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Where are the scenes in your novel set? A modern Dubai skyscraper? An 1880s silver-mining town in Colorado? A middle-school cafeteria? Backstage at a Broadway theater? An interplanetary spaceship? A t...

By Kelley J. P. Lindberg A lot of non-writers assume writers are born with the fully formed, innate ability to evoke atmosphere from a few well-chosen details, depict a character’s growth arc without...

In 1993, a small group of Colorado writers put on the inaugural Pikes Peak Writers Conference. These first PPW volunteers were determined to provide conference attendees with the best speakers and pr...

Tomorrow’s the big day! I hope you’ve picked out candy, roses, and some special sweet nothings to whisper into the ear of your favorite… librarian. That’s right, tomorrow (February 14) is Library Love...

January is, as we all know, a good time to reevaluate our habits—modifying habits that need improvement, jettisoning those that are harming us, and congratulating ourselves on those that are working. ...

We’ve collectively made another trip around the sun, welcoming in a new year. If you’re anything like me, the start of a new year means setting goals and, I hesitate to say it, making resolutions. And...

Do you have a writer on your gift list that you’re still shopping for? Here is my annual list of holiday gifts for writers! (It’s okay if you leave this list lying around where your family or friends ...

Pet peeves are funny. They start as barely-on-the-radar blips of something that seems a little off. Then a few more blips appear. And a few more. And pretty soon, the radar is lit up like the proverbi...

As Halloween creeps closer on black-kitten paws and pumpkins wear leering grins or toothy scowls, we humans begin to feel the presence of those others. Ghost. Ghouls. Witches and sorcerers. Monsters a...

I hate to admit how many writing conferences I’ve attended, as both attendee and speaker. Some might call it an addiction. I call it an essential part of my author journey, where I’ve learned my trade...

At almost every conference and writing class, I hear someone say that a good critique group is essential. The ancient craft book, How To Write a Damn Good Novel advises aspiring authors to not only fi...

Ogallala, Nebraska, may not seem terribly sophisticated. And for good reason. It’s not. But neither are most of us. Most of us don’t have the time, patience, or dollars to waste on trying to be sophis...

The world needs you. I hope that doesn’t place too heavy a burden on you. You may have come to the blog looking for writing tips or insight into the writer’s life. Whatever brought you here, I’m guess...

Whether you’re new to writing or a seasoned author with best-selling books to your name, the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer’s 2025 Colorado Gold Writing Conference has something to offer you. I love...

Do you have a “snicker genre”? That genre that, yes, of course, you respect and can appreciate in theory—but holy moly, as for reading it or (aghast) writing it yourself, your personal tastes kick in ...

Lately, I’ve been reading books and watching movies that relentlessly pound their protagonists with traumatic plot point after traumatic plot point, with no sense of timing, pacing, breathing room, or...

I almost forgot to post today because I was waiting for the perfect day to write it. That didn't happen, and this definitely isn't the post I planned for this week, but let's take a moment to consider...

I too believe, per the below site, that one of the most important tools for authors is reading. Anything and everything imparts a prodigious vocabulary that is absent in many lives. “Ya know what I me...

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about blocks. Not the LEGO blocks, city blocks, television news blocks, concrete blocks, etc. Those “blocks” never affected me much until it came to writing. This pa...

It happened again. I was talking to a person I’d recently met. My books came up, and he said, “I’d like to write a novel, if I could find the time.” I get that comment a lot. It always makes me won...