips and teach you the ins and outs of conference. The second half of the workshop will be pitch practice, where our facilitators will split off into groups to give feedback on pitches. Tuesday, April 15, 6:30-8:30 PM. Please note that this event is at The Marriott, the location of PPWC. 

Open Critique is Wednesday, April 16, 6-8:30 PM, at Cottonwood Center for the Arts. Get the first 8 pages of your manuscript critiqued. RSVP required for those wanting a critique. 

Writer's Night is Monday, April 28, 6:30-8:30 PM, at Ivywild. Open forum. Come discuss whatever writerly topics you'd like. Food and drinks available for purchase at the venue. 

Other "Local" Events

Delve Writing is holding an online workshop entitled Say it Like a Pro: How to Talk About Your Book Articulately and Enticingly at PPWC or Anywhere. Chris Mandeville will be teaching this course. Price is $20 if you register before February 8. This is a 2-session camp, to be held Saturday, April 5 and Saturday, April 12, 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM MT. It is online only and live. While this is not a February event, the discounted price ends tomorrow, so we wanted to pass it along to you.

Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers monthly free programming will be The Writer's Conquest: Marketing for Today's Author, presented by Thomas A. Fowler. April 12, 11:00AM to 1:00 PM. They are holding an online class via Yahoo Groups entitled The Connection Between POV and Your Storyteller's Voice, April 7 through April 20. Their Colorado Gold Writing Contest is now open, with a deadline of June 1.

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

The Rocky Mountain Mystery Writers of America will host Laura Manuel, as she presents Everything You've Ever Wanted to Know About Law Enforcement. Thursday, April 10. Doors open at 6:30 PM. $25 for non-members, dinner and program included in price.

Pikes Peak Pen Women will present Tapestry of Letters, Lines, and Legato: Discovering the Artist Within, presented by Joyce Gregor, Diana Alishouse, Nancy Jurka, Deb Upton, and Virginia Franklin Campbell, April 19, 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM, at the PEO Chapter House. $23 for non-members, lunch and program included in the cost. RSVP required.

Friends of Pikes Peak Library District is holding their annual Mountain of Authors program, Saturday, April 5, 12:00-6:00 PM, at their East Library branch, on Union Blvd. This event is free.

Springs Writers will be presenting How to Write Back Cover Copy That Sells, with speaker Shelley Ring., Tuesday, April 8, 6-8 PM, at Woodmen Valley Chapel. They are also holding a Scrivener Mini Bootcamp Saturday, April 12, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, presented by Debbie Allen. Cost is $15.

Arapahoe Community College is holding their Writers Studio 9th Annual Literary Festival Saturday, April 19. 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. $45 for non-ACC students.

If there is a local writer's group you'd like to see included in this listing, please feel free to let me know in the comments!

About the Author: Shannon Lawrence enjoys writing mainly urban fantasy and horror, examining the darker side of life. Her flash fiction piece, “The Family Ruins,” is included in the anthology Sunday Snaps: The Stories, andBeyond the Binding, an anthology including her piece, "Spes et Libertas," was just released in e-book only. While her main focus is fantasy and horror, she is working on a Young Adult fantasy novel and also enjoys photographing Colorado scenery, wildlife, and her children. She is also the NCE Director for Pikes Peak Writers, and the managing editor of Writing From the Peak. You can find her atwww.thewarriormuse.com and on Twitter as @thewarriormuse.

PPWC 2014 Q&A - Cindi Myers

Cindi Myers, Author

1. What was the defining moment that made your realize you wanted to be an author?

When I was about 9, I read all the "Little House" books by Laura Ingalls Wilder and decided that telling stories for a living had to be the best job in the world. I began writing my own stories then and never stopped.

2. What is the one thing you cannot work without? What is your creative vice?

I really don't have anything. I will write anywhere, although I prefer peace and quiet to chaos.

3. If you could 'revive' any literary figure from the past for a one hour conversation, who would you choose?

Georgette Heyer -- she wrote romance, mystery and historical fiction -- she was very prolific and a gifted writer. I think she'd be fascinating to talk with.

