I promised to post some fun and possibly worthwhile things I learned at the recent Public Safety Writers Association Conference, held each July in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Las Vegas isn’t all casinos, gambling, glitter and lost hopes. Here’s a photo of nearby Red Rock Canyon.

It was a terrific conference, not too large, not too small. I’d guess around 50-60 people. Thus not intimidating. Except, you might wonder, is it all a group of intimates who come back year after year? The kind who might stare skeptically at newcomers? NOT so! Not at all.

Many members are regulars, but there were quite a few newcomers as well. Didn’t matter, because this is a WELCOMING, friendly group of people, with planned (and spontaneous) ways to spend time with the new members, starting with a friendly first night mixer. Because it has a majority of retired and/or active law enforcement and public safety types, I wondered about my fairly tame marketing background, and if I’d be welcomed. I was. I sat on two panels, one on editing and one on short story anthologies. Lesson there? If asked to join a panel, say yes. It was fun and earned me an invitation to speak elsewhere in the future.

At the workshop on short stories held the day before the conference, I learned from Mysti Berry, Michael Black and Marilyn Meredith about the distinction between novels and short stories: Novels are about the effect of time on a situation. Short stories are about a turning point, a single event and its effect on the main character. You still need to evoke emotion through use of the senses, and create a compelling character. Easy-peasey!

Presentations about SWAT teams, pursuit/emergency driving, evidence collection, crowd control and about the unheralded folks who dispatch police and other emergency personnel, were interspersed with excellent writing and marketing panels. Panelists didn’t always agree, making their time with us even more interesting. Perhaps the best part was the willingness of all these experts to answer questions and discuss their work.

Two more quick gleanings: You can change the page color in MS Word. With a fresh, different background it’s often easier to spot typos and other goofs. It may well be more stressful to be a dispatcher, trying to get help to the victim on the line but unable to do anything but talk to both the caller and the dispatched officer while keeping your voice calm and your instructions smooth.

Check out the PSWA website and get on the list for next year’s conference. It’s reasonably priced and well worth your investment, especially if your fiction includes anything about police, firefighters or other public safety professionals.

Oh! Almost forgot to add that my novel MURDER, SONORAN STYLE, won an Honorable Mention for published fiction in their writing contest. I’m tickled.