F. P. Dorchak

Speculative Fiction Author

writing

The Pikes Peak Writers Conference 2013

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Pikes Peak sign
Pikes Peak sign (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This weekend, I am—once again—attending the Pikes Peak Writers Conference, also known as the PPWC. It started in 1993, founded by Jimmie H. Butler, and I’ve only missed two, I think. Maybe three?  Have to check that. My wife and I talked about this a week or so ago, but I owe a lot to the PPWC. Much of what I know about writing and those whom I know in the writing world I have met through this conference. My agent is from this conference. Granted, I’ve read a fair amount of craft and writing Zen, have met others from another conference, an out-of-town writer group, but I’ve attended this conference for some 20 years. I’ve learned a lot about not only the writing of fiction, but the marketing and promotion of writing. Studied screenplays and even adapted my supernatural murder mystery into a screenplay. I’ve met a lot of great people, including many well-known authors (have sat by and talked-up Bob Crais [many times, and one of THE COOLEST guys I’ve ever met in the industry, très unassuming], Jeffery Deaver [once], David Morrell, and Joe R. Lansdale [talked with him and drove him to the airport], just off the top of my head). Talking with authors, editors and agents also gives you a feel for who and what these people are. Could you work with them? Do you clash? Sometimes, you’d be surprised at your reactions, your discoveries.

I’ve also presented and helped out at the conferences.

Moderated sessions (am moderating two this year).

Run Gopher…drove people to and from airports…given them tours of the local area…set up and torn down sessions and rooms. Addressed the conference with Jimmie Butler on the passing of a good friend of ours (Moe Morris). Moe and I used to meet at a Village Inn and talk writing. Comment on each other’s work. He was a great guy who actually has an Antarctic glacier named after him (Morris Glacier, which is just below the Queen Alexandria Range, in south central Antarctica, flowing down into the Ross Sea; see photo, below). Moe always joked about having a glacier named after him, because, well, he “wasn’t important enough” for a mountain. He used to be a Navy pilot and flew to Antarctica a lot. He was married to his wife, Virginia, of 57 years, who preceded him in death by only 18 days.

Morris Glacier, Antarctica
Morris Glacier, Antarctica

So, this year, I am again going. I am moderating some sessions, but, not driving people around. I plan on just taking it all in. Getting lost in the writing world, again, for a weekend, meet all my writing friends face-to-face, and once again…dream like crazy. It’s a fun world. Hope to post about it afterwards.

Hope to see you there.

I’m Not Spending a Lot For This Muffler!

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The past couple of weeks, I’ve been going back through my supernatural murder mystery manuscript. I’d started it back in 2001, “finished” it three years later, given to a part-time writing schedule, basically about 2 hours a day, five days a week, and whatever I can do on the weekends. But since then, I’ve been trying to sell the damned thing (there’s actually a pun in there…) and tweaking it. Nine years worth of that unrelenting activity. Belief in my manuscript. Anywho, as I’ve previously mentioned, I’ve decided I’m going to e-publish it, so I’ve gotten a graphics artist fellow writer friend of mine to work the cover. She’s been a true trooper!  Karen Duvall (here’s her graphics art page) has hung in there trying her best to find the images I’m asking for for my cover design, sometimes spending hours searching for just the right thing (and I spent a couple of hours one morning, myself, also trying to find the right graphics). But in the world of free art, sometimes you just can’t find what you’re looking for—finding free stuff is haaard! And since I’m e-pubing, I’m trying to keep expenses down. Way down. I already went the AuthorHouse route 12 years ago, when there wasn’t much game in town, but now there is, and I’m not spending a lot for this muffler!

So, Karen came up with a really cool image, after multiple go-arounds and attempts and efforts on her part, yesterday (hope she’s still talking with me…), but I think we’ve finally come up with a great image! I’m looking forward to the Big Reveal, when I finally get everything in place. I love the feel of the cover.