4. What is one of your more notable or unusual conference or convention experiences?

In 2011 I attended the Romance Writers of America convention after I'd been dumped by my publisher. I had a manuscript that a dozen agents had told me wouldn't sell. I pitched the manuscript to two publishers at the conference and had offers from both publishers within three days of returning home.

5. If we asked your friends and family to compare you to a cartoon character, which would they choose, and why?

Rose from "Rose is Rose." She's a very ordinary woman who has an alter-ego who is a motorcycle riding, tattooed wild woman. That's me -- the introvert with the wilder side I keep hidden.

6. What is one thing would you like aspiring authors to know about the road to success?

There are a lot of things about the writing business that you cannot control, so try to focus on the things you can control -- the story, the writing, remembering why you wanted to be a writer in the first place. Focus on those things and you will be a lot happier.

About the Author: Cindi Myers became one of the most popular people in eighth grade when she and her best friend wrote a torrid historical romance and passed the manuscript around among friends. Fame was short-lived, alas; the English teacher confiscated the manuscript and suggested they should spend more time brushing up on grammar and spelling. Since then, Cindi has written more than 50 published novels. She is a New York Time and USA Today Bestselling Author.  Her 2012 release, The View From Here, won the Colorado Book Award for genre fiction. Her most recent release is The Mountain Between Us.

PPWC 2014 Q&A - Terri Bischoff

Terri Bischoff, Editor, Midnight Ink

1. What was the defining moment that made your realize you wanted to be an editor?

After college I started working at an independent bookstore and found that I loved it. After managing at two different bookstores, I learned that my local mystery bookstore was up for sale. I owned and operated that store for five years, selling it for family reasons. I knew I would work again in the book industry, so I would check publisher’s websites for any openings. When I saw that Midnight Ink was hiring an acquiring editor, it was a match made in heaven. Being an acquiring editor was never in the plans, but it has worked out very well.

2. What is the one thing you cannot work without? What is your creative vice?

Music – I usually work with my headphones on – it’s the only way I can block out what is going on around me. That and lots and lots of coffee.

3. If you could 'revive' any literary figure from the past for a one hour conversation, who would you choose?

Hmm… that is a hard question. I think that I wouldn’t choose anyone because I wouldn’t want my idea or image of the character to be altered in any way

4. What is one of your more notable or unusual conference or convention experiences?

I was on a publishers panel with only one other traditional publisher and a bunch of small presses and ebook only publishers. Someone asked how long it takes to get a book published – the other traditional publisher and I said 12-18 months. The ebook only publishers got into a heated, “I can publish it in six weeks.” “I can publish it in three.” It was like name that tune. I could only shake my head and wonder how these publishers are serving their authors. (Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against ebook only publishing. I do have something against publishers not doing their jobs – editing, marketing, publicity, etc.)

5. If we asked your friends and family to compare you to a cartoon character, which would they choose, and why?

I asked my friends and family, but there wasn’t a consensus. Mostly though, they chose Looney Toons characters. Perhaps I am too hard to pin down.

6. What is one thing would you like aspiring authors to know about the road to success?

The road to publication is long and difficult and needs a little luck sprinkled in. The road to success is even longer and harder. As a writer, you will get better every step of the way. Listen to critical, honest feedback.

About the Editor: Terri Bischoff joined Midnight Ink as an Acquiring Editor in October 2009. She leads all editorial directions and creates the seasonal lists. She has dramatically increased the number of titles per season, publishing 30-36 titles per year, as well as expanded the type of crime fiction MI has published. Terri has a wealth of experience and knowledge in both mysteries and in bookselling, having been involved for 17 years in all areas of bookstore operations, particularly as book buyer and reviewer. She has worked at Kramer Books in Washington, DC, and more recently, Terri owned and operated Booked For Murder Mystery Bookstore in Madison, Wisconsin.Terri is looking for all types of crime fiction, from cozy to suspense/thriller.

The Serialized Novel – Part 2 – Manipulation is a Virtue

By Deb McLeod

(To read the first part of this series, click here.)

When I think of writing a serial novel the first craft challenge that presents itself is the cliffhanger. Cliffhangers are a story device designed to make readers come back. “Who Shot JR?” the “Dallas” TV show’s most well-known cliffhanger was a summertime question of my youth. In my favorite soap, “All My Children,” each Friday brought some sort of cliffhanger for one of the plot lines.

