I bring my own laptop and only need an LCD projector, screen and an electrical outlet. All the presentations feature a PowerPoint deck and a Q&A period at the end.

I pitch my presentations at different levels to children or adults, I can speak about

The mechanics of writing

• Where to find inspiration
• How to get your thoughts together
• The routine/discipline of putting fingers to keyboard
• The importance of rereading your work
• The role of editors
• How to improve your writing

The writing life

• Choosing writing as a career
• Qualifications, training, certification, getting experience
• Freelancing or in-house… Full-time or part-time…
• Why did I become a writer
• Types of writing and what to expect career-wise from them
• Working with others
• Professionalism
• Knowing good writing from bad
• Understanding your reader
• Plain language
• Complementary skills

The creative life

From Highrise To Haystack

• How creative writing differs from corporate writing
• ISBNs and bar codes
• Preparing front- and back-end copy
• The creative process
• The publishing process
• Marketing in an electronic age
• Reading of a chapter from Highrise

I Once Was Here

• Finding the story
• The creative process, storyboards
• Writing for an “audio-visual” project
• Research and information gaps
• Music and audio
• Preparing front- and back-end copy
• The production process
• ISBNs and bar codes
• Marketing
• Viewing of a chapter from the DVD

How much will it cost?

No charge for a presentation on a weekday evening within a 15-minute drive of home (Gallingertown, Ontario).

$40 for a presentation on a weekday evening within a 30-minute drive of Gallingertown.

$0.40c/km for a presentation on a weekday evening within an hour’s drive of Gallingertown.

$300 for a half-day (two presentations) or $500 for a full day (four presentations) for schools. Two or three schools in the same area are welcome to pool the cost of the full-day rate if you can transport me from one to another.

I am happy to do out-of-region presentations. Contact me to find out more.