My new t-shirt!
by Debbie Burke
Last weekend, I drove to Helena, MT to participate in the Montana Writers Rodeo, an intimate gathering of about 40 people. The event is only in its second year, but it ran as well as if they’d been hosting conferences for years.
In 2017, director/playwright/actor Pamela Mencher went on a search for a venue where locals could perform plays that they’d written, along with artistic, musical, and cultural activities. She recognized potential in a vacant industrial building and set to work with volunteers to convert the space into the Helena Avenue Theatre (visit the Montana Playwrights Network website). It’s now a cozy auditorium with a stage, comfortable theatre seating, plus gathering rooms.
Often, attendees at writing conferences are shy introverts who may be uncomfortable in a crowd. Not at this Rodeo!
Perhaps one reason is some members of the group are also actors. On Friday evening, after a delicious buffet supper, eager authors went onstage to read their poetry, short stories, and novel excerpts. That icebreaker loosened everyone up and made for a friendly atmosphere.
On Saturday, acclaimed author Russell Rowland recalled his rollercoaster writing career, starting with his dream internship at Atlantic Monthly and the initial success of his first novels. Disappointment followed when his publisher left him an orphan. Ultimately, he made several comebacks and now has seven books, a podcast, and a popular radio show, Fifty-Six Counties. He related how discouragement and pain are emotional wellsprings from which the most meaningful writing emerges.
In his workshop prompt, he asked us to write about an argument remembered from our childhood. His unique slant: relate the argument from the point of view of the other person.
Russell’s warm, approachable demeanor encouraged a 12-year-old author to take the stage to read what he’d written. How cool is that! Surrounded by adult strangers, this young writer actively participated, asked questions, and discussed his aspirations.
Debbie with actor/director/writer Leah Joki
Another presenter was actor/director/writer Leah Joki, author of Julliard to Jail, a memoir about her unconventional career as a writing and theatre teacher inside prisons. “The reason I’m comfortable in prison,” she says, “is I grew up in Butte!” That caused laughs among us Montanans who understood exactly what she meant.
Her workshop enlisted audience volunteers who read parts of Huckleberry Finn and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf to demonstrate the impact of dialogue in fiction. She said, “Every word matters.” Yet she also emphasized that silence—what is not said—can be even more dramatic.
The workshop I taught was on DIY editing with 10+ tips on how to edit your own writing. In my next post, I’ll outline those tips.
As part of my presentation, I offered to critique First Pages from participants (wonder where that idea came from!). They were submitted in advance, so I had time to review and edit, using track changes.
During the workshop, I projected a page on the screen, read it aloud, then gave my impressions and explained reasons for suggestions. Time didn’t permit review of all submissions, but I printed out the edited versions for each author and we discussed them outside the workshop.
As often happens with TKZ First Pages, some stories didn’t get started until page two or later. We discussed ways to grab readers’ attention immediately, while at the same time weaving in enough details to ground them in the fictional world.
I plugged TKZ as a helpful resource and encouraged Rodeo attendees to submit their first pages for critique.
Rounding out the presentations were two representatives from Farcountry Press, a respected regional house that publishes outdoor guides, books on travel, history, photography, and nature-themed picture books. Samantha Strom, Director of Publications, and Hilary Page, marketing and social media, showed us how to define a reading audience. They provided blank template worksheets that we filled out with background, gender, age, education, interests, jobs, lifestyles, and values of our particular demographic.
Rodeo Wrangers Pamela Mencher, Mindy Peltier, Pearl Allen, and Christa Chiriaco
Conference wranglers Pamela Mencher, Mindy Peltier, Pearl Allen, and Christa Chiriaco rounded up strays and kept the Rodeo running smoothly.
For example, each presenter had a dress rehearsal with tech helpers who checked mic volume, lighting, position on stage, power point displays, and especially those pesky connecting cables! Thank goodness, because my Mac didn’t want to play nice with their projection setup. Mindy brought in the calvary (her techie husband) and saved the day.