Some authors use mini-cliffhangers at the end of each chapter of their standalone books. During an analysis of Stephanie Meyer’s “The Host,” for an unrelated craft investigation, I noticed how often she would split a scene across a chapter right at the climax point in order to create a cliffhanger from chapter to chapter.

Emily Naussbaum reports in the New Yorker: “Cliffhangers are sensational... (they are) primal and unashamedly manipulative.” Here, here, I say, bring ‘em on. Manipulate me.

There is nothing more juicy than a cliffhanger. If I can get a reader on the edge of their seat just dying to turn the page or wait for the next installment – well that would be alright with me!

Episode endings in a serial or serialized novel should have more impact than chapter endings. Each episode should drive toward its ending in the same way a standalone book drives toward its climactic ending. So how do you write the end of an episode well? What constitutes a good cliffhanger ending?

When I need to learn something I turn to a book, or a model, as I prefer to call it when I'm in research mode. I've been reading serials and decided to dig into the cliffhangers of Stephen King’s “The Green Mile” and Margaret Atwood’s “Positron” to see if I could see what the big authors do with their end of episode cliffhangers.

I’m going to rate the cliffhangers on a 1-5 scale, with 5 being that you absolutely have to turn the page to find out what happens next.

SPOILER ALERT – STOP READING IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW THE PLOT OF “THE GREEN MILE” OR “POSITRON”

First let me say that “The Green Mile” was written in 1996 and was an experiment to see how Stephen King’s fans would react to serial fiction. This was before ebooks and before the resurrection of the serial. I found his book to be more of a traditional book than a serialized one.

The Green Mile
I had seen the movie, “The Green Mile,” so I already knew the plot but I wanted to read the book to see how King wrote it in episodic fashion. Here is a summary of the cliffhangers by episode:

Episode 1: 54 pages long. Toward the end of Episode One, Paul, the protagonist, and Brutal, one of the prison guards, have found a hole where a mouse, Mr. Jingles, had hidden some peppermint candies and some colored splinters of wood from a spool. Mr. Jingles was the pet of the now-executed prisoner Delacroix, who gave the mouse the candies and had him fetch the spool. Apparently, Delacroix was badly executed by the villain and both Brutal and Paul decide they can’t be guards of the Green Mile any longer. They can't watch any more prisoners be executed. The last line of the episode is: “John Coffey will be the last.” We've already gotten a bit of Coffey’s story and a bit of Delacroix’s story. Episode One serves to set up a frame for us to find out in detail what happened to both of those prisoners. In a straight novel, this is a great setup. As far as cliffhangers go, I’d rate this with a one. (See below for what might have worked better.)

Episode 2: 60 pages long. The end of this episode shows a violent prisoner who has one of the guards in a stranglehold and is dying in front of Paul’s eyes. The prisoner sees that Paul has a gun and turns the guard toward it, “so that I’d almost certainly have to hit one to hit the other. From over Dean’s shoulder, one blazing blue eye dared me to shoot.” This one gets a four and a half rating from me. Does he shoot? Does the guard die? I want to know.

Episode 3: 62 pages long. The prisoner Delacroix is to be executed the next day and is worried about what will happen to his mouse, Mr. Jingles. The guards lie and tell him they’ll take Mr. Jingles to a fictional place called Mouseville in Florida, where he’ll spend his time entertaining people with his tricks. Delacroix throws the spool for Mr. Jingles to fetch and it takes a bad bounce and ends up on The Green Mile, the corridor running between the cells. The villain, another guard, who has been trying to kill the mouse, finally gets his chance and he stomps on it. The last line: “He turned and walked back up the Green Mile, not hurrying, leaving Mr. Jingles lying on the linoleum in a spreading pool of his own blood.” That’s a solid five. We love Mr. Jingles. He can’t be dead. You have to fix this!

Episode 4: 57 pages long. Paul has come up with an idea to smuggle John Coffey out of prison to help the warden’s wife. The guards are debating whether it’s a good idea or not. They are afraid Coffey might make a run for it. He's a giant of a man and in jail because of a violent crime. But Paul assures the other guards Coffey's not going to try to escape. They want to know how Paul can be so sure. We know that Paul has discovered something about Coffey. Paul begins to tell the guards how he knows with the promise of the rest of the information to come in the next episode. Meh. This gets a two from me.

