PPW News

Sweet Success for John M. Campbell

Sweet Success

By: Darby Karchut

A round of applause for John M. Campbell! His short story, “The Tiger and the Waif,” won first place in the Writers of the Future contest for the fourth quarter of 2020. It appeared in the annual L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future anthology (volume 37 released November 2021). He is honored to have his story appear first in the anthology, which features short stories for the first, second, and third place winners from each of the four quarters of 2020.

ABOUT THE STORY 

After a devastating earthquake, an android kitten crawls out of the rubble, free at last. Deep in its programming, an urge demands to be fulfilled . . .
Turn the page . . . from dark fantasy to dystopian nightmare, from magical realism to military science, from paranormal urban fantasy to post-apocalyptic power trips, and beyond. Discover the mesmerizing power of these new stories, thought-provoking new ideas, brilliant new horizons, and astounding new writers and illustrators—the chosen ones, selected by today’s best-selling science fiction and fantasy authors and artists. Pick up a copy from Amazon,  Barnes & Noble, and other booksellers.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

John M. Campbell spent thirty-five years in the aerospace industry building computer systems for the government. Now, he speculates on the worlds currently unknown to us that modern science and engineering may unlock. He is compelled by the promise technology offers to address many of the issues facing human survival. He is intrigued by the likelihood that machine intelligence will likely surpass man’s ability to control it in this century. John lives with his wife in Denver, Colorado. Follow the author on Facebook and visit his website at www.JohnMCampbell.com

Darby Karchut

Sweet Success is coordinated by Darby Karchut who is an award-winning author, dreamer, and compulsive dawn greeter. A proud native of New Mexico, she now lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, where she runs in blizzards and bikes in lightning storms.
Click here to submit your Sweet Success Story.

Join PPW’s Writing Community!

All News, Writing from the Peak, PPW Blog

Wow. Another year has gone by in a flash. So many things have happened this year here at PPW: our first anthology, Fresh Starts was published, Sweet Success recognized over 50 newly published authors, we had an incredible virtual conference, and so much more! Are you looking to be more involved with this amazing writing community? Well, there are some opportunities you won’t want to miss!

As you may already know, Pikes Peak Writers is an all-volunteer organization passionate about helping writers be all they can be. PPW depends on the amazing volunteers who are passionate about writing and the communities that support writers. You too can be a part of the exciting community here at PPW. Most volunteer positions do not require very much time or experience. Read on to learn about what is available.

We are looking for volunteers to fill the following positions:

Pikes Peak Writer Conference Volunteers Needed!

We need volunteers to fill the following conference positions:

  • Query Coordinator
  • Social Media Manager
  • Moderators
  • General volunteers.

Please contact 2022director@pikespeakwriters.com for more information.

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Non-Conference Events Needs You!

Do you like hosting and putting on events? Do you like schmoozing with other authors and helping them succeed? Are you unafraid to talk to anyone? Do you like sharing news about people and an organization you’re passionate about? We need you! We’re looking to fill these roles that will be under the supervision of the non-conference events director.

  • Write Brain Coordinator:
    The Write Brain coordinator is in charge of putting on one, free event per month. You will be responsible for each event from the very start to the very end including finding and working with speakers, getting all their info, forwarding advertising info to NCE Public Relations, the PPW newsletter, and the PPW blog, securing a location for the event (in the past we’ve used the event room at library 21c or a comparable library facility, but we’ve been online since the COVID pandemic began and remain so at the moment), and hosting the event. Time commitment 10-20 hours per month on average.
  • Special Events Coordinator:
    The special events coordinator will be responsible for putting on four, four-hour workshops or events per year. You will be responsible for each event from the very start to the very end including finding and working with speakers, getting all their info, and forwarding advertising info to NCE Public Relations, the PPW newsletter, and the PPW blog, securing a location for the event (in the past we’ve used the event room at library 21c or a comparable library facility, but we’ve been online since the COVID pandemic began and remain so at the moment), and hosting the event. time commitment 10-20 hours per month on average.
  • Non-Conference Public Relations (NCE PR) Coordinator:
    The NCE PR coordinator will be responsible for getting the word out about non-conference events via social media (possibly working with the social media coordinator), and local media outlets such as Peak Radar, the Gazette, and The Independent. Some experience with Canva is helpful. Time commitment 2-5 hours per month on average.
  • Writers’ Night Host:
    Writers’ Night is where aspiring writers can come to have their questions answered, and experienced authors can rub shoulders with their peers and lend their expertise. Join us for two hours of fun, camaraderie, and laughter, the one event where the attendees set the agenda, and the host is there simply to keep it organized. This event is currently being held in person. Time commitment is only a few hours a month.