Another interesting development during all this was the Jodi Arias trial. My wife and I have been watching it (me, off and on), and it is amazing to me on many levels, but I bring this up because I have a court scene in my novel that goes in a weird direction, much like Juan Martinez and the Seven Dwarfs goes off in a weird direction (and yes, I included that phrase into my manuscript). Now my court scene isn’t as belligerent as this real-life one, but it amazes me at how utterly combative the Law can get when trying to prove their side of the story. Trying (IMHO) to force witnesses to only give a “Yes” or “No,” when the answer might not really be a case of yes or no, but the “Yes” or “No” can make the witness look bad in the presentation of the case, therefore racking up points for whoever such a thing benefits. It was nice to see someone remain utterly composed (whether or not you agree with LaViolette’s side of the story). And I do mean she is utterly unflappable, not intimidated in any way by Martinez’s constant, unrelenting battering—though he, himself, no matter what HLN commentators say (most of whom I find extremely annoying), is not so (he frequently shows his anger, his frustration, and gives nasty “tone” and body language in his deliveries). I’ve never seen such composure in my life, as I have in LaViolette. I’m not going into if LaViolette is biased…just look at her composure. Incredible. Perhaps comes from dealing with lots of rage in her 36-year-or-so career. She also knows all the psychological tactics Martinez is employing—and calls him on them—and doesn’t fall for them. But I digress. I just wanted to mention this trial because of the weird Seven Dwarfs turn it took, and the trial in my novel also takes a weird turn. I have also had two actual (now retired, I believe) judges read the court-room scenes to make sure it remains true in structure and presentation.

Okay, so after I make all my manuscript redlines, get my Tax ID number, and do the rest of the logistical end of things, I will get this story out there. So, in the meantime, sorry haven’t been keeping up on everyone’s blogs, tweets, e-mails, and what-have-you, but there’s only so much time in the day!

I'm Not Spending a Lot For This Muffler!

by

The past couple of weeks, I’ve been going back through my supernatural murder mystery manuscript. I’d started it back in 2001, “finished” it three years later, given to a part-time writing schedule, basically about 2 hours a day, five days a week, and whatever I can do on the weekends. But since then, I’ve been trying to sell the damned thing (there’s actually a pun in there…) and tweaking it. Nine years worth of that unrelenting activity. Belief in my manuscript. Anywho, as I’ve previously mentioned, I’ve decided I’m going to e-publish it, so I’ve gotten a graphics artist fellow writer friend of mine to work the cover. She’s been a true trooper!  Karen Duvall (here’s her graphics art page) has hung in there trying her best to find the images I’m asking for for my cover design, sometimes spending hours searching for just the right thing (and I spent a couple of hours one morning, myself, also trying to find the right graphics). But in the world of free art, sometimes you just can’t find what you’re looking for—finding free stuff is haaard! And since I’m e-pubing, I’m trying to keep expenses down. Way down. I already went the AuthorHouse route 12 years ago, when there wasn’t much game in town, but now there is, and I’m not spending a lot for this muffler!

So, Karen came up with a really cool image, after multiple go-arounds and attempts and efforts on her part, yesterday (hope she’s still talking with me…), but I think we’ve finally come up with a great image! I’m looking forward to the Big Reveal, when I finally get everything in place. I love the feel of the cover.

Another interesting development during all this was the Jodi Arias trial. My wife and I have been watching it (me, off and on), and it is amazing to me on many levels, but I bring this up because I have a court scene in my novel that goes in a weird direction, much like Juan Martinez and the Seven Dwarfs goes off in a weird direction (and yes, I included that phrase into my manuscript). Now my court scene isn’t as belligerent as this real-life one, but it amazes me at how utterly combative the Law can get when trying to prove their side of the story. Trying (IMHO) to force witnesses to only give a “Yes” or “No,” when the answer might not really be a case of yes or no, but the “Yes” or “No” can make the witness look bad in the presentation of the case, therefore racking up points for whoever such a thing benefits. It was nice to see someone remain utterly composed (whether or not you agree with LaViolette’s side of the story). And I do mean she is utterly unflappable, not intimidated in any way by Martinez’s constant, unrelenting battering—though he, himself, no matter what HLN commentators say (most of whom I find extremely annoying), is not so (he frequently shows his anger, his frustration, and gives nasty “tone” and body language in his deliveries). I’ve never seen such composure in my life, as I have in LaViolette. I’m not going into if LaViolette is biased…just look at her composure. Incredible. Perhaps comes from dealing with lots of rage in her 36-year-or-so career. She also knows all the psychological tactics Martinez is employing—and calls him on them—and doesn’t fall for them. But I digress. I just wanted to mention this trial because of the weird Seven Dwarfs turn it took, and the trial in my novel also takes a weird turn. I have also had two actual (now retired, I believe) judges read the court-room scenes to make sure it remains true in structure and presentation.

Okay, so after I make all my manuscript redlines, get my Tax ID number, and do the rest of the logistical end of things, I will get this story out there. So, in the meantime, sorry haven’t been keeping up on everyone’s blogs, tweets, e-mails, and what-have-you, but there’s only so much time in the day!

Shifting Gears

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Clutched? Shift!
Clutched? Shift! (Photo: RambergMediaImages.com)

Grind me a pound, will ya?

