People keep asking, so I thought I’d assemble this in one place, so I can just send a link. Here’s my current repertoire of writing presentations. Unless otherwise noted, all are prepared to fit into the typical “hour”—meaning 40-60 minutes. Most or all of the longer ones could be abridged to that length if desired.
Topics available almost anytime, on short notice if necessary
These are presentations I’ve prepared and presented at conferences and smaller gatherings of writers. Most of these I’ve presented more than once—in a few cases, half a dozen times in the past two or three years. (If you want to know what, where, and when, check out the Author Appearances section of this page.) I often polish and update a presentation, and I routinely customize it in some ways for a specific setting or audience.
Being a Good Critique Partner—how to give useful critique as an alpha reader, beta reader, or other critique partner or a member of a critique group.
Crafting Authentic Young Character Voices—characteristics of young character and narrator voices and how to write them.
How to Become an Author, Starting Today—All authors are writers; not all writers are authors. Short version: writers write; authors write and publish. Twelve things (the number is subject to change) you can start doing today, if you’re not already doing them, to work toward being an author whose thoughts and creations are out there for others to experience.
It’s (Almost) All in the Voice—on authorial voice (what it is and how to find it) and writing narrative and character voices. One focus is a character’s internal and external voices, when they’re different and participating in the same conversation.
Making It Strange: Defamiliarization—defamiliarization slows reader perception and helps readers to see things differently or see things they’ve learned not to see. It’s what art does inherently, but it’s also a useful tool in the toolbox, and sometimes it changes the world.
Making Promises and Setting Hooks: Crafting Great Beginnings—a 2-hour or 3-hour workshop on crafting great beginnings, looking at many beginnings (including some from the class and one or two from me) and discussing the few things a beginning must do and the many things it can do.
Self-publishing: My Rookie Experience—details on the many necessary steps, from creating my own publishing imprint to marketing.
Worldbuilding? You’ll Need Some Government—a whirlwind survey of basic political theory and comparative government for nonspecialists, emphasizing many possible points of tension and conflict, and how to decide how much government your story needs and which parts.
Writing Short Fiction: Who Should Do It, and When and Why and How—emphasizes why and how.
You Can’t Make a Long Story Short, but You Can Make a Short Story—how to write short stories and what to do with them once they’re written, intended mostly for novelists who want to try short fiction but useful for others.
Topics I’m developing, so advance notice is required
These are topics I’ve proposed to conferences, but they haven’t been accepted yet, or which I’m planning to present somewhere in the near future. In either case, they’re not ready yet, so I’ll need some advance notice, and my schedule will have to allow enough prep time. That said, it certainly doesn’t hurt to ask.
Basic Atticus: Designing Your Book’s Interior—Atticus is the non-Apple world’s answer to Vellum. It’s far cheaper and easier to learn than Adobe InDesign.
Writing Faith in Fiction with Depth and Respect—principles and techniques for writing characters with religious faith, beyond stereotypes and with respect for faith itself, believers, unbelievers, and readers generally. A 40-120 minute session.
Writing for Contests—I’ve entered quite a few contests and judged several, and, yes, it’s subjective to a degree. Informed by both perspectives—participant and judge—we’ll discuss the benefits of writing for contests and several ways to improve our chances for success.
Writing Sentences that Soar—In skilled hands syntax, paragraphing, and punctuation aren’t just ways to put words together. They’re power tools. They can make ordinary prose soar without turning it purple (unless that’s what you want). They can guide our readers along logical and emotional paths we mark for them, adding energy and feeling and controlling pacing along the way. They may not know how we did it or why it works (when it does), but they’ll come back for more. In this workshop, we’ll learn and practice techniques for (once you have that first draft) making sentences, paragraphs, and pages come alive. A 2-hour or 3-hour workshop.
Other possibilities
If you want me to teach or speak on a particular topic that isn’t listed above, please ask. If I have anything to say on that topic and can do so with any credibility, I’m game. So please ask.
I’ve also organized and led boot camps for new writers, presented readings, participated on panels on various topics, and more. I know a number of other writers who are eager to help with such things. So, at the risk of repeating myself, if there’s something particular you want or need, please ask.
Travel, Honoraria, and Expenses
Some conferences pay presenters; some don’t. Most give presenters free admission, or at least offer a large discount. A few provide lodging and may defray other travel expenses. I’m okay with all those options.
Other groups, such as chapters of the League of Utah Writers, usually don’t pay, but some offer a small gift card or pay gas money as a thank-you. If you have the budget for such things, I won’t turn them down. But I don’t need or expect them.
I live in American Fork, and most of my in-person appearances are in Salt Lake County or Utah County, but I’ve lately roamed (or am scheduled to roam) as far as Brigham City, Ogden, St. George, and even Denver, mostly at my own expense. I’ll tell you if what you’re asking isn’t something I can do, because of costs or any other reason. And I’ll try to add additional events to help justify longer trips.
I’m comfortable presenting online for groups which meet online, but in person is more fun.