Please contact Kim, at nce@pikespeakwriters.com for more information on these NCE positions.

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Here are a couple of other exciting reasons to volunteer with PPW!

  • Social Media Coordinator:
    Are you a social butterfly with a bunch of followers? Adept at all the platforms, Facebook, Twitter, IG, Pintrest? Can you make your own quality graphics using free versions of programs like Canva? Do you know how to set up events on social media? Can you run a compelling social media campaign? Can you be counted on to do all of the above under minimal supervision? We need you! 10-20 hours per month on average. Please contact volunteer@pikespeakwriters.com for more information on this position.
  • Blog Post Writers:
    Do you want to write for Pikes Peak Writers? Writing from the Peak, PPW’s amazing blog, is looking for a few great writers. If you would like to write for this fantastic blog, please contact Kathie at: editor@pikespeakwriters.com.

2022 is going to be a great year here at Pikes Peak Writers and we would love for you to join us and make it even better!

KJ Scrim, Profile Image

Kathie Scrimgeour, writes under the pseudonym KJ Scrim. She is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors with PPW, she is also the Managing Editor of Writing from the Peak (PPW’s blog) and the Project Manager of PPW’s anthologies, Fresh Starts and Dream (coming Spring of 2022). Her inspiration for blogging, flash fiction, short stories, and the long haul of novel writing comes from her many life experiences. You can follow her on her website, KJScrim.com and on Facebook. When she’s not writing you can find her somewhere in Arizona biking, hiking, or finding Zen through Pilates.

Sweet Success for Darby Karchut

Sweet Success

Three cheers for Darby Karchut. Her contemporary middle grade novel, On a Good Horse, recently won the 2021 High Plains Book Award and the 2021 Will Rogers Medallion Award. School Library Journal declares “…this realistic novel with a rustic setting is a classic tale of the deep connection between animals and people.”

ABOUT THE BOOK

Alex Nash dreams of being a soccer star. Or a graphic artist. Maybe both. But being a cowboy? Nope and no way. Not if it means being anything like his seldom seen father.

Then, out of nowhere, tragedy shatters Alex’s world, and when he thinks life couldn’t sucker-punch him again, it does. He’s forced to move to Colorado and live with Roberto Nash, a father he barely knows. Or wants to know.

Until Alex finds out his dad has bought him a peace offering of a sort, one with a red coat, lightning speed, and a fighting spirit. A spitfire of a horse that just might heal Alex’s heart and reunite father and son. Purchase a copy from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and booksellers worldwide. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Darby Karchut

Darby Karchut is an award-winning author, dreamer, and compulsive dawn greeter. A native of New Mexico, she now lives in the foothills of the Rockies, where she runs in blizzards and bikes in lightning storms. When not dodging death by Colorado, Darby is busy wrangling words. Her many books include ON A GOOD HORSE and the middle grade fantasy series DEL TORO MOON, winner of the Colorado Book Award. Visit the author at www.darbykarchut.com and follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Sweet Success is coordinated by Darby Karchut (this week’s Sweet Success author) who is an award-winning author, dreamer, and compulsive dawn greeter. A proud native of New Mexico, she now lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, where she runs in blizzards and bikes in lightning storms.
Click here to submit your Sweet Success Story.

