I offer the following workshops for those who are interested in hearing my lovely voice speak at your conferences/chapter meetings. Please e-mail me for further information.
Writing the YA Novel
It’s one of the hottest genres today. Young Adult encompasses everything from paranormal, mystery, romance, and literary fiction. The purpose of this workshop is to get you familiar with the subgenre you want to work with in YA, what to research and where to get your research. YA, like every other fiction genre is broken up into goal motivation and conflict. This workshop will help you become familiar with what goals teens have, what conflicts teens deal with and what motivates them. You’ll learn about the settings in the YA genre, how dialog is an important key to your YA voice, and what makes a great YA series. You will learn the five golden rules of YA that can help ease beginners into the market or veterans sharpen their skills. Most importantly, you’ll learn that YA isn’t written in a foreign language and it’s the most fun route to take to get in touch with your inner teenager…or the cool inner teenager you always wanted to be.
Having been unpopular in high school is not just cause for book publications.
-Fran Lebowitz
Fundamentals of Writing
The hero’s journey. The three act structure. Hooking from page one. Character arcs. Scene and sequel. Goal, motivation and conflict. I’m sure all of you have heard of these things, but how do you make sense of it all and apply it to your first (or even second) book? This workshop is for writers who don’t know how to make sense out of all of the information thrown at them. The web, other author friends, and books are great sources for figuring out what you need to do, but sometimes it gets overwhelming. In ‘Craft Basics,’ I’ll help you clear away the clutter and focus on how to slowly apply the writing tools that can sometimes feel daunting.
There is no rule on how to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly: sometimes it’s like drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges.
– Ernest Hemingway
Brainstorming Your Next Book
Let’s face it. As writers you have ideas that just float around in your head and you have no clue what to do with them. This workshop will help you get the wheels turning. We’ll start with exploring what genres you want to work with, your readership, and what type of work you want to complete. We’ll then explore different characters and character traits, settings, conflicts, and other elements that will help shape your story. At the end of the workshop, you’ll go home with a solid start to your next story. It doesn’t matter if you’re a plotter or a pantser, you’ll benefit from a great brainstorming session that could take you weeks or months to accomplish on your own!
You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.
– Jack London
Mind the Culture Gap: Using Asian Cultural and Traditional Techniques for Better Time Management
We’ve all heard the stereotypes: Asian children are smart, multi-talented, and over all, extremely successful. However, it’s not because Asian children are born geniuses. Trust me, I’m living proof. Cultural and traditional methods of raising children are used to create successful individuals. But what are these methods? In this workshop, I break down the training method and time management skills most Asian families use to train their children for the future. What may seem like impossible techniques to learn can be categorized into five major principles that you can apply to your writing for more success in attaining your goals and managing your time. With each principle, I break down strategic methods in easy to-do steps so you as a writer can practice the principle in your life.
There’s nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.
– Walter Wellesley “Red” Smith
Queries, Synopses, & Blurbs, Oh My!
After reading hundreds of queries, editing just as my synopses and blurbs, I’ve developed a technique to help you with these tedious and difficult tasks in the writing business. Queries and synopses can not only be used for capturing an agent or editor’s attention, but it can also help you understand your story better. I explain the structure of a few different types of queries and ways to tackle them. I also go through the one page, short and long versions of a synopsis and walk you through how to complete it from start to finish. Last but not least, I discuss blurbs and provide examples of some of the most effective blurbs I’ve read as an intern, a freelance editor, and a critique partner. We will dissect the blurbs and examine what makes them so compelling. At the end of this workshop, you will have a clear understanding on what you need to do to work through your query, synopsis and blurb woes!
I try to leave out the parts that people skip.
-Elmore Leonard