Episode 5: 63 pages. The guards are bringing Coffey back from the warden’s house where he has helped the warden’s wife. Coffey is weak and almost falls off the truck. He’s coughing and the guards are afraid they are going to get caught sneaking the prisoner back into jail. The last line is: “As it turned out, our evening was far from over.” A promise for what’s to come. Manufactured to tantalize me into wanting to know. Another mediocre cliffhanger – a three from me. I care about Coffey and I know he gets executed so I would read the last episode but the episode ending didn't leave me dying to read it. 

Maximize the Structure
So what’s the difference between these episode endings? The end of episode two and episode three contain the possibility of irreversible change, whereas the other episode endings, while interesting, don’t have the same zip. They don’t end on an action scene and they’re promises that more information will be revealed in the next segment. They appeal to my curiosity, not my need to know.

I also see there's a “care about the character factor” at work in episode endings. By the end of the first episode, the care factor isn't that high. In a classic King move, during the episode, he writes a violent prisoner introduced to the death row jail. Sets up the reader for what the guards face bringing a prisoner into the Green Mile. A bit later King brings in John Coffey, who, while he is a giant of a man who could easily overpower the guards, is gentle. His eyes are different. And the only question he has for Paul is: do they leave the lights on at night? Because he doesn't like the dark.

We care about Coffey right away (King is so good at that). So it would have been an excellent build toward the last line of “John Coffey would be the last.” End of episode. Boom. The gentle giant will be put to death and our protagonist is going to have to do it. And then he'll never do another execution again. You'd have to turn the page, right? Why does Coffey have to die? Why can't you save him? You have to save him.

However, that's not how episode one is written. There's a whole segment between Coffey's question about the dark and the last line. That segment, while good, interesting and necessary, dissipates the build toward the last line. It does set up the suspense about Mr. Jingles, about Delacroix's bad execution and that the story to come will show why Paul and Brutal have to get out of this game. Great standalone writing to be sure. But maybe serial episodes require a bit of a different structure.

Positron
Next we’ll look at the first three episodes of “Positron,” Margaret Atwood’s serial. (Episode 4 has been released but I haven’t had time to buy it yet. I guess that says something, right?)

Episode 1: 31% of the 3-episode ebook. Stan has become obsessed by a note he found in a home which he and his wife, Charmaine, inhabit every other month with another couple they've never met. In a dystopian future, many people live in jail for a month and then live out in the world for a month to save on resources. Great concept. It’s a good book. The note Stan finds has a lipstick print on it and is signed Jasmine. Clearly a love note. Clearly, Jasmine is everything Charmaine is not. So Stan decides he is going to get a glimpse of Jasmine the next time they change places with the other couple. At the end of the episode he finds out Jasmine is really Charmaine who is having an affair with Phil, the man who takes Stan’s place every other month. She left the note for him. Stan has been caught snooping by Phil’s wife, Jocelyn. Jocelyn is security for the new order, a muckety-muck who can easily eliminate Stan if she wants. But she wants revenge. So she takes Stan as her new mate. There’s no way out for him. Irreversible change; I’ll give it a four.

Episode 2: 32% of the book. By the end of episode two, Jocelyn has tired of Stan, who has been keeping up a good front. Jocelyn says it’s time for him to go. She has arranged for Stan's wife, Charmaine, who’s been in jail these few months, to get her old job back. Charmaine puts unwanted or misbehaving people to sleep. For good. The next procedure she will perform, Jocelyn tells Stan, will be on him. Stan is convinced Charmaine will never do it. But Jocelyn tells Stan that it will really be fake; they want him on the outside of the system so he can do a job for them. He’s stuck again. Jocelyn sticks Stan with a needle and he passes out. Pretty good cliffhanger. I’ll give it a four. But wouldn’t it have been better if it ended with Stan on the table and Charmaine standing above him with the reader asking the question of whether she would actually do it or not? I'm just saying.

