I'm available to give the following workshops to schools, libraries and other groups. For an idea of rates, a half-day visit would include two seminars and autographing time and cost $200. (No travel expenses within an hour's drive of Charlottesville, Virginia.)  
Contact me about workshops.

IMPORTANT NOTE!
Any Virginia-based school, university, library, unit of government, and non-profit organization can apply for a grant to pay a writer's fee. The sponsor application is easy to fill out and can be found at the "Virginia Commission for the Arts" website.

How to Make Your Writing Feel Authentic

This workshop focuses on the craft of writing and the concrete tools you can use to make your writing more believable, more real, and truly "authentic."  We will answer the following questions and do a few fun, easy exercises.

  1. What does it mean to be "authentic?"  Writing from the heart.
  2. What is "grounding?"  Setting your stage with the right props.
  3. How well do you know your characters? Making characters multi-faceted.
  4. How real and believable is your plot?  Crafting a story your audience can buy.
  5. Have you found your own "voice?"  Why voice is critical, and finding yours.

Getting in Your Character's Skin

Do you want to write characters that pop right off of the page?  Characters you and your readers really care about?  We'll talk about how to get in your character's skin and create him or her from the inside out.  We'll do some fun, easy exercises while we cover the following elements of "character building:"

  1. Your character's history that the reader will never know.
  2. What your character looks like physically, including gestures and clothing.
  3. Your character's likes and dislikes, quirks and habits, friends and enemies.
  4. Living and being your character.
  5. Using empathy to get under your character's skin.
  6. Your character's driving force (this is usually related to the plot of the story).

The Writer's Life

This workshop is for those who want to know about the glamorous (!) daily life of a writer.  We'll focus on the writing of children's novels and the editing process.  If desired, the path to becoming a published author can also be covered.

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