Pikes Peak Writers Blog

Posted By Ron on June 4, 2009

Reprinted from the Pikes Peak Writers NewsMagazine

October of 2008 tossed us, and six billion other people, some challenges.  As deadlines loomed for the 2009 Pikes Peak Writers Conference, our organization went after each of these challenges, only to be slapped by another one almost without delay.  Rumors of budget cuts in the New York houses brought concerns that some of our faculty, agents, and editors might not be able to attend.  Skyrocketing fuel prices drove concerns about transportation costs for faculty and guests.  For a number of reasons, we had more changes in faculty than ever in the history of PPWC, some within days of the conference start.

Bleak economic news, layoffs, bailouts, financial collapse, all became commonplace descriptors of the world around us, each being a harbinger of a potential PPWC disaster. To paraphrase Chief Dan George in the movie The Outlaw Josie Wales, “we endeavored to persevere…”

Should we increase conference fees in a rapidly receding economy?  Should we change our policies on faculty, and perhaps risk a potential drop in quality?  Could we add new programs to the conference agenda?  Should we?  We got news that a major sponsor had dropped sponsorship for 2009.  Were we on the path to catastrophe?  We no longer viewed The Hero’s Journey just as a formula for storytelling, but as a function of our quest for success.  With the help of valued partners, we took up the gauntlet.

April 27, the 2009 Pikes Peak Writers conference has ended-successfully.  Hundreds of smiling faces graced the halls, lobbies and conference rooms.  Hundreds of eager minds fed on the accumulated knowledge of esteemed, well-prepared faculty. Airplanes landed, meals disappeared to nourish the eager minds, bottles emptied.  Conversations created new friendships and solidified old ones.  Airplanes departed.  There was no catastrophe.

We did not increase conference fees, nor did we reduce the quality of our invited faculty.  We did add four new programs; a full day on Thursday, speed pitching, a large book signing and open mic readings, all of which were immensely successful.  And we did overcome the loss of a major sponsor.

At conference, we awarded significant players in our success, heroes in our journey whose stories appear elsewhere in this expanded edition of the NewsMag.  A web page, currently in development, will tell the tales of all the heroes who strode against operational challenges and the hordes of operational minutiae.  The space on this page, and another minute of your time are for another group of heroes are not those we see every day, but are indeed the behind-the-scenes magicians who pull the levers, pulleys and strings to make everything come together.  Those who enable us to beat back the demons of the 2009 economy.

Hotel Heroes: Stacy Peak and Kayla Conger of the Colorado Springs Marriott led a phenomenal staff, and worked for hours with us to provide value options and creative solutions for the hundreds of details it takes to mount a conference of this size.  Glenn Hodge, also of the Marriott, worked with us to form a joint venture as an innovative answer to our audio recordings and delivery of completed CDs and DVDs.

Travel Hero: When fuel costs began to soar, and last minute faculty changes occurred, Liz Mueller at Travel Travel worked some special magic to keep our travel costs within budget all the way to the end.

Publicity Heroes: Carrie Simison-Bitz, Jill Thomas, and the Colorado Springs Independent helped us to spread the word with out-of-the-box ways to expand our advertising messages in both depth and breadth.

Fundraising Hero: Dogosaurus Ruh Mandeville, and his mom Chris of course, went paws full out to chase down replacement dollars for our lost corporate sponsorship.  Ruh’s Boosters and the Pen Pal program (thanks to pens donated by Rainbow Editing and 150 gift donors) gained back those lost dollars, with a little to spare.

Faculty Heroes: Linda Rohrbough, Angel Smits, Susan Mitchell, and Deb Courtney showed up on the field of honor a full day early to do presentations in three optional tracks.

My quota of magic words is fading fast.  Please think a thought of thanks for those who helped us bring this all together.  With dedicated partners beside us, we picked up the gauntlet-and won.

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Posted By Ron on March 17, 2009

We’re excited about the 2009 Pikes Peak Writers Conference, and are using YouTube to help get the word out. This is our first shot!