Episode 3: 33% of the book. Charmaine does kill her husband, as far as she knows. Remember they fake all this. Afterwards, Stan gets smuggled out and Charmaine is "asked" to go to the the medical facility. She can't say no. She gets into a car they send for her, and Phil (Jocelyn's husband) is driving, but he pretends not to remember her. Now she believes they are trying to erase her. Now she will have to keep her wits about her if she wants to lead any kind of life in this system. The last line here is: “She’s on her own.” Not a great cliffhanger, as cliffhanger’s go. It’s a mirror of Stan’s ending in episode one. It gets a three from me.

When I compare these two books with some of my favorite TV shows that make good use of cliffhangers, they come up a little short. Ever watch “24?” Or “Breaking Bad?” Or “The Walking Dead?” Some episode endings are better than others, to be sure, but most fall into the “irreversible change” category rather than the “stay tuned for more info” category. Many are jaw-dropping surprise twists. Clearly manipulating me and that's why I love them.

So in your serial, should you shoot for all episode endings to have an irreversible change? End in action? Be a surprise? Would that be too much? Too predictable? Too far into the realm of Snidely Whiplash standing over Nell Fenwick, who's tied to the tracks with the train coming? But if you don't, how do you get the reader to come back?

Any advice on episode endings you'd like to share while I'm rewriting?

To read Part 3, click here.

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.  

PPWC 2014 Q&A - Kris Neri

Kris Neri, Author

1. What was the defining moment that made your realize you wanted to be an author?

Although I've always written, it didn't occur to me that I could make a career of it until my husband, who was a triathlete at the time, asked me to write an article for him. I wrote a humorous article on the life of a middle-of-the-pack triathlete. Triathlon magazine not only published it, they paid me for it! Being in print in a national magazine and knowing countless people were reading it was such a rush. That was when it occurred to for the first time then that I could make a career of writing. I successfully wrote articles for years before I eventually went on to writing fiction, but opening that magazine when it came in the mail, and seeing my article there in print was my defining moment.

2. What is the one thing you cannot work without? What is your creative vice?

Coffee! Lots of rich, black French Roast. I also light a scented candle I keep on my desk when I get stuck, or I pick up and study one of the interesting rocks that I collect on hikes and place there, as well. But it's really the coffee that fuels everything.

3. If you could 'revive' any literary figure from the past for a one hour conversation, who would you choose?

I would probably pick one of my author friends who've passed on, such as Barbara Seranella or Barbara Burnett Smith, to have another chance to talk.

4. What is one of your more notable or unusual conference or convention experiences?

Having my book, MAGICAL ALIENATION, win an award would have to be exceptionally notable. Also, the times when someone tells me that whatever workshop I've delivered has helped them to fix a problem in their writing, have been satisfying experiences.

5. If we asked your friends and family to compare you to a cartoon character, which would they choose, and why?

My husband says Jessica Rabbit, which proves he has an erroneous, albeit flattering, impression of me. I think lots of people would say the Roadrunner because of my persistence

6. What is one thing would you like aspiring authors to know about the road to success?

I would want them to understand it can be a harder road than they probably expect. At times it's all smooth sailing, but unexpected bumps will arise, and there are times when it's awfully steep. The one thing I'd like them to know is that you have to enjoy the journey to make it worthwhile.

About the Author: Kris Neri writes the Tracy Eaton mysteries, the latest of which is Revenge on Route 66, a 2013 New Mexico-Arizona Book Award finalist, and the Samantha Brennan & Annabelle Haggerty magical series. Her novels have been nominated for such prestigious awards as the Agatha, Anthony, Macavity, International Book Award, and the Lefty. She is a three-time Lefty Award finalist for Best Humorous Mystery Novel. Her most recent magical novel, Magical Alienation, was a 2012 NM-AZ Book Award winner for fantasy. Kris teaches writing for the Writers’ Program of the UCLA Extension School, and with her husband, owns The Well Red Coyote bookstore in Sedona, AZ. Kris welcomes readers to her website, www.krisneri.com.

PPWC 2014 Q&A - Becky Clark

Becky Clark, Author

1. What was the defining moment that made your realize you wanted to be an author?

When my kids were very young, not only was I a stay-at-home mom to them, but I was also Mom to a passel of squatters and interlopers whose own mothers skipped happily off to work each day, leaving us behind in a quivering mass upon the floor, fighting for scraps of paper and crayons like so many tiny Lord of the Flies wannabes. (I kid. Everyone knows I would not be bested in a fight over crayons. Especially the sharp ones.)