Volunteer Intern Chinook asked an unexpected question: did I prefer chilled or room-temperature water during my presentation? According to audiobook narrators, room-temperature is better because cold causes throat muscles to tense up. How thoughtful of Chinook!
Coffee and snacks were in a room where we authors displayed our books for sale and chatted with attendees between sessions.
Small conferences offer a chance to relax and connect with other writers on a deeper level than the hectic hustle-bustle of large ones. Authors in similar genres swapped business cards with prospective critique partners and beta readers.
Several people asked about my editing services, leading to possible new clients. Plus, I sold a stack of books and traded with other authors.
Evaluation surveys are important planning tools for future conferences, but convincing attendees to fill them out is always a challenge. The Rodeo wranglers solved that problem by holding prize drawings as the last event on Saturday evening. A completed survey earned a ticket to win t-shirts, drink containers, and other Rodeo-themed gifts. Yup, I won that t-shirt shown at the top of this post.
Deep Fake Sapphire Pen created by Steve Hooley
I piggy-backed on their drawing with my own to encourage signups for my newsletter. The prize: a custom-crafted Steve Hooley legacy wood pen. The lady who won the Deep Fake Sapphire pen was thrilled and I went home with a bunch of new subscribers. Win-win.
For two nights, Mindy spoiled me with five-star hospitality in her lovely log home, complete with an espresso machine in my room.
The drive between Kalispell and Helena is 400 miles roundtrip, with a posted speed limit of 70 mph in most places. I’ll be polite and call that optimistic, rather than insane. Switchbacks and hairpin turns often reduce speed to a white-knuckled 20 or 30 mph.
The route follows winding rivers and twisting two-lane mountain roads that cross the Continental Divide. The drive takes four hours each way, cuz I’m too chicken to put cruise control on 70. I took time to admire Big Sky scenery while watching for suicidal deer and elk. Even plotted a few new scenes, too.
Near Flesher Pass on the Continental Divide, elevation 6131 feet
Already I’m looking forward to next year’s Montana Writers Rodeo.
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TKZers: Do you prefer large or small writing conferences? Please share your favorite conference experience.
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At the Rodeo, Flight to Forever and Deep Fake Double Down were the biggest sellers. Please click on the covers for sales links.
Sounds like a great event, and that everyone benefited. Cool!
Brenda, the Rodeo was fun, friendly, and fruitful–a winning combo.
Another reason to wish I lived in Montana! Sounds like a blast. I’m excited to be launching a writing retreat here in Texas, but it’s not going to be on par with Montana Writers Rodeo . . . yet 😉
Lori, keep us posted about your proposed retreat. I know some TX authors who might be interested.
The first Authors of the Flathead conference in the early ’90s was held in the basement of a member’s church. We brought our own brown-bag lunches. The start of something wonderful that endures to today.
Very interesting, Debbie. There’s a lot to be said for smaller, more intimate groups, and it sounds like the organizers were on top of everything. I don’t like crowds, so I prefer smaller gatherings. The first conference I attended way back when was a mixed-genre one, rather than the narrower focus of most of the others I’ve been to. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Terry, a woman who met you at the Flathead conference last fall remembered your lip gloss and sticky notes! You made a memorable impression.
Ah, the power of swag. Thanks for letting me know, Debbie.
Thanks, Debbie. Since the panicdemic, I, too, miss having a venue for my plays!
Q: Do you prefer large or small writing conferences?
A: I’ve only been to the large 2005 Santa Barbara WC, so I can’t say.
Q: Please share your favorite conference experience.
A: The good: SBWC met at Westmont College and was a lot of fun. The food and the people and the presentations were great. My wonderful instructor at SBCC, Anne Lowenkopf, was on the staff. Shelly Lowenkopf said my short, Arma Virumque Cano, was the best piece he’d heard at the conference as of Thursday.
The otherwise: The meet-an-agent (paid) event was a bust.
All things considered, the conference was worth the effort and cost. I’m not sure that’s still true, but I’d love to attend again, someday.
J, the Helena Ave. Theatre is a cool venue–intimate yet well-equipped with excellent sound and lighting.
A friend here in MT used to attend SBWC every year. For him, it was an annual reunion of writing colleagues.