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Posted By Ron on February 5, 2009

By Dalys Timpanaro - Melbourne, Australia

[Editors note: We're happy to welcome Dalys as a guest blogger. She queried us last week about putting on a conference in Australia, I told her we'd love to but... In lieu, she accepted my offer to do some guest blog pieces about writing in her part of the world. Give her a warm welcome,  and some comments.  Ron Heimbecher, President Pikes Peak Writers]

Some of the world still does not know Australia exists. Still, many Australians are quite patriotic and opinionated. Her acquaintances, family and friends can easily misunderstand a woman who desires to have an artistic career. Also another dynamic in Australia is what is known as the “suburban mentality.” I think it’s called “small town syndrome” in the US. We also have a “tall poppy syndrome” where people like to knock those folks who become successful.

I was at a barbeque on the weekend; yes a typical “Aussie Barbie” is what we call it here in “Oz”, when the meeting and greeting began with words, “So what do you do for work?” Of course, feeling my insecurity bubble up, I answered, “I am a writer.” Which was predictably responded to with, “Oh, but I meant what you do for a job?” On the defence, my reaction was,  “Oh you mean a real job?” and then after long pause, “Seriously, this is what I do and I love it.”

One can’t help feeling here that often Australians don’t really enjoy seeing others succeed; unless there is no way you can deny a person’s success, such as the achievements of someone on a par with fellow Australian actress, Cate Blanchett! Australians seem to love to tear down anyone who is striving for a dream they are passionate about; waiting eagerly for the dreamer to fail so that they can feel better about their own fear of “doing!”

The advice I received when I started looking for ways to publish my books was do it for the love and not for the money as only 1% of writers make a good living from it. Well, at least someone is making money. Does anyone just write for the money? Or is it that we just can’t help but write? Words just come into the mind and they have to be let out, just as a cat has to be let out of the house whenever it feels the need. It’s about finding a way to clear out the clutter in the mind so that true inspiration can float in as my motivation to write.

The writing industry in Australia is similar to an undercover agency where no body really knows anyone unless they know “someone” and then if they know “someone” that means they know “everyone!” Suffice to say that networking is the key in any kind of Australian business. The Australian market is also considerably smaller than that of say New York, so to get funding on a project that is a little different can be difficult. It can be seen as being too much of a gamble to try to get an original concept off the ground and into the listening and embrace of the commercial audience, expanding what is possible and what people actually want. A perfect example of how small our market is how many commercial radio stations we have in Australia. We have around five FM commercial radio stations per state that offer very little options for different music. Carbon copy music play lists are on constant rotation.

The best thing about writing in Australia is the freedom to say what ever I want without anyone interrupting, or talking over me until they have read all or at least some of what I’ve had to say. Wonderful isn’t it? I can put all of my brutally honest feelings and wicked thoughts on a piece of paper and look at it later. I don’t have to make anything pretty or please anyone except myself unless of course I want to get paid, then it gets a bit tricky.

Then there is the idea that I need to be original and do something that no one else has thought of before, so that my book stands out in the crowded shelves. Should I be original and free with my wicked and weird thoughts or should I follow in the tracks of already successful writers and try to mimic what they do? Should I just forget about writing all together and stick to a real job, so as not to make my friends and family feel uncomfortable? I think not! I’d rather fight the odds and live a life that is extraordinary!

———————————————————————————————————-

Dalys Timpanaro

Dalys has always found situations and people fascinating. So much so, that the need to write was a natural and honest way to get things off her chest. Her way of putting words together and reading them out aloud to see which ones sound good next each other is similar to cooking. It has to be done with love.
Her work is inspired through culture and people watching. Finding out what make people tick, why they do the things they do, and how it in turn, affects those closest to them. Dalys is also very interested in encouraging children to develop their creative talents and has been involved in creating an arts and music department for the children at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia.
Her life purpose is to move, reach and inspire people through the magic of words, pictures and music.
Dalys has written plays, lyrics, TV and Film scripts as well as children’s books, and is currently working on a non fictional novel [ed: creative non-fiction].

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Posted By Deb Courtney on January 5, 2009

Apropos of nothing:

–”He’d been told the target was an ill-tempered dwarf of a woman, with a bad haircut and a worse disposition, but…”

Respond using the comments feature.  And don’t forget, our contest is still going on…read about it here.

Have fun writing — I always do.