I feel…like a huge weight has been lifted from me.

Yesterday, I had a long talk with my agent about this SF-y action/adventure I’d been working on the past year, because the editor who came to me with the proposition (a first) turned it down—and (perhaps) rightly so.

Science fiction is really not my thing. I’ve written only one science fiction-y manuscript (actually a conspiracy theory with elements of science fiction…), and it’s a stand-alone, based in part on my early life, which I wrapped around aliens, government conspiracies, and gave new meaning to the term “extended family.”

NOTE: no, I have had no (zero-zilch-nada-nichts) personal extraterrestrial alien interaction at all.

That I know of.

Okay, back to this rejection thing. As much as the editor loved the ENERGY of my writing, the plot, he did not.

And I’m okay with that. I had issues with it, too.

But I tried, the past year, in doing something different, something outside “my box”…and I realized it’s simply not my thing. With an exception to follow, science fiction is not for me [to write]. I love writing about normal people experiencing weird shit. It’s that simple. Hey, it’s not like that stuff’s sold, either (though am considering other options)…but it’s what I love penning (penciling? keying?). In fact, I even try to be a little literary about it, my stories, whether or not I succeed still remains to be seen…but I try. Exception still to follow….

Not going to get into all the gory details—there really aren’t any—the whole series idea simply didn’t work, that’s all. We didn’t see eye-to-eye. That’s okay. And this whole time I worked on the project I felt…well…I felt conflicted…working on it (11 months on the thing as a whole, 8 months on the first draft). I just don’t do science fiction. And I don’t really do action/adventure, per se, though elements do surface in my material (but, at the same time—here’s the exception—I really do want to write an X-Files-like story…someday…so I might resurrect elements of this work later…). I do supernatural and paranormal. Everyday people. Mashing the two together. Somehow…I have to make that work better—correction, make that more salable. Or go indie publishing, which I’m still really considering for a couple works of mine. And, like my agent and I talked, it’s best I figured this out now, rather than forcing myself to continue plodding along at something I don’t really like doing or get stuck in some other project with less of an escape, if that be possible. It’s good to try new things every so often, even if they don’t pan out, because you always learn from everything you do. I truly believe that nothing in life is wasted, even if you can’t figure out what’s happening at the time or the why behind it….

But, he loved my energy!

I can bring a piece of paper alive, and I appreciate that from this editor-who’s-been-around. We get so few compliments on our work, so it was nice to receive this one.

My agent and I talked about other possibilities, I threw a couple ideas out—one of which I was working on directly before this project—and she liked them. Actually kinda liked the one I’d already started (120 pages in). And this one could even become a series—don’t know if I’ll go there, but I’m certainly going to put some thought toward it. But over the night and this early morning I also thought about maybe again looking into the Amazon CreateSpace route for one manuscript in particular, my supernatural whydunnit murder mystery. Stay tuned for possible developments.

But, oh, do I feel so much better! I appreciate all the help a handful of writer friends lent in creating this project, but it just didn’t feel right to me. Sometimes, I feel like I’m already in overdrive and am running out of gears…but I always have to go back to why I write in the first place (downshifting…). For the enjoyment, the imagination, the creativity. I’ve been doing this since I was six. I hope to keep doing it.

So, sure, I’ll grind a pound for ya—or ten. Want some cheese with that?

Shifting….

This Culture of Celebrity

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English: Same as :Image:Perdigon with fiddle.j...
Image:Perdigon with fiddle.jpg, but reversed. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Is this good? Is it bad?

Juan Martinez…posing with the public outside the court room in which he’s prosecuting Jodi Arias…

Covert operatives writing books…

Punks and the uncouth having hit shows…

Pushing the limits of baring as much skin as possible and body grinding each other and creating “dance porn” all under the guise of “art” and dancing with stars…

And writers having to be social media gods and goddesses (and do such all-creating deities really require gender differentiation?).

This need for publicity. This need to be famous.

Perhaps oversimplified, but I find it funny how so many seek to be famous. To be famous strips away your privacy. Turns you into a public figure, ripe to be vilified, held up to public display and scrutiny—and not usually in a good way.

I frequently think back to the “old days,” and by “old” I don’t just mean before smartphones, but back in, say, medieval times. Did both knights and peasants dream about creating hit songs and getting a “contract” with the king or queen’s courts? Did they deify court jesters and troubadours, wishing they could be like them and get troubadour groupies?

Now, arguably, one could say, “Hey, writer! What-the-hell back atya!”