I met my first agent at the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers conf. She was a bust but that’s a whole ‘nother story.
Wow, Debbie, it sounds like your conference was a great success. Thanks for sharing your experience and thoughts.
I like small conferences, for reasons similar to Terri’s. I don’t like crowds and big city hotels. My favorite was a conference in Nashville, organized by Steven James. I had the opportunity to meet Jodie Renner, which lead to being included in an anthology she was putting together to create awareness of child labor in Asia.
I look forward to your next post on editing tips.
Steve, Jodie is a fabulous editor who taught me so much! I still miss her contributions to TKZ. Here’s a link to her posts in TKZ’s archives: https://killzoneblog.com/2015/06/fond-farewell-from-jodie-renner-and.html
Steven James is another excellent teacher. I took an online class from him through the International Thriller Writers group.
I’m envious you got to me both of them!
Oops, that’s supposed to read “meet both of them.”
The only writerly event I’ve been to is the Iowa Writers Workshop, which has been lauded all over the place for decades. I found it not helpful at all, which ticked me off because it was expensive. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t people looking at me with blank stares as each of us told the group our genre. I said my published book was a ‘bodice ripper’ which anyone who reads historical romances understands. Finally, a guy piped up with, “It’s about a stripper?” It went downhill from there. The instructor and other students were into heavy literary writing. Yeah, I don’t do that. I haven’t written another book in that genre, as I’m more interested in romantic suspense, which is why I first came here.
I’ve come to the conclusion that The Killzone isn’t my genre, either, but the people on here are so nice and so much fun that I start every day reading it. I’ve learned a lot and it feels like belonging to a group. So, thanks for that! Maybe someday I’ll be able to go to the Authors of the Flathead conference.
Becky, thanks for your kind words–TKZ is a big writing family that extends beyond crime. After all, good writing is good writing, no matter the genre.
Yup, I’ve received those blank stares, too. Now I say I earned my MFA from TKZ for FREE!
I grew up with a mom who devoured at least 5 bodice rippers a week! My dad was ok with it. Whenever I went home for the holidays, I read voraciously, and went through her latest collection. Eventually, I became a playwright, and one of my most successful plays was about a bodice ripper writer who lived in her books called, “Writers Gothic”. Thanks for reminding me of this, Becky, and Debbie, thank you for introducing me to TKZ – (and for your inspiring and very helpful workshop at the Montana Writers Rodeo in Helena.
Pamela, thanks for chiming in and for ramrodding a successful conf!
Your bodice-ripping play sounds like a terrific hoot. When is the revival?
What a wonderful conference, Debbie. Your write-up was terrific and inspiring. There’s a magic that fills everyone at conferences like this one.
The weekend before your conference I attended Left Coast Crime in Seattle (actually Bellevue, WA). There were a few hundred attendees, so intimate by the standards of some of the science fiction conventions I’ve attended over the years. It was very well run, and extremely welcoming. I brought a few of my tailored fezzes to wear, ones with designs like crossed keys, or a tea cup and saucer etc, which proved a hit with other attendees and a great way to break the ice.
I moderated a panel discussion on “Murder Between the Stacks: Biblio Mysteries,” with author and former editor Roz Noonan, author and former librarian Sarah Bresniker, author Lynn Cahoon, and author Joyce Yarrow. We had a packed ballroom and a terrific, engaging discussion. I also was on the “Devil is in the Details Research panel” moderated by true crime radio show host Al Warren. Fellow panelists included BJ Magnani, a pathologist and poison expert who is also an author, Joe Clifford writing teacher and author, Christina Estes, news reporter and author. Lots of tips on research as well as how that research informed our own fictions.
LCC had four panel slots each session, forty five minutes long, with a thirty minute break between them. After each panel, panelists went to the book room to sign books . Third Place Books had a very large booth and I sold out of my copies of A Shush Before Dying. Wonderful to autograph them and chat with fans.
Panels I attended included ones on short fiction writing, writing multiple series (J.A. Jance was on that panel along with Robert Dugoni), writing thrillers and mysteries set in WW2, where cozy mysteries are headed (excellent discussion) and more.