Category: Blogroll, Contests, Deb Courtney, General, The Untimely Prompt, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
Tags: Deb Courtney; The Untimely Prompt; writing prompt. Pikes Peak Writers; General Weirdness

Posted By Deb Courtney on December 21, 2008

As the holidays loom menacingly above me, mocking me with all that I have not yet completed, I, Deb Courtney, am thinking about food.  Yes, I understand that I ought to be thinking about getting things done, but I am unfortunately thinking about what I am going to cook.  For dinner.  Tonight.

Food — the preparation of it, the ritual eating of it, the sharing of it (or the solitary experience of it) can be very important in fiction.  It can enhance character (gourmet cook versus ravioli from a tin); it can drive overall plot (family meals versus cold ravioli from a tin over the sink), and it can complement setting (Manhattan, versus the near post-apocalyptic future where one is lucky to have access to a cold tin of ravioli and a sink, as well as a can opener).

And no, I’m not cooking ravioli from a tin for dinner.  Sheesh.  My menu is grilled rosemary lamb shops, cous cous with beer-sauteed mushrooms, and a radish/tomato salad, with out-of-season (but still fresh) fruit salad in a whiskey/Chambord marinade for dessert.  I, Deb Courtney, am actually a decent cook, and don’t you wish you were having dinner at my house (especially since the wretched teens are both out!).

Back to the link between food and writing.  What your characters do in their everyday lives can matter to much to the realism of your story — and your characters have to eat.  So, give some thought to their eating habits and locales.  And if you don’t wa nt to do that, then consider this, which I overheard and immediately stole to be used as this week’s prompt:

–”Not that I actually eat dog biscuits…”

Respond by using the comment feature below.  And if you have any time on your hands, take a look at last week’s entry….The Untimely Prompt:  A Modest Contest.  There’s still time to enter, by responding to any prompt in previous columns (not this one though, even though it clearly rocks!).

While you all consider what brilliant responses to make this week, I’m off to grill my lamb chops. 

Have fun writing…I always do.

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Tags: Deb Courtney; The Untimely Prompt; writing prompt. Pikes Peak Writers; General Weirdness

Posted By Deb Courtney on December 14, 2008

Now that NaNo is over, we’ve all made it safely past Thanksgiving, and Christmas is right around the corner, I, Deb Courtney, want to give you one more thing to do.  Why?  Because I am a very giving person.

Actually, I’m only going to give you information about the contest that I’ve mentioned now several times.  In return, you will give me well written, amusing, insightful, and fabulous entries.  Why, you might ask, would you do this? 

First, there is a prize.  It is a craft book, and in my estimation, one of the very best out there.  “Writing Down the Bones” by Natalie Goldberg.  You can see more about his book on Ms. Goldberg’s website:  http://www.nataliegoldberg.com/books.html.

Next, this is not a difficult or time consuming contest.  It is this:  Submit one response to any prompt previously included in The Untimely Prompt.  Submissions due by Sunday, January 11, 2008.  No entries will be disqualified for length, but I, Deb Courtney, would be ever so grateful if no one went too far over 800 words.  This contest is open to all, published and unpublished, PPW members and non-members alike.  Entries must make reference to one writing prompt that has appeared in this column this year.

The winner  will receive “Writing Down the Bones”.  Entries by the winner and runners-up may appear in the Pikes Peak Writers NewsMag throughout 2009.

Judges for my modest contest are:

-Ron Heimbecher, President of Pikes Peak Writers
-Chris Mandeville, Immediate Past President of Pikes Peak Writers
-Mandy Houk, Editor of the Pikes Peak Writers NewsMag

Entries should be posted to this installment of The Untimely Prompt using the comments feature, or can be emailed directly to me, Deb Courtney, at deb.courtney@comcast.net.  No attachments, please, and put the phrase “A Modest Contest” in the subject line.  Questions can be sent to to the same email address.

Winner will be announced by the end of January, and the winning entry will appear as the focus of this column at that time.

While you’re off to re-read all previous installation of this column, I’ll be shoveling the driveway and trying to figure out what I can write about next week.

Have fun writing…I always do.

