Recap of PPWC 2015: Choose Your Writing Adventure
The 23rd annual Pikes Peak Writers Conference was another huge success, bringing together writers from across the country—and some international folks– for a weekend of learning, networking, talking shop, and having fun.
In conjunction with the Thursday Prequel, we held ghost hunts in the Marriotton Thursday and Friday nights. Both nights were filled to capacity, and our professional ghost hunting crew helped all the participants distinguish between what they wanted to see and what they actually captured on film.
We also made a big change from traditional pitch appointments to Query One-on-One appointments, and most of the feedback we received (from both sides of the table) was overwhelmingly positive. We’ll be working on refining the process for 2016, making it an even better way to get feedback on the all-important query letter.
Our keynote speakers were awesome, even in the face of adversity (sorry, Seanan). Mary Kay Andrews spoke on Friday about the struggles she faced early in her writing career, while Andrew Gross shared his highly atypical story with us at Saturday lunch. R.L. Stine brought down the house on Saturday night, and his wife, Jane, was an equally fascinating member of our faculty. AtSunday lunch, Seanan McGuire sent us on our way with inspiration and kindness.
We brought in a lot of new faculty this year, and hope to continue the trend of combining tried and true authors who have stellar reputations for teaching along with new authors who can add the latest perspectives on writing and publishing.
There are now more platforms than ever for getting your work into the hands of the public. While Pikes Peak Writers can’t tell you which is the best path for you, our goal is to provide enough information for you to make the right decision for your story, while giving you the tools to turn out the best writing you can produce.
Never forget why you started writing. Never lose sight of the adventure. And thank you all for letting me share at least a part of the journey with you.
MB Partlow
2015Pikes Peak Writers Conference Director