Sweet Success for Christina Bergling

Sweet Success

Cheers for Christina Bergling on the recently release of her novel, FOLLOWERS (September 2021 from Crystal Lake Publishing). This is Bergling’s fifth book and her first with Crystal Lake Publishing. FOLLOWERS is a dark fiction horror novel that asks how safe we are online and how we can love the horror genre when horror comes into our real life.

Followers, by: Christine Bergling

ABOUT THE BOOK 

You never know who’s on the other side of the screen.
Sidney, a single mother with a dull day job, has big dreams of becoming a horror reviewer and risqué gore model. She’s determined to make her website a success, and if her online followers is any indication, things are looking good. In fact, Sidney has so many followers chatting with them is getting to be a job. More than a job, it might be getting a little risky….

When Sidney is attacked on a dark trail late one night, it becomes clear the horror she loves is bleeding into her real life. Sidney—and her loved ones—are now in serious danger. This stalker isn’t just another online fan: he knows her movements and routine. In fact, he’s right behind her… and when he gets close enough, he won’t take no for an answer. Purchase your copy through Amazon. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Colorado-bred writer, Christina Bergling, knew she wanted to be an author in fourth grade. Limitless Publishing released her novel THE REST WILL COME. Hellbound Books published her two novellas Savages and The Waning. She’s also featured in over 17 horror anthologies, including Collected Christmas Horror Shorts, Graveyard Girls, Carnival of Nightmares, and Demonic Wildlife. Bergling lives with her family in Colorado. She spends her non-writing time hiking, doing yoga and barre, dancing, taking pictures, traveling, and sucking all the marrow out of life. Follow the author on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Darby Karchut

Sweet Success is coordinated by Darby Karchut who is an award-winning author, dreamer, and compulsive dawn greeter. A proud native of New Mexico, she now lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, where she runs in blizzards and bikes in lightning storms.
Click here to submit your Sweet Success Story.

Writing in the Midst of Life

Writing from the Peak, PPW Blog

By: Donna Schlachter

Sometimes it seems as though we are inundated with writing help, encouragement to write, conferences to attend, deadlines to meet. And all of those are good. They keep us focused, energized, equipped, and reminded of what’s important.

But what happens when life gets in the way?

No amount of cajoling, criticism (from ourselves or someone else), or chafing will keep our backside in the chair and our fingers on the keys when something else comes between us and our story.

True, sometimes the stuff that distracts us is simply that: stuff. We could choose to ignore it, like the laundry that piles up and multiplies like bunnies in the dark recesses of our laundry room. We could choose to delegate it, like asking our spouse to make dinner tonight while we finish this chapter. We could choose to turn off the email buzzer or silence our phones for an afternoon or ask a neighbor kid to walk the dog this week.

That stuff will always be there, and we can make arrangements for that.

But what about the big stuff? The life-changing things that happen? Those events that cannot be rescheduled, must not be ignored, should not be delayed.

We all have those.

When life gets in the way of our best laid plans, here are some suggestions as to how to get through them without losing your sanity and without feeling you are abandoning your writing:

● Stop and seek counsel. Whether you are a person of faith or a person with some great friends, share what’s going on and seek answers. Perhaps there is a change you need to make. 

● Stop and breathe. Think about the situation for a moment. Perhaps whatever has come up isn’t as much of an emergency as you first thought. Can someone else take it on? Can you call a friend and ask them for help?

● Release the situation. If you know in your heart that this is something you must do yourself, unclench your hands from your writing and get it done. This is a time when having some margin in your schedule will relieve a lot of stress. 

● Do what you need to do. Sometimes we’re faced with a sudden death, or an illness, or the birth of a child, or the loss of a job. All of these are life-changing events that will need your attention for a period of time. That doesn’t mean you aren’t a writer. You aren’t putting your writing aside because you don’t have what it takes. It just means you need to do what my husband calls “a priority interrupt”. In most cases, these situations will not permanently stop you from writing.

● Call in some support. Whether you’re under a contract deadline, a critique group commitment, or you need to cancel your next writer’s meeting, ask a friend to help communicate the situation. Ask for help.

