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"I
thoroughly enjoyed the too short time I spent
with you and the others in your seminar... Your
engaging, enthusiastic and personal presentation
held every second of my attention. "
(George Finley)
I love doing author visits, inspiring
others and being inspired in return.
I'm open to any of your suggestions for a visit,
but here are some suggestions.
I can visit schools, businesses, community groups,
libraries, bookshops etc.
Get some ideas here, then go to "Booking
a visit" for practical information.
Bunnies in search of a
publisher: for adults who want to get a children's
book published
Duration: 2 to 3 hours
Theme
Do you wish you could write or illustrate your
own children's story ... and get it published?
Should authors seek an illustrator? Should you
tell potential publishers how much your children
love your story? This and other ways to ruin all
your chances will be covered, as well as positive
means of getting there. I will share with you
all I've found out about the business of dealing
with publishers. If you've dreamed of doing a
children's book but haven't quite got round to
writing it, this ought to get you fired up.
How good?
I feel qualified to talk about this because the
process never ends. Though I guess when I'm a
celebrity, publishers will seek ME out... But
for now I'm learning all the time, so my information
is up to date.
The business of being an
illustrator
An informal lecture for illustration students
- so talented, but do they have any business sense?
Make sure they don't end up packing supermarket
shelves...
Enjoying
stories with your child
I sometimes talk to parents of young children about
the why and how of reading with your child. In an
hour I cover different types of reading and how
to make it come alive, talk about what's on the
page, and have a lovely, cosy time with your child.
You could invite parents in with their children,
and I could spend 20mn telling the kids a story
while the parents watch, then spend the rest of
the hour talking with the parents if the children
can be looked after in another room.
How to make stories come
alive
A college recently asked me to pass on my thoughts
and experience to their pre-NC students, most
of whom were going to study to become nursery
nurses. We looked at approaches to doing art with
small children (I got on my anti-colouring-in
soap-box), the joy of engaging in creative activities,
and looked at ways of presenting stories in an
engaging manner.
Doing art with small children
- nurturing creativity
I do feel passionately annoyed when nursery-age
children are given templates and colouring-in
sheets. I've collected wonderful examples of what
enlightened people are doing, and when you compare
it with those neat, sterile, and usually ugly
printouts children are given, you'll weep. By
sharing with you the creative process involved
in writing or drawing, I hope to fire up my audience
to nurture those same processes in children.
And the rest ....
Some progressive businesses bring in authors
to give creative writing workshops at work. Some
use artists. To me it sounds better than paintball
and other types of corporate entertainment I've
been spared. Here we're talking staff development,
improving relationships, enhancing creative thinking,
creating enthusiasm and broadening horizons. Possible
topics are:
- How do you generate ideas (mind-maps, free-writing,
free-drawing)
- I can't draw! (ah but look at your doodling!)
- I have a book inside me!
Back
to the top
Any questions? Do contact
me!
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