These presentations can be tailored to the ages and
interests of your
group. Just let me know in advance if there's anything special you'd like me to
talk about.
To find out about dates, fees, or anything else you don't see here, pleasee-mail me.
Find out how to make your author visit a success from an experienced library media specialist here.
Information on grants for funding author visits can be found here.
“Stacy’s program was terrific. She kept her audience in rapt attention, and judging by the multitude of hands waving in the air at the program’s end, she also sparked quite a few imaginations. Stacy is a friendly, knowledgeable speaker and I would heartily recommend her.”
-- Marla Martin Woodbury Public Library Woodbury, Connecticut
Presentations for Students
These presentations are suitable for small groups
(up to 50) and can be tailored to upper elementary, middle school, or high school students.
Please allow 50 minutes or one class period for each presentation. I can schedule up to four
presentations in one day.
The Dictionary Game
In this group writing exercise, we will randomly select five
words (no cheating) from the fattest dictionary available. Using those five
words, we will begin a story that has all the basic elements a good story
needs:
setting character plot story
problem backstory
By the time we finish our story beginning, everyone will be
asking the question that’s music to any writer’s ears: “What happens
next?!”
But we’ll interrupt that request to define and explore those
story elements, so we can learn how and why they make a story irresistible (and
prove that students can write their own irresistible stories, with or without a
really fat dictionary).
"Researching Fiction" -- Not an Oxymoron
A certain amount of research is required to write any book, even a novel. From train schedules and the cost of a train ticket to life in Italy during World War II, I'll discuss the kinds of research I did for my own novels, and how facts can make fiction come to life.
How an Idea Becomes a Book
Using samples from my books, I show the stages in
creating a book, from rough draft to revisions to finished book. I talk
briefly about research techniques and how students can use them in
their own projects.
There will be time for a question and answer period.
Every Life Tells a Story
A more in-depth exploration of researching and writing a
biography, using Sacagawea as an example. We discuss how to choose the best sources, and what to do if sources
provide conflicting information. We talk about how to find interesting
information that brings the past to life, and how to use creative writing
techniques to add spark to the story.
The Writing Life
"Where do you get your ideas?"...
"Do you know the ending
of a book when you start writing?"... "Can you tell me how I can be a
writer too?"...
I'll talk about the
challenges and joys of the creative process.
Presentations for Adults
Writing and Publishing Books for Children
An overview of the world of
children's books and what it takes to break in to a profession that's extremely
competitive but highly rewarding. There will be time for
Q&A at the end.
Presentations for Writers
Your Foot in the Door: Query Letters that Work
How do you get editors to read your stories even at "closed
houses"? With a great query letter! Learn when to send a query, what
information to include, and how a query is different from a cover letter.
Voice in Young Adult Fiction
"Voice" is the writer's personality on the page. In this hands-on workshop, we'll compare published examples of distinct voices in literature, and then try exercises that help each writer unlock his or her own unique writing personality.