● Keep the story in your head. No matter how stressful or hectic our lives become, there are still a few times during each day where we can focus on something other than the situation at hand. Keep a notebook with you to jot down ideas when you get a spare moment. A small digital recorder works great. Most phones and iPads come with a voice recorder. Save these thoughts wherever and whenever you can to put into place later on.

● Come back to the project with a joyful heart. Regardless of whether the interruption lasted an hour or a year, return to the project knowing that you are a writer, even when life gets in the way.

Takeaway: There is no shame in pausing in your writing because life throws you a curve ball.

Exercises:

1. Have you hit a roadblock in your writing because of something that’s happened, or are you afraid of something? Look back over the time you haven’t been writing until you get to when you stopped, and honestly assess the situation.

2. If life has gotten in the way, is it a legitimate reason not to write or an excuse?

3. If it’s an excuse, resolve the problem today.

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(This article was previously published in Nuggets of Writing Gold)

Donna Schlachter

Donna Schlachter writes historical suspense under her own name, and contemporary suspense under her alter ego of Leeann Betts, and has been published more than 30 times in novellas, full-length novels, and non-fiction books. She is a member of ACFW, Writers on the Rock, SinC, Pikes Peak Writers, Capitol Christian Writers Fellowship, Christian Women Writers, and Christian Authors Network; facilitates a critique group; teaches writing classes; ghostwrites; edits; blogs regularly for Heroes, Heroines, and History; and judges in writing contests. www.HiStoryThruTheAges.com

Sweet Success for Matt Bille

Sweet Success

Congratulations to Matt Bille! His new book, OF BOOKS AND BEASTS: A CRYPTOZOOLOGIST’S LIBRARY, releases on all platforms December 2021. This book is for all those involved with or curious about cryptozoology, the study of hidden animals. OF BOOKS AND BEASTS offers 380 reviews of books from 1930 to 2021 providing useful information on cryptozoology-related sciences such as biology and cryptozoological fiction.

Of Books and Beasts, by: Matt Bille

ABOUT THE BOOK

OF BOOKS AND BEASTS: A CRYPTOZOOLOGIST’S LIBRARY (Hangar1 Publishing, December 2021) collects reviews culled from the author’s 45 years of reading and writing about cryptozoology. The most reliable information about this controversial field is largely held in books, but OF BOOKS AND BEASTS is the first-ever guide readers to help readers to the books they want. In addition to cryptozoology books, there is a guide to authoritative yet accessible works on sciences like anthropology and ecology a cryptozoologist needs to know. Finally, there’s a sample of the most intriguing or influential novels about cryptozoology. Your search for real unknown animals starts here! Copies available from all booksellers in all formats December 1 or direct from the publisher.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Matt Bille is a writer, naturalist, historian, and nerd living in Colorado Springs. Has been writing since he was 16 when he sold a little humor piece to a TV guide, then went on to publish his first book in 1996. Matt has been with PPW since the 1990s. He’s written two books on zoology, two novels, and one NASA-published history. He’s published 20+ papers and articles on everything from Martian soil to the prehistoric armored fish Dunkleosteus. He also shows up at cons dressed as wizard Harry Dresden. Visit him at www.mattbille.com or follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

Darby Karchut

Sweet Success is coordinated by Darby Karchut who is an award-winning author, dreamer, and compulsive dawn greeter. A proud native of New Mexico, she now lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, where she runs in blizzards and bikes in lightning storms.
Click here to submit your Sweet Success Story.

What Just Happened?

Writing from the Peak, PPW Blog

An Incomplete Journey of a NaNoWriMo Newbie – Part 2

By: Benjamin X. Wretlind

Journal Entry: NaNoWriMo 2021 Day 1: And So It Begins…

The alarm went off at 4 AM with a note: “NaNoWriMo Wake Up.” Right. I said I was going to do that. After coffee, a look at the news, a moment of meditation to rid myself of the stink of the news, and another cup of coffee, I managed to whip out 1,747 words in the morning. I added another 1,052 words around lunch and more in the afternoon. This does put me on pace of >= 1,667/day.