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Tags: Deb Courtney; The Untimely Prompt; writing prompt. Pikes Peak Writers; General Weirdness

Posted By Deb Courtney on December 8, 2008

As the year draws to a close, I, Deb Courtney, am contemplating the holidays, and life in general, and assessing how I’ve spent the past year, things done and left undone.  At this time many people go through the same process.  And frankly, for some of us, the holiday season lends a sense of self-imposed stress to our lives…shop here, go to this party, remember to get cards out, fix your life, fit into this dress.

I doesn’t take much in the way of additional stressors, therefore, to wreak havoc for some of us.  Say, a burst pipe in my, uh, I mean, one’s basement.  Yes, a burst pipe could be considered an event akin to the straw that beaks the stressed camel’s back.  Especially when sewage backs up in my….uh….one’s basement because of the resulting flood.

When writing fiction we are often advised to create memorable and likable characters, and then make terrible things happen to them.  I, Deb Courtney, cannot think of much more terrible than sewage in my…er…one’s basement three weeks before the holidays, and cannot help but wonder what characters in my projects might do in response to such a stressor.  Or the additional stress of 6 enormous fans that sound collectively like a jet has been parked in my…um…in THE basement, seriously impeding my…um…making it hard for anyone to think.

All of which thoughts lead me to this week’s prompt:

“When the water reached the second step…”

Respond at will, use the comments function at the end of the column.  Watch this space next week for an announcement of a fun competition – with prizes.

Meanwhile, I’m off to buy earplugs, a mop, and to rip up some linoleum.

Have fun writing.  I always do!

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Posted By Deb Courtney on November 30, 2008

It is the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and I, Deb Courtney, am contemplating gatherings — family gatherings, friendly gatherings, and public gatherings.  All three are on my  mind as I have experienced all three in the last week.  I share some anecdotes here today in the interest of amusing you, and potentially sparking some creativity.

The first gathering to which I will refer was a public one, and a first meeting of sorts.  Because absurdities follow me around like so many small ducklings, there were few people in a place which is typically well-populated.  This was awkward, for a variety of reasons, and I found myself wondering how others (like characters!!!!!) would deal with one of my big fears:  In Which I Throw A Party And No One Shows Up.  Thankfully, this has not actually happened to me, though I have given at least two parties in my lifetime which were embarrassingly under-attended.

The next is a friendly gathering, not really a party, but a get-together with a small crowd of people who may or may not know each other, held either in a public place or someone’s home, with no particular theme, but held together by one or two pivotal people whom the guests know.  I had this kind of gathering Friday evening, and while it went rather well, it also sparked another of my general anxieties:  In Which I Get All My Various Friends Together, And It Does Not Go Well.  ‘Tis the season to be thankful, and I am quite thankful that my particular evening went slightly better than well, but I have at least one character in a novel project who prefers to keep her various social circles very separate from each other, and she may be in for a big suprise when her worlds collide in the near future.

Finally, there is the family gathering.  We all have ‘em, and we’ve all made it through dinners with ‘em.  The dynamic of a family sitting down for a holiday dinner has always intrigued me — at least from a writing perspective.  It doesn’t particularly intrigue me from a sitting down with MY personal family perspective as I have been there, done that and survived it many times in the past.  I do worry what it would be like to subject someone else to the traditional Courtney-family drama, my final gathering-related social concern:  In Which I Host Thanksgiving Dinner and Invite a Guest To Dine With My Psychotic Family And Forever Ruin What Little Social Life I Have As My Friend Realizes That The Key Criteria For A Successful Day Is That No Blood Is Drawn.

All of which leads me to the following:  clearly my life is absurd and complex and I likely need medication (and martinis probably don’t count).  It also leads me to this week’s prompt, sparked by reflecting on the absurdities surrounding holidays, families and gatherings in general.

–”Among the array of things that make my life interesting…”

Do with it what you will, up to and including ignoring it.  Respond by using the comments feature below.  Do not, under any circumstances, send a link to this column to my parents, as they will just want to come back for Christmas in order to prove how not psychotic they are (thereby proving I am right in the first place, nyah, nyah, nyah).

Also, watch this column closely for the next few weeks.  I, Deb Courtney, have a post-NaNo, post-PPW Writing Contest, post-Thanksgiving, Pre-Christmas challenge coming up….with PRIZES!!!

In the meantime, I’m off to enjoy a solitary, quiet, unaccompanied-by-any-relatives walk in the snow with my nice sane dog and a very large cocktail.  In a flask.