There was an Amazon publishing hosted dinner event Thursday evening. Friday morning I participated in the Meet the New author breakfast at 7:30 and met a number of fans and other authors.
There were also interviews with the guests of honor Megan Abbott and Robert Dugoni, as well as the Toast Master Wanda Morris.
The vibe was wonderful and I bought my membership for Left Coast Crime 2025, which will be in Denver, March 13-16, 2025.
Dale, congratulations on selling out A Shush Before Dying!
Thanks for your great rundown of LCC.
The trouble with big confs like that are overlapping presentations. The talks and panels I want to attend are always scheduled at the same time, opposite each other. It’s like choosing between prime rib and filet mignon.
Yes, scheduling overlapping workshops drives me nuts! That’s one of the reasons I’ve only done a few conferences.
See you in Denver, Dale!
Great post, Debbie! It sounds like my kind of conference. I would prefer small, and lots of face-to-face interactions. I’ve been to a couple of large ones, and I remember walking around in a daze, feeling lost. 🙁
I’ll be attending a conference in the Seattle area this week, one I’ve attended before, usually about a couple of hundred as I recall. I’m teaching my first workshop also . . . can you say nervous? I might use the Leah Joki quote above: She said, “Every word matters.” Yet she also emphasized that silence—what is not said—can be even more dramatic. That would fit in nicely with my topic.
And I’ll also be taking some of Steve’s pens. People seem to gravitate to them, right?
(Here at TKZ, I feel like I attend a micro-conference every morning . . .) 🙂
Deb, have a wonderful time in Seattle.
Steve’s pens are a real attention-grabber. People are fascinated by “legacy wood” that’s salvaged from historic buildings.
“Here at TKZ, I feel like I attend a micro-conference every morning . . .”
I get the same vibe. It’s pervasive.
It was great to meet you, Debbie. Thanks for the shoutout. It really was a terrific conference, and I enjoyed your presentation.
Russell, after hearing about you from our mutual friend, Leslie Budewitz, it was a delight to finally meet you. Thanks for your inspiring keynote and workshop.
In the early 2000’s there use to be a great Christian Writer’s Conference at Sandy Cove, MD. Great location, food and popular Christian Writer’s .
I will need to see what’s out there. It’s been a long time.
Warren, writers know it’s spring b/c confs start popping up like dandelions. Hope you reconnect with the Christian Writers group.
Sounds like a blast, Debbie! I can tell you’re still buzzing in the afterglow. The ride sounds beautiful, as well.
Definitely a gorgeous drive–I forgot to mention the bald eagle that paralleled the highway for a while before landing atop a dead tree. Just beautiful!!!
That was a very fun, intimate conference. Every year HAT gets stronger and stronger.
It was a privilege to present there.
Leah Joki
Author of JUILLIARD TO JAIL
Great to reconnect with you, Leah. Dialogue is a critical writer’s tool for novelists as well as playwrights. Thanks for sharing your expertise.
Debbie, Thanks for your wonderful description of the conference. I love the idea of a Writers’ Rodeo! I may pull out my cowboy hat and make plans for next year.
I do like smaller conferences, but I also loved the Mt. Hermon Writers Conference in California that we attended a couple of times. It was a large conference, but very well organized. After the Covid pandemic, that conference shut down, and I don’t believe it’s come back yet.
Kay, if you can’t find your cowboy hat, someone at the Rodeo will lend you one.
Sadly, Covid torpedoed a number of wonderful confs. The Helena Ave. Theatre was supposed to open in 2020 but was delayed b/c of the pandemic. Fortunately, they hung on and survived.
This was a great post! I’d love to attend the Rodeo someday! I much prefer the smaller conferences where you get a chance to talk to everyone. And I recommend TKZ to every writer I talk to. It’s a great place to learn…and Steven James is a hoot and an awesome teacher! I’ve been to a couple of his classes at Blue Ridge.
Patricia, I’d take another Steven James class in a heartbeat. Excellent teacher.
Hope to meet you in person at a conf one of these days!