Pikes Peak Writers Conference 2025

The Dalai Lama said, "Don't learn Buddhism to be a better better Buddhist; learn Buddhism to be a better whatever you are." I am a writer.

Join author Johnny for discoveries in eastern philosophy with their application to the life of an author with its many disappointments. Sessions include directed mindfulness meditation and lecture on concepts that directly speak to the writer’s journey.

• Day one: Basics - the Four Noble Truths and the Eight Fold Noble path
• Day two: Blocks - The Five Hindrances and the power of RAIN
• Day three: Third Person Limited - Non-Identity and the muse

Each class meets in the morning before regular programming Though classes are meant as a three-day seminar, attendees can come to any of them without prior or later attendance and still get useful information.

We review the concepts of allegory, archetypes, tropes and other story templates and how they can be used to shortcut what we are trying to deliver in our writing and create depth and subtext to our themes and characters. In the last hour we brainstorm characters using archetypes then allow writing time in the class to show off our new skills.

Understand how micro-flashbacks differ from regular flashbacks (it's more than just length!), and how to decide when a micro-flashback is the right choice.

Want to write for kids? If you're used to the norms of the adult publishing landscape, moving into children's literature requires understanding a whole different set of rules. This overview of the current children's literature landscape, from picture books to YA, highlights unique considerations for writing, querying, publishing, and marketing kids' books.