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School Visits
“Once upon a time," he said out loud to the darkness. He said these words because they were the best, the most powerful words that he knew and just the saying of them comforted him.”
― Kate DiCamillo, The Tale of Despereaux
I don't distinguish the value writing has brought to my life from the joy I feel when I share my love of writing with others, especially children. Writing can be a comfort, writing can be salvation, writing can be so many things.
Invite me to your school, library, or summer camp in California and I'll motivate children with stories from my life and I'll lead exercises to inspire a love of writing. I'm also available for virtual workshops if you live outside of California. Below is a list of 45 minute workshops I offer.
The How I Became an Author Presentation
As a little girl with a severe stutter, I found an escape and home in my typewriter. I typed my first stories at age seven and fell deeply in love with writing. In this presentation, I show pictures of myself as a child and read from a couple of the humorous stories I penned at that young age. I share about my journey to becoming a published author. Then I read an excerpt from Maggie’s Big Break and answer any questions from the students.
The Why Journaling Rocks Workshop
I’ve kept a journal since I was six years old. In this workshop, I show pictures of myself and excerpts (often humorous) from my childhood journals, along with some of the stories I wrote as a child. I explain how writing down my feelings and ideas boosted my confidence and anchored me during times that bullying made life. I explain how keeping a journal regularly kept me focused on my goal of becoming a published author. Students receive a prompt and do a short timed writing exercise to get them started with how to journal.
The Rock the Risk Bumper Sticker Workshop
In Maggie’s Big Break, when Maggie auditioned for a play for the first time and was suffering from nerves, her father created a motto for Maggie: Rock The Risk. Remembering her father’s words helps Maggie feel more confident and stay focused on her goal. Maggie continues to use his motto as a source of inspiration, even taping a bumper sticker with the words inside her locker on the 1st day of sixth grade. In this workshop, students first imagine a goal they have that makes them a little nervous, then they come up with their own bumper sticker slogan to help inspire confidence in themselves to pursue this goal, and then they write a short story about themselves in 3rd person achieving their goal with the help of the slogan.
The Small and Immediately Workshop
When I was considering starting a small business, I attended a workshop where a woman advised anyone starting something new to do it: “Small and Immediately.” This stuck with me and is advice I give to anyone who wants to start writing. In this workshop, I read the first draft of the first chapter of Maggie’s Big Break and then I share what was eventually published. Students will see how tiny seeds of the idea are still in the published book, and that it’s good I started small and immediately. Next students do a timed writing exercise in which they come up with a small and immediate idea In 5 minutes and then those that would like can share what they wrote. I offer positive feedback and suggestions on how to develop as a story. Students then have ten minutes to continue the story.