Oddly (or perhaps expectedly), I spent the previous night wondering if I picked the right story. It was just the day before that I considered the possibility of writing something completely different.

Journal Entry: NaNoWriMo 2021 Day 2: I Need Stinking Badges

NaNoWriMo is built with gamification in mind, meaning as I complete various milestones, I am awarded a badge. I like badges, even if they’re only for me. The psychology behind this thinking is well-known and has been around for a while. I was able to punch out another 1,316 words before having to jump on work calls at 6:30 AM. I now have 6 badges. (Update: another 1,075 words in the afternoon.)

Journal Entry: NaNoWriMo 2021 Day 3: Work Sucks

I am glad I plotted this out. I don’t think I would be able to keep this pace if I had to think about what came next. It does not help that this week my workday starts at 6:30 AM every morning except Monday.

Journal Entry: NaNoWriMo 2021 Day 4: Why Didn’t I Try This Before?

Life. It gets in the way sometimes, as it did today. The dogs needed grooming and work took its revenge. All I could manage was 1,056 words in the morning and a meager 569 in the afternoon. Still, my running mean is 3,081 and I could conceivably finish by the 20th.

Journal Entry: NaNoWriMo 2021 Day 5: Stats!

I love statistics. That’s not to say I loved the class and all the math. Rather, I love seeing patterns in the chaos that is around us, of taking something creative like writing and reducing it to means and histograms. The NaNoWriMo site gets me. There is a page of line graphs and means and more.

Journal Entry: NaNoWriMo 2021 Day 6: The First Saturday

As hoped, Saturday lent itself to an increased word count. Over the course of the day, in spurts of 30-minute to 1 1/2-hour writing sessions, I managed to come up with 4,373 words. They aren’t the best words, but this month is about quantity not quality.

Journal Entry: NaNoWriMo 2021 Day 7: One Benefit to Time Change

The fact that NaNoWriMo occurs during the month when you get an extra hour of sleep (or have an extra hour to write in the morning is noteworthy. For what it’s worth, I wrote a little more. I think the 5,002 words I typed up are close to a record and I am 49.6% done (with the competition, not the book).

Journal Entry: NaNoWriMo 2021 Day 8: A Thought

I’m over 50% done (55.4%, to be precise) and now have 10 badges. It dawned on me that the only way I could have written this fast was if I was motivated by a) the gamification of NaNoWriMo and b) the fact that the story was thoroughly outlined. But can I keep up this pace?

Journal Entry: NaNoWriMo 2021 Days 9 through 13: Not Always Easy

The middle part of any project is often one that languishes just a bit. There is an initial excitement to get going and a frantic rush to the finish line, but in the middle comes a doldrum. Even NaNoWriMo seems to acknowledge this as I received an email on the 12th day that said “We know the Week Two slump is all too real. The shiny newness of your novel can feel like it’s fading. Don’t be discouraged!”

It’s like they know me.

I managed to write each day, but occasionally the words didn’t flow. This might be the subject matter (more romance than adventure in the middle) or it might have several hours-long Zoom meetings. I did finish the week closer to the goal than I started, and that’s what matters.

Journal Entry: NaNoWriMo 2021 Day 14: I Feel the End

The novel I’m working on is broken up into three Acts with a total of 17 chapters. For those who might be wondering why this is important, allow me to point you to the Wikipedia article about Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey. I am now into Act 3, and that means I can feel the end.

Kind of like a journey, if you ask me.

Journal Entry: NaNoWriMo 2021 Day 15: So Close…

Wow. If someone told me I would be able to write nearly 50,000 words (47,200 as of today) in just 15 days, I would have laughed. It would probably be a sad laugh full of regret, but a laugh nonetheless.

Journal Entry: NaNoWriMo 2021 Day 16: Well…Hello, there!

Journal Entry: NaNoWriMo 2021 Days 17 through 18: Not. Quite. Done.

The elation of “winning” NaNoWriMo 2021 has not worn off, but I still have a few more chapters to go. Looks like this will end up being around 57k words, 7k of which I will probably cut before adding another 5k just because. Yes, it’s a short novel, but so was The Alchemist.

