Posts Tagged ‘write brain’

Why Movies Make Us Cry

Emotion in Screenwriting and How Novelists Can Use It.

What a treat to have Kevin Ikenberry at Write Brain in October. His presentation proposed to answer the question, “How do film techniques translate to the novel?” In a nutshell? Emotion is a product of story structure. As writers, we can double down on the two aspects that the written word excels at – imagery and emotion.

Kevin distilled the science of building emotionally resonant story into four steps by asking these questions:

Who is your protagonist?
What is your protagonist trying to do?
Who is trying to stop your protagonist?
What happens if your hero fails?

He also went into detail about the tricks and tropes for structuring your story to provoke emotional reactions of your characters. One that stood out was isolating your characters in some way. Such as making them an outsider or a “chosen one”.

Thank you Kevin for a fantastic evening!

If you missed October’s Write Brain then…

Please join Pikes Peak Writers for November’s Write Brain.

Sharon Manislovich will present Web Presence 101.

You’ve got a product and you want to market it. Where do you start? Should you create a Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter presence and be done with it?

Find out the answers to these, and many more questions on Nov 20, 2018 — 6:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. at Library 21c – 1175 Chapel Hills Dr, Colorado Springs, CO 80920

See you there!

Write Brain with Stant Litore

Write Worlds Your Readers Won’t Forget

On Tuesday, August 21st, author Stant Litore presented a workshop on world-building at PPW’s monthly Write Brain event. Using material from his new book, Write Worlds Your Readers Won’t Forget, he laid out an approach to world-building that easily builds potential for plot and conflict into the story. Rather than starting from a wide angle, he advises writers to hone in on three elements that yield the best possibilities for pressure on the characters: the physical conditions for survival, a fantastic creature (or several), and an unforgettable fact about the culture or civilization, most likely arising from the first two factors.

Using this framework, Stant launched into a wide-ranging lecture with myriad examples from history, religion, and literature, throwing out imaginative examples of how this approach to world-building can play out. It was sometimes a challenge to keep up, but his infectious enthusiasm for ideas couldn’t help but bring you along.

The book is available on Amazon’s Stant Litore page. You can also find his books and lots of thought-provoking content Stant’s website.

Join Write Brain on September 18, 2018, at 6:15pm.
Josh Vogt will present, Foundations of a Freelance Writing Career.

In the mean time enjoy these photos from Stant’s presentation taken by Shannon Lawrence.

Stant Litore

Write Brain with Stant Litore

This recap from Write Brain is presented by Robin Laborde, Contributing Editor. Robin is not sure exactly how long she has been a member of Pikes Peak Writers but she enjoys it very much. She worked as a technical writer for over ten years and has had nonfiction articles published in newspapers and magazines. She is currently writing a speculative fiction novel set in the near future.

We Want Your Workshops!

by: M.B. Partlow

Pikes Peak Writers just unveiled their brand new workshop proposal portal, and we are open for business, looking for your proposals!

What are we looking for? One-hour workshops for our annual Conference, two-hour proposals for our monthly Write Brains, and half-day workshop proposals for the occasional longer events we do.

On what topics?

Anything that will help writers improve their craft, from writing better dialogue to thickening the plot. The business of writing, including (shiver) marketing, the bane of our existance, and info from proven successes in the world of independent publishing. We also welcome genre-specific proposals, and love workshops that take the tenets of one genre to make another genre really pop. We like Reality Track/How To topics, which are real life experiences of interest to writers. (In the past, we’ve had a SWAT team, a food writer, a firefighter, a coroner, numerous law enforcement from local to national, and more.) Then there’s the Writer’s Life, which could include time management, motivation, and inspiration to keep on writing when life throws the inevitable roadblock in your way.

Here’s a tip:

It’s better to propose a few workshops for us to choose from than just one lonely proposal. It gives us a better idea of the range of your mad skills, and makes you a more attractive candidate. Want more insider tips? We’ve got a great FAQ on our website. And if you don’t want to present a workshop, but would like to request that a particular topic be covered? We’ve got you covered! Just click here.

Our new portal is based in Submittable, so you will have to make a Submittable account when you begin, It’s quick, painless and free!

We accept Write Brain proposals all year long. But if you want to be considered for the 2019 Pikes Peak Writers Conference, you must submit your workshop proposals by September 30, 2018.

Propose early and propose often!

MB Partlow is a long-time volunteer with Pikes Peak Writers, who has worked extensively on the annual conference and on the board. She writes in the spec fic world, reads voraciously across genres, and is only fully happy when she’s made someone laugh or is laughing herself.

Quote of the Week Helen Hunt Jackson

Helen Hunt Jackson

Helen Maria Hunt Jackson, born Helen Fiske, was an American poet and writer who became an activist on behalf of improved treatment of Native Americans by the United States government

Helen Hunt Jackson, born Helen Maria Fiske on October 15, 1830 in Amherst, MA was orphaned as a child and raised by her aunt. Jackson was sent to private schools and formed a lasting childhood friendship with Emily Dickinson. At the age of 21, Jackson married Lieutenant Edward Bissell Hunt and together they had two sons. Jackson began writing poetry only after the early deaths of her husband and both sons.

Jackson published five collections of poetry, including Verses (1870) and Easter Bells (1884), as well as children’s literature and travel books, often using the pseudonyms “H.H.,” “Rip van Winkle,” or “Saxe Holm.”

Frequently in poor health, she moved to Colorado Springs, CO to take “The Cure” for respiratory illness on her physician’s recommendation. She met and married William Sharpless Jackson in 1875.

In 1881, Jackson became an activist on behalf of improved treatment of Native Americans by the United States after hearing an 1879 speech by Chief Standing Bear. In 1881 she wrote A Century

of Dishonor, an exposé of the rampant crimes against Native Americans. Her work led to the founding of the Indian Rights Association. In 1884 she published Ramona, a fictionalized account of the plight of Southern California’s dispossessed Mission Indians,.

Helen Hunt Jackson died on August 12, 1885, in San Franscico, CA and is buried at the Evergreen Cemetary in Colorado Springs, CO. She was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame in 1985.

(portrait of Helen Hunt Jackson Courtesy of New York Public Library)

Gabrielle V. Brown, Managing Editor of Pikes Peak Writers Blog, is an engineer by trade and a writer by passion. Her published works included government studies, textbook credits, research abstracts, training manuals and poetry. She has extensive experience in website design and maintenance, blog content and management, and SEO. Gabrielle has put words to paper since she could hold a crayon and currently writes speculative fiction, humorous short stories, poetry, and literary fiction. You can reach Gabrielle at editor@pikespeakwriters.com.

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