Have fun writing.  I always do.

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Tags: Deb Courtney; The Untimely Prompt; writing prompt. Pikes Peak Writers; General Weirdness

Posted By Deb Courtney on November 16, 2008

Cliche.  About the worst thing I can hear about something I’ve written is that it’s a cliche, or somehow situationally cliched. As writers, we have a limited word set from which to choose, and our job is to compile those words in new and interesting ways, to relate new and interesting stories.

You’d think it wouldn’t be hard to do that.  But you’d think wrong.  How often have you read something and thought ‘Gee, what a cliche’?  Or written something only to have it critiqued as a cliche?  (or read my references to the wretched teens and thought “Gee, Deb Courtney has a house full of cliches”?)

On the one hand, cliches are excellent shorthand when used appropriately — on the other hand, they so often serve as a lazy way to make a point.

During this week’s snow, I had a brief but fascinating conversation with a friend about word choice, and the concept of juxtaposition in word choice.  In this sense, justaposition, especially of an unexpected sort, creates the inverse of cliche. As writers, there are times when an odd juxtaposition will serve us — and our readers — better then any (cliche alert) tried and true combination of words.

Which leads us to this week’s prompt, which I freely admit having lifted from the conversation with my friend (who doesn’t know where I live, or even have my phone number, and who likely won’t read this, but hopefully will take as my own personal form of flattery if he does):

–”Deep in the throes of snow lust…”

As usual, write away.  Change at will.  Complain at your own risk.  Refrain from calling my parents, or otherwise ratting me out for anything I’ve done here (or ever) which might be offensive, weird, or just plain silly.  Please.  Limit yourself to the comments feature at the bottom of the post (as opposed to calling my cell or showing up in my driveway, which would upset the immortal guinea pigs, at the very least).

Meanwhile, I’m off to oddly juxtapose my garage.

Have fun writing.  I always do.

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Tags: Deb Courtney; The Untimely Prompt; writing prompt. Pikes Peak Writers; General Weirdness

Posted By Deb Courtney on November 9, 2008

On a good day, I, Deb Courtney, can keep to The Ten Minute Rule.  For those of you who are chronically on time, The Ten Minute Rule refers to how late one can be to just about anything and still feasibly insist that one is more or less on time, blaming the under-ten-minute lag on any number of things (including, but not limited to):

-Another engagement that went over
-Traffic/accident/moronic drivers
-Important phone call (from the office or one’s parents, you pick)
-Somethng to do with your wretched teens (okay, this one is just for me)
-That it has been ‘that week’

It is no small coincidence that this column is called The Untimely Prompt — with my proclivity for skating those ten minutes, I wanted to build in some expectation of a fluctuating delivery. 

It is with some surprise to myself (and to anyone who has known me for more than 5 minutes, of which I likely missed 3 since I was late) that this week’s column was conceived of last week, written on time and posted relatively early on the day that constitutes my deadline, such as it is.

People in life seem to be neatly divided into two categories when discussing lateness.  One group has my attitude (meh, what’s ten minutes in the major scheme of things), and the other thinks death is far too painless for people like me.  (For the record, if one of my wretched teens is reading this, I reiterate: just because I have a Ten Minute Rule for myself, does not mean you have anything of the sort with regards to curfew — try it and wish for death darlings).

Bringing this around to writing, it is always interesting to see how people acknowledge and deal with their flaws.  How do your characters acknowledge and deal with their flaws?  Do they?  Does their ability to do so, or refusal to do so, make them more interesting to readers?  Does this trait play into your plot?  Will I, Deb Courtney, ask any more rhetorical questions on this topic?  Would you like me to?

With these questions in mind, I offer this week’s writing prompt:

–”Had he only managed to arrive on time…”

As usual, do with it what you will.  Change the gender if necessary.  Retorts and complaints may be registered by using the comment function at the end of the column.  Keep in mind, should you have any complaints, don’t expect me to read them in a timely fashion.  I’ll get to them at least ten minutes after you hope I will.

And now, I must end my column and go figure out what I’m late for now.

Have fun writing.  I always do.

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Tags: Deb Courtney; The Untimely Prompt; writing prompt. Pikes Peak Writers; General Weirdness