The Pike’s Peak Writer’s Conference 2010 has drawn to a close, and I’ve come away with a mix of emotions that always seems to accompany conferences. Excited at all the contacts I made with agents and editors as well as new friends and their cool projects. A little sad at having to return to reality, but determined to absorb what I learned through the workshops and panels to both my revisions and work-in-progress.
The sessions covered an array of topics, from character depth to developing tension to infusing a story with comedy. Editors and agents revealed what they are currently keen on and what industry trends people should keep an eye out for. There was a particularly fascinating panel run Sunday morning by Scott Hoffman, Kathleen Gilligan and Kristin Nelson about how much chaos eBooks and eReaders have stirred up in author-publisher-retailer relationships.
I got to sit down for a solid hour and have a great conversation with Carol Berg, a best-selling fantasy author. Friday night, I snagged a spot at the dinner table with agent Donald Maass and independent editor Lisa Rector, while Saturday’s lunch gave me the chance to chat with Betsy Mitchell, senior editor of Del Rey. Lots of fun conversations, stories shared about authors and past conferences. Some novels pitched, some pages requested. Great keynote speakers including Kelley Armstrong and Jodi Thomas.
What I loved most about the conference was the atmosphere of encouragement. Everyone was there to support everyone else, even while we pitched our individual stories and tried to make those networking connections. Lots of laughter alongside commiseration when chapters perhaps got hard critiques. PPWC is a conference I can see myself attending often in the years to come, just for the relationships that get started there and the fun everyone has together.
I’ve got notes from a number of sessions, including ones on how to analyze your pacing, adding tension to each page, and finding your voice. I’ll try to get these notes posted on the blog over the next few days. But for now, I’m going to be resting a bit before giving the ol’ manuscript a bit of spit and polish before sending it on the rounds.
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