Use the Pulp, Luke!

Posted by Rampant Coyote on April 7, 2017

During the early-to-mid 20th century, successful pulp writers made their careers understanding how to write a good story that would sell. While a lot of things have changed today, many of the most successful modern writers apply very similar techniques. In some ways, the modern digital / indie world has it better than the pulp writers ever imagined.

David J West and I are presenting a class tomorrow at the League of Utah Writers Spring Conference in Taylorsville, Utah, on writing fiction the pulp way. This class is not about writing any particular genre, or trying to make a story sound like it came from the manual typewriter of Dashiell Hammett or Lester Dent. It’s about applying their advice and techniques to modern storytelling, and using their templates to craft audience-pleasing stories that sell.

There’s nothing magical about it. It’s just good, practical advice by people who paid their rent (or bought their yacht) through writing during an era where genre stories was mainly found in magazines printed on cheap, untrimmed paper . Some of it may be at odds with what your creative writing teacher may have taught you. But the thing is… it still works. David and I have learned this the fun way.

We’ll be sharing:

1. What was pulp fiction?
2. What is “modern” pulp fiction?
3. How do you write it?
4. How do you sell it?

Tomorrow’s event is a half-day (plus!) of classes like this one covering all kinds of writing topics, from craft to business to lifestyle and health. If you are a local writer in Utah, come join us if you can! Here’s the big not-a-secret: The discount to League members on the ticket is *exactly* the same cost as a league membership for the year. So if you want to attend, it makes sense to pay for a membership and then buy a ticket.

League of Utah Writers Spring Conference – Schedule and Registration

See ya there!

Filed Under: Events, Writing - Comments: Comments are off for this article



top