Journal Entry: NaNoWriMo 2021 Day 19: A Novel I Have Written

It may not be the best novel in the world–certainly not anything I would let the world read at this point–but that’s a first draft for you. As of today, The Beans of Anafi is complete. It stands at roughly 54,506 words, which means it fits into the category of novel just as much as any other novel out there. Being used to scifi and fantasy, it is only a fraction of the length of those genres, but this is literary fiction.

Now to clean up the prose.

Journal Entry: NaNoWriMo 2021 Days 20 through 24: A First Pass

The NaNoWriMo site keeps teasing me with a badge I haven’t earned yet (update progress every day). I am a completionist (to use their terms), and I must have that badge.

Journal Entry: NaNoWriMo 2021 Day 25: Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a day to give thanks, and I can do so with sincerity. I thank the NaNoWriMo people for putting together a program that helped me reach the finish line. I also managed to “carve out” a few words today.

Journal Entry: NaNoWriMo 2021 Days 26 through 29: The Second through Sixth Pass

All subsequent revisions tend to remove words and sometimes whole sections. This is a good thing and helps me learn about all the ways I’ve artificially increased my word count in the past.

Journal Entry: NaNoWriMo 2021 Day 30: Done

NaNoWriMo is only once a year (excluding the “camps” they hold in April and July). There is an app out there called 4thewords which appears to use the same gamification concept. I will try this out soon, as January approaches.

The Beans of Anafi now stands at 54,422 words, and after six passes, it is ready to be sent to some beta readers for comments.

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Read Part 1 HERE
If you would like to read Benjamin’s NaNo creation, you may contact him at author@bxwretlind.com.

Benjamin X. Wretlind

Benjamin X. Wretlind ran with scissors when he was five. He now writes, paints, uses sharp woodworking tools and plays with glue. Sometimes he does these things at the same time. A retired Air Force veteran, Benjamin currently builds and facilitates leadership courses for staff at Yale. He has penned a few novels, deleted a few novels, edited a few novels and is, of course, writing a few novels. Owing his life’s viewpoint to Bob Ross, he has also painted a few things, thrown a few paintings away, and probably has a painting on an easel right now. You can find Benjamin on his Website, Twitter and Facebook.

Sweet Success for Sandi Hoover and Jim Tritten

Sweet Success

By: Darby Karchut

Another award for a powerhouse of a writing team! Let’s hear it for Sandi Hoover and Jim Tritten, who recently won a Gold Medal from the Military Writers Society of America (MWSA) for their romance novella LOVE AND LIES: CALL ME EVE (January 2021, RhetAskew Publishing)

Love & Lies - Call Me Eve

ABOUT THE BOOK

She sipped her well-chilled, dry martini, taking extra time before answering. “What . . . how much do I tell him? Just want a distraction. Something to fill an evening.”

Eve was sipping a Fiji Moonrise, the house specialty at Fiji’s Natewu Bay Resort’s water’s edge bar, when an unfamiliar baritone asked, “May I buy you a refill? The evening is far too pleasant to spend alone.” Mark Adams proves to be an irresistible diversion during Eve’s trip home from a conference. But when playtime’s up and planes are departing, Eve doesn’t play fair.

Upon her return, Eve receives an unexpected life-changing event and regrets having lied. Mark is faced with a wounded heart and a nearly insurmountable challenge. Join an exciting adventure where true feelings are the catalyst to propel two star-crossed lovers to find each other … again. Copies may be purchased through Amazon.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Sandi Hoover and Jim Tritten are an award-winning writing team from New Mexico. Follow Sandi on Facebook, her Amazon author page, and on Goodreads. Follow Jim on Facebook, his Amazon author page, and on Goodreads.

Darby Karchut

Sweet Success is coordinated by Darby Karchut who is an award-winning author, dreamer, and compulsive dawn greeter. A proud native of New Mexico, she now lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, where she runs in blizzards and bikes in lightning storms.
Click here to submit your Sweet Success Story.