Yeah, you could. But I say that, personally, I’d be great with publishing my work and not having my face anywhere on the cover. Not having to make TV appearances or tweet my zit-poppin’ and ass-wipin’ (though, okay, I love a one-liner or two, so Twitter is kinda cool like that…).

Writing blog posts?

That’s writing. Communicating. It’s an extension of the art form—for me. I know others out there post for their own reasons, but for me, I do it for the love of writing, it’s immediate, and I don’t have to wait for anyone to approve or disapprove it, buy it, or edit the heck out of it. I love writing. Period.

Advancements in life can be a good thing, I’m far from prudish, but have to admit I can remember being unleashed from any form of contact and being alone up in the woods, behind my house. Clearing brush, climbing trees, or just walking through the acres and acres of unspoiled forest and listening to nature. Can remember the concept of not having any of this hyper-connection. Granted, it’s a small world, there’s lots of good that comes with advancements, but what also comes along with it all is increased stress, little rest, and, yes, a kind of “fame among friends,” kinda thing (“Oh, I’m important enough to be getting a text! Must answer now….”).

Is it a good thing—a bad thing? A necessary evil of our time?

And why do so many long for it? To be famous? Why the hell—and do you really understand the long-term ramifications? Are you so disaffected with your life you feel the only way out is to have everyone in the world poke their noses into yours? Is there some other reason? Sure, some are born to entertain, no problem there, and I’m not talking about righting wrongs, setting records straight, I’m talking about just wanting pure, unadulterated fame…in and of itself, doesn’t matter in what or why. What is this all-pervading need I’m seeing?

That’s all I got. Thanks for stopping by.

The First Book of the Rest of Your Life (In a Nutshell)

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It's Been A Wild Ride. (Photo credit: NASA's Vomit Comet. Wikipedia)
It’s Been A Wild Ride. (Photo credit: NASA’s Vomit Comet. Wikipedia)

On January 12, 2013, at 11:15 Mountain Time, I completed the first draft to the first new novel manuscript I’ve written since 2008. This is the first in an action/adventure X-Files-like conspiracy series.

I’ve written before as a guest blogger that I’ve been in a slump, trying to understand WTF, and all. Well, since that time, I’ve been giving it the ol College Try and finally, after almost five years, have completed a full manuscript. It’s full of holes and after having analyzed the content, my content timeline and storyline the past couple weeks, I realize have much work to do with…but I have much work to do with it!

Isn’t that great?

After all this time I have a project in-hand, and it’s written out, warts and all! Sure, I’ll butcher and maim the hell out of it, but the material is there. In novel-length format. It’s not something I’d written years ago and shelved, not a short story, but a full-blown book. I’m sure many writers operate the same, but my second drafts are the toughest efforts, most rework-heavy drafts, but when I get into the mode of initial, first-draft writing, I just vomit it out. This manuscript was actually a little different, more a series of brutal dry heaves early on, but once I found the Zen, it became one big Vomit Comet for the finish line. I intentionally ignored some of the subplots and just wanted to get the basic story out. I don’t usually do that, but I did not want to lose what momentum I had going (given, you know…), because I’d tried that on this manuscript, and felt the moment start to suck wind. So, I forewent my usual M.O. and did things a little differently. No matter how good the process, it seems every book I start is different in some manner.

So, I’ve been pouring over the storyline, finding holes, finding issues, and think I finally have what I need to begin the actual rework (I actually began rewriting yesterday). And…I’m actually quite excited about it. They’ll be my “conspiracy books,” my nod to the X-Files and some other shows (I’d like to add Twilight Zone in there, but don’t know that I’m much of an O. Henry/Rod Serling kind of writer, I’ve finally admitted to myself…but you never know…). You know, if I can actually sell them. But I love the idea, the characters, and it has potential for an on-going series beyond three books. It could well become, well…

Yes, it could become a thing.

From my POV, anyway.

As much as I still want to write everyday life weird and paranormal, there’s still this other side of me that wants to do X-Files kinda work, and now I have this outlet to do so. And I’m real happy about it. I’m happy I have some meat to work with. I’m happy to have new energy out there. New work. And it’s already getting in the way of responding to e-mail, posting blogs and tweets, and getting household chores done.

So, yes, I had a huge dry spell there for a bit, but things appear to be looking up.

Alice in Chains’ “Nutshell” is playing on Pandora right now (love this band, and this tune—which epitomizes much of my series’ tone). It’s germane to my series. So, I leave you with an important stanza that sums the series:

“We chase misprinted lies We face the path of time
And yet I fight
And yet I fight
This battle all alone
No one to cry to
No place to call home.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_GPxe91hWE

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