I want to start by once again thanking all of the dedicated people at Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers who planned and executed a wonderful Colorado Gold Conference this year. With so much uncertainty around COVID numbers, labor shortages and virtual options, it must have been even more challenging than in years past. But the team kept going and emerged triumphant. And isn’t that a great model for all of us in our writing ventures? Things don’t always go the way we’d planned, but with help from each other, we can pivot as many times as it takes.
If you didn’t have the opportunity to attend the conference this year (start planning for next year!), you might be wondering why there’s an elephant coloring sheet at the top of this post. Each attendee received one of these at the end of the weekend. Sue Duff, RMFW Board President, invited us all to face the elephant in the room: our fears. Whenever we had faced a new fear, like coming to a conference for the first time, or pitching to an agent, we should color in a small section. Someday, we’ll have herds of colorful elephants to show for our courage. But we won’t be finished, because unlike our manuscripts, our journeys never end. I heard a touching story this weekend about a fellow RMFW member who passed away recently, and in her memory, several of her critique group friends are taking over her work. What a beautiful testament to the resurrecting power of friendship and art.
Beginnings, for me, are rife with fear. They are actually my favorite part to write, but difficult to move on from into the ‘saggy middle.’ I love raising questions, making promises. As Shannon Baker suggested in her presentation on ‘The Best Place to Begin,’ start on a day that’s different, with an arrival, or trouble. That’s the fun part, the place my imagination feels most free. Figuring out how to save, or at least teach, my characters in the midst of all that conflict, well, that’s harder. And it should be. If it was easy for me, or my characters, it wouldn’t be worth reading about. Kelly J.P. Lindberg, in her presentation on ‘Keys to a Powerful Opening,’ helped me reframe the way I think about the transition from beginning to the remainder of the novel. The middle isn’t what happens to the character while she waits for her problems to disappear. Rather, it is the escalation of events that lead to mounting fear, which forces the character to grow in order to actively deal with her internal and external problems.
One of the most useful pieces of advice on beginnings I heard at the conference is this: don’t get stuck there. In all three opening-focused workshops I attended, the presenters shared the same advice. As a writer, you may not (probably won’t) know the true starting place of your story until you finish. I tend to get gummed up rereading, rewriting and re-editing my opening lines, paragraphs and chapters at the expense of moving forward to create new material. Well, here’s me, promising you—my inspiring and supportive writing community—that I’m going to press ahead, no matter what. I received a heavy dose of extra motivation at the conference, as I hope all of you did.
On my way out of the Renaissance Hotel on Sunday afternoon, one of the attending agents waited until I was finished talking to some fellow writers to tell me how much she’d loved my voice in the literary awards reading at brunch. I’d already had several positive and meaningful interactions with the agent throughout the weekend, enough to sense the depth of her sincerity in that moment. I’d also been upfront with her from the beginning that while I had several award-winning manuscripts, they were not yet ready for submission. “Whatever you finish first,” she said, “send it to me.” If that didn’t light a fire under my backside, nothing would.
I’ve heard it said that unless you’re Stephen King, no one is waiting for your next book. I disagree. I think the whole world is waiting, even if they don’t know it yet. So, what are you afraid of? Face it. Ask for help. Get started! Keep going! Finish! And then do it all again.
Wow, this is a fantastic post, Rachel. Moving & powerful. It was a great conference!
Thank you, Mark. Nothing fuels creative passion like gathering with talented, generous people, right?
Wonderful post, Rachel! It was so lovely to meet you at the conference, and I’m excited for all the encouragement and motivation you received. Hearing this makes the challenges of the conference feel miniscule compared to what it gave to so many people.
I’m so glad we made time to get to know each other that weekend and look forward to more interactions in the future! Congratulations again on a wonderful job with the conference.
Love this, Rachel! So many great words of wisdom. 🙂
Thank you, Wendy. It was so nice spending time with you at the conference. Thank you for all you do for the organization.
Love this motivation-inspiring post, Rachel! And it was great to meet you at the conference. I’m already looking forward to next year!
Same! And thank you for giving me permission to include some of the great advice from your workshop. I collected so many tips from you, Shannon and Lynnette, I might need to do a Part 3.
Wonderful post, Rachel. Thank you for sharing. You are on your way!!!
Thank you, Sue. I enjoyed visiting with you at the conference. Congratulations again on all your wonderful accomplishments this year!
Rachel, thank you for having the courage to join a writers organization such as RMFW. For the courage it took to enter the Colorado Gold Rush Contest a couple years ago. For having the courage to stand up in front of a banquet room and read your wonderful passage to us last weekend. But especially for the courage to share your insight through the RMFW blog throughout the year. Thank you for being you and giving back to our writing community!
Thank you for those kind words, Sue. It has been an honor (and educational) writing for the blog. Getting involved has enriched my experience as an RMFW member, and as a writer. I love that we can interact this way, even when we can’t see each other as often as we might like.
It was so nice meeting you at the conference and I couldn’t agree more. I have that fire lit and I am making the time instead of making excuses. I’m looking forward to next year as well.
Excellent post! Wish I could have been there this year but not in the cards.
Thanks, Terri. I’m sorry you weren’t able to attend the conference this year; I hope to see you at other RMFW events soon. In the meantime, I’m glad we can connect this way.
“I’ve heard it said that unless you’re Stephen King, no one is waiting for your next book. I disagree. I think the whole world is waiting, even if they don’t know it yet.”
Rachel, these two lines were exactly what I needed to hear on Day 2 of NaNoWriMo! Thank you!
I’m so glad to hear that, Laurel. Congratulations on making it to Day 2. You’ve got this! I’m going to write a post later this month about NaNoWriMo, so be sure to come back and update us on your progress. We’ll be waiting!
What a great and inspiring post! I’ve been working on my elephant and have that fire lit again when before the conference it was only kindling. I’m so happy to have met you and look forward to all the things you make.
Hey, Andrew, I saw your earlier comment as well. So sorry I didn’t reply sooner, for some reason I didn’t receive notification that I had pending comments until today. That’s what I meant in my reply to Sue above about writing for the blog being an educational experience; I’m learning a lot about the technical side of all this!
Thank you for reading and interacting. I’m so happy to have met you as well and can’t wait to see how your rekindled fire fuels your writing. Onward together we go!