Last week I traveled to Estes Park, Colorado for the Stanley Hotel Writers Retreat, a five-day immersion in horror writing awesomeness. For those who don’t know, the Stanley Hotel inspired Stephen King to write The Shining and was also featured in the t.v. mini-series adaption of the novel. This hotel has everything: creepy staircases, fascinating history, long dim hallways, and plenty of quaint little nooks. It’s old-school classy but not too stuffy—perfect for a band of writers.

I won’t walk you through each day’s schedule of events (although there’s a link to next year’s event info below), but suffice to say the event’s mastermind, R.J. Cavender, crafted an incredible experience for attendees. Jack freakin’ Ketchum read to us on the outdoor patio. We went bowling with Josh Malerman at a local bowling alley straight out of my childhood. We got to wander in the new hedge maze with Trent Zelazny. We had a lakeside lunch chat on craft with Daniel Knauf.

And let me say this . . . those four writers I just mentioned—Jack, Josh, Trent, and Daniel—were all the epitome of gracious and kind.

But here’s the thing: most everyone who participated in the retreat was friendly, fascinating, and fun. We were an eclectic band of creative souls out to have a good time, forge new friendships, and experience the magic of the Stanley Hotel.

Here’s a fun fact about the Stanley: their t.v.’s have a channel that plays Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining 24-hours-per-day. My buddy Kerry G.S. Lipp and I kept the movie running for most of our visit, so I saw a hell of a lot of that movie several times over. After so many repeat viewings, I realized that 1) Jack is probably the most incompetent killer in movie history; and 2) Wendy is an unparalleled master of stating the obvious. But another realization was prompted by this line from the hotel cook Dick Hallorann (played by Scatman Crothers):

“Some places are like people. Some shine and some don’t.”

This line resonated with me, because I can say without reservation that every writer I talked to at the retreat—be they newbies or bestsellers—all shined. I’m stunned by the array of fascinating people I had the opportunity to meet. A lot of folks probably think that horror writers are these twisted, sick people who enjoy nothing more than scaring the hell out of writers as some horrid act of sadism.

I offer an alternative prospective.

All people have dark thoughts, be they prompted by jealousy, anger, anxiety, or pick-your-difficult-emotion. As horror writers, we’ve found a unique way to tap into these feelings and process them in a healthy, productive way.

But wait, Rob, you may say. I call bullshit. Doesn’t horror fiction just spread those horrible feelings to innocent people? Aren’t you just infecting your readers with your darkness?

Respectfully submitted, no.

At the end of the day, horror fiction isn’t about making readers feel fear, or dread, or tension. It’s about acknowledging that we all have our boogeymen, our ghosts, or our homicidally incompetent (or incompetently homicidal?) off-season caretakers. When readers read a good horror story, sure, they may get scared silly, but they also feel maybe a little less alone—because some other kindred soul out there in the big bad world feels the same way. Writing and reading horror becomes a kind of communal experience that reinforces the idea that we’re all in this big, bad world together.

So, that’s why us horror writers shine every bit as bright as the Stanley Hotel—because in our own demented little way, we serve as a beacon for our readers. We light the way through the darkness that everyone feels but so few are willing to acknowledge.

Speaking of acknowledgements, I have to give mad props to RJ Cavander for organizing a brilliant event and serving as an exceptional host. I can’t even begin to fathom the number of moving parts encompassed in such an affair, but yet RJ handled it all with poise and good humor. We couldn’t have asked for a better host. Likewise, RJ couldn’t have asked for a better event assistant than Kelly Calabrese, who always had a genuine smile, kind words, and a helpful attitude.

A big thank-you goes out to whichever members of the housekeeping staff had to deal with Room 404 after Kerry and I checked out. All I can say is, the three-day-old chicken on the bathroom floor was not our fault (you know who you are).

And then there’s Kerry . . . it is unfathomable to me how two dudes could’ve shared so much time and space together and not have had one single altercation. Yet somehow it happened and we were laughing the whole way home. Thanks, man, for being a kick-ass travel companion.

Kerry and I were also the male component of Operation Clown Car, a gang of five horror writers who shared a Dodge Charger for the duration of the retreat. Staffing the backseat of this misguided endeavor were Cat Marshall, Colleen Anderson, and Sephera Giron. I’d never met any member of this trio prior to the retreat but I am honored now to call them all friends.

Truly, the Stanley Hotel Writers Retreat was a journey that made many memories—some of which I can still recall. But don’t take my word for it. A few of my fellow retreaters were kind enough to offer me some of their favorite moments from the event:

“One of my favorite things was sinking into those big leather chairs in the lobby and enjoying the fire, people watching. Same for the fires outside in the back.” — Deb Finley-Hoag

 “Aside from all the great new friends and the inspiration, the most memorable encounter for me was standing on the first floor landing and feeling something push the back of my leg, causing my knee to bend. It felt like a child playing tag...and I was it.” — Bryan Prince

“Though it means little to anyone else, seeing you (Rob) get shocked by the elevator after a night of partying was one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Hard to pick a favorite moment but meeting Jack Ketchum is up there. Late night walks around to see who was still up and getting into trouble was great too.” — Kerry Lipp

Personally, my favorite moment was during our first night at the Stanley, well after two in the morning. I was prowling the hotel with Kerry and Sephera. We had the run of the place—no other guests, staff, or ghosts to be seen. The three of us ventured outside and wandered the new hedge maze for I-can’t-imagine-how-long, giggling and grinning all the while. The sky and the surrounding mountains were immense. By contrast, the young hedge maze was only about shoulder-high. We played off each other’s jokes and fed off each other’s wit. Our joy was pure and childlike. We shined.

It was a beautifully simple moment, but one that I’ll cherish forever and ever.

And ever. And ever.

 For info on next year’s Stanley Hotel Writers Retreat:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-stanley-hotel-writers-retreat-2016#/

About the Author:

Rob E. Boley grew up in Enon, Ohio, a little town with a big Indian mound. He later earned a B.A. and M.A. in English from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.

He’s the author of The Scary Tales series of dark fantasy novels featuring mash-ups of classic fairy tale characters and horror monsters. His fiction has appeared in several markets, including A cappella Zoo, Pseudopod, Clackamas Literary Review, and Best New Werewolf Tales. His stories have won Best in Show in the Sinclair Community College Creative Writing Contest and the Dayton Daily News/Antioch Writers’ Workshop Short Story Contest.

He lives with his daughter in Dayton, where he works for his alma mater. Each morning and most nights, he enjoys making blank pages darker. You can get to know him better by visiting his website at www.robboley.com.

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