Be a Magpie

Writing from the Peak, PPW Blog

By: Trista Herring Baughman

Or a Raven. Or a Rook. Even a crow. Any of the corvids will do.

These perspicacious creatures are said to be fascinated by shiny things.

Your ‘shiny things’ as a writer are ideas. Keep an ear and eye out for peculiar sayings, idiosyncrasies, uncommon names, and unique predicaments.

The best thing I’ve done for my writing lately (besides writing) is to get back in the habit of keeping a writer’s notebook, which is, I suppose, still writing.

Ok, I have more than one writing notebook. I actually have a notebook hoard, most of which I don’t write in; second rule of writing and all.  I keep a tiny notebook in my purse and another on my nightstand. I use these for jotting down snippets of conversation, interesting words, or those flashes of genius that reveal themselves subliminally.

When I’m out and about and have forgotten or misplaced my little notebooks, I have Trello*. Trello is awesome. You can access it from any device. I have a board for writing and separate ones for each project on which I’m working.  I can make checklists, add attachments and labels to things, etc. It keeps me very organized. Trello isn’t the only app out there for writers, but it’s my favorite so far. Bear, Just Write, Evernote, Scrivener are a few others, but there are tons.

I have a regular-sized notebook as well. I use this notebook for–well, notes. It has the same function as the other notebooks and Trello (I always like to have a hard copy of things; it is convenient to keep them in one place). If I take a class on writing, I write my outlines here. I also use it for mind mapping, diagrams, character sketches, storyboarding, and goal setting–anything and everything related to my writing endeavors. I use highlighters and lots of sticky notes. Flipping back through my notes,  I often come across great ideas that get my creative mojo in gear.

Sometimes I get carried away with all the shiny things; it’s hard to focus on just one-the one on which I should be working. I often work on more than one thing at a time That is why making a list of goals and prioritizing them is imperative. When I set deadlines for myself, I’m more likely to accomplish those goals.

Your notebook can be ordinary or fancy, paper or digital–it doesn’t matter! Get yourself a notebook and get into the habit of noticing things. You’ll be glad you did.

Here are a couple other resources on keeping a journal and collecting shiny words:

How to Keep a Writer’s Journal
The Best Writing Software

Trista Herring Baughman is a proud military wife and a homeschool mama to two handsome (if she does say so herself) sons. She is the author of The Magic Telescope. Her second book, Zombiesaurs, will be available soon at Barnes & Noble Press. You can find The Magic Telescope on her website, or catch up to Trista on Facebook.

Happy Day!

Writing from the Peak, PPW Blog

From the Editor

Here in the U.S. we are about ready to celebrate Thanksgiving. This is a time that we come together to celebrate our families and friends. For me, and my family, we get together to out cook and out eat one another. Unlike the families in the comics, we have a blast exchanging stories, laughter, and, love.

As a writer, this is a great time for me to collect story ideas. There are several members of the family who travel extensively and I love to hear about the things that went wrong on their trips. One story came from a trip I was on when the toilets of the train overflowed and quit working. The carpets in the hall were soaked. When asked when they were going to clean up the mess the steward told us, “At the next station. Until then, just don’t touch the bottoms of your shoes.” This statement is gold, and at some point I’ll include it in a short story.

Thanksgiving is not the only time you can collect stories. Next week, Trista Herring Baughman will share a few of her ideas for story collecting. Until then, whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not, I want to wish all of you a Happy Day no matter how you spend it.

KJ Scrim, head shot

Kathie Scrimgeour writes under the pseudonym KJ Scrim. She is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors with PPW, she is also the Managing Editor of Writing from the Peak (PPW’s blog) and the Project Manager of PPW’s anthologies, Fresh Starts and Dream (coming Spring of 2022). Her inspiration for blogging, flash fiction, short stories, and the long haul of novel writing comes from her many life experiences. You can follow her on her website, KJScrim.com and on Facebook. When she’s not writing you can find her somewhere in Arizona biking, hiking, skiing, or finding Zen through Pilates.