News from PPW

Jodi Anderson
PPW Executive Director
Kirt Hickman was born in 1966 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He earned a
Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1989 and a Master's degree in
opto-electronics in 1991, both from the University of New Mexico. Since then,
he has worked in research and manufacturing fields related to high-energy
lasers, microelectronics, and micro-machines, fields that he leverages to
enrich his science fiction novels, Worlds Asunder and Venus Rain.
Kirt has also written the children’s picture book I Will Eat Anything and
the fantasy trilogy The Age of Prophecy (forthcoming).
Kirt teaches writing, self-editing and marketing classes through SouthWest
Writers and UNM Continuing Education. He has also contributed a monthly,
full-page column titled "Revising Fiction’ to the SouthWest Sage. His
methodical, step-by-step approach to self-editing has helped many make sense of
the mass of advice available to the novice writer. He shares his guidance on
writing and revising in his comprehensive and practical self-editing guide
Revising Fiction: Making Sense of the Madness.
Workshop Description
With all the books, talks, classes, and workshops available on writing and
self-editing, a writer can quickly become overwhelmed by advice. In every
work of fiction, there’s so much to be concerned about: plot,
characterization, scene structure, setting, backstory, dialogue, and pacing. You must
maintain suspense, portray your characters’ emotions, show events rather than
tell about them, make effective use of comparisons, and achieve
consistency of style and voice. You must avoid passive voice, information dumps,
repeated information, digressions, clichés, and unnecessary words and phrases.
Finally, you must mind the details of grammar, spelling, word usage,
punctuation, and format.
How do you catch it all? How do you know when you've got it right? How do
you even know where to start? In this workshop, Kirt Hickman will break
down this exhaustive list of topics into a practical approach to self-editing
that covers everything from planning your novel, to first draft, through
self-editing, to final, publication-quality manuscript.
Registration opens at 8am, at which time Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers
will serve a continental breakfast. We will break around noon for a buffet
lunch, again provided by RMFW. The workshop will end at approximately 4pm.
As a new addition this year, a panel of published authors will be
available for one-on-one session for attendees to ask industry related questions or
request a critique of up to two pages of their writing. RMFW’s own Carol
Berg, Jeanne Stein and Betsy Dornbusch will sit on the panel. The author
appointments will be set up much like a pitch appointment allowing attendees
10 minutes with the author.
Who Else! Books will be on site selling our presenter’s and authors’
books.
Cost for this workshop is:
Early registration (before April 30th) - $70
After April 30th - $85
At the door - $95 (attendance limited to 75)
Please see Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers website (rmfw.org) for
registration information and payment options. For more information email Vicki Law
at _vruchhoeft@bresnan.net_ (mailto:vruchhoeft@bresnan.net)

or call 970-497-6452.