Every nap time, to escape this mind-numbing slice of daycare (in)humanity, I skipped happily to my computer where I wrote personal essays and light-hearted opinion pieces to save my sanity and salvage my few remaining brain cells. Hearken back to the days before blogs or even the internet. I wrote for me, never really expecting anyone to read my scribblings. Ever. But then I stumbled on a regional magazine seeking submissions. I readied my favorite piece. Before I could change my mind (because who was I kidding; me, a writer?) and retrieve the envelope from the clutches of the mailbox (kids, ask your parents), it sunk into the dark abyss. I have a brain like a sieve [see above comment re: my few remaining brain cells] so I promptly forgot all about it. Until the day I got a letter offering $50 and a contract. In that moment it occurred to me I might be able to do something I enjoyed and appeared to be good at. And maybe strangers would continue to send me money as a small token of their thanks. I’m grateful every day for that editor.

2. What is the one thing you cannot work without? What is your creative vice?

My computer. How in the world did people write 200 page manuscripts with benefit of copy-and-paste, global searches for passive verbs, and red highlighting for passages you know you need to fix later? But that’s more of a tool than a vice, so I’ll say copious amounts of booze. I am a writer, after all, with an image to maintain.

3. If you could 'revive' any literary figure from the past for a one hour conversation, who would you choose?

If you’re talking about a real person, I’d like to chat with Dorothy Parker. I think she and I would be fast friends. I’d sit next to her at the Algonquin and try to keep up with the martinis and the bon mots. I’d like to know how much of her persona was real and how much was myth. Strike that. I don’t ever want to know if it was myth. If you’re talking about someone fictional, I’d like to push that awful Life of Pi kid overboard. Not much of a conversation, I admit, but it would make me happy.

4. What is one of your more notable or unusual conference or convention experiences?

At my very first PPW conference at the turn of the century — my first conference at all, in fact — I was so green I gave my book to the bigwig agent I was interested in. I had self-published it back when that was a dirty word and I asked if she’d take a look and tell me what she thought. Without hesitation she agreed, saying, “I’ll read it on the plane.” She did and a couple weeks later gave me some good advice. Subsequently I learned that agents never take manuscripts or books from conference-goers. Pish.

5. If we asked your friends and family to compare you to a cartoon character, which would they choose, and why?

Let’s see. My husband would be looking to score points, so he’d say Jessica Rabbit. I think a good case could be made for Woody Woodpecker, because of the hair, the laugh and the relentless optimism. Perhaps the Tazmanian Devil because I’m always a whirlwind of activity. My kids might see me as Linda Belcher. I wouldn’t disagree. She loves to dance.

6. What is one thing would you like aspiring authors to know about the road to success?

There are bad drivers, gaping potholes, crumbling bridges, blown transmissions, skeevy rest stops, and sun glare so bright it makes you want to become a mushroom. But do NOT miss this journey. There’s nothing else like it. And when you get where you’re going, load up the car, grab your sunglasses and do it again.

About the Author: Becky Clark is usually pretty funny. Sometimes clever. Often silly. She writes and publishes low calorie cookbooks and novels. Well, the novels aren’t low calorie. Wait. Yes, they are. People say generous things about her and her writing. Mostly. She blogs irregularly at http://www.BeckyClarkBooks.com and http://www.LazyLowCalLifestyle.com to connect with readers who like her style and to hear interesting, eclectic things from them. She’ll never overwhelm you with big words or good nutrition. Like a doughnut frosted with delicious loquaciousness. She is firmly of the opinion writers should make money from their writing, which is why she loves being in control of her own career. She takes all the risk so she feels entitled to all the reward. If you buy her a beer, she’ll tell you all her secrets. Like how she’s #7 in a long line of eight siblings, whose progeny could populate an entire town. It would, of course, be Lord-of-the-Flies chaotic. They’d forget to organize trash collection and none of them would want to be in charge of wastewater. They’d have a majestic and enviable library, though.