Speakers Bureau

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
Lao Tzu (4th Century B.C.)

Liberty States Fiction Writers members offer workshops on a number of different subjects. Following is a list of LSF Writers speakers and the workshops which they can offer to your organization. To contact a LSF Writers Member about presenting a workshop, please click on “Contact” to send the author an e-mail.

Workshops Offered by our LSF Writers Members

Avocato, LoriContact Lori

  • SELL YOURSELF, SELL THAT BOOK!
    Length of Workshop: 1 hour
    Multipublished author, Lori Avocato, shares years of experience in self promotion. Her first book went into a second printing, before it even came out.

DeStefano, AnnaContact Anna

    All Presentations are one hour unless otherwise noted

  • Planning Through Character: Meet Your Characters First — They’re your story. Plan your next novel by researching and plotting character growth–BEFORE you write the first word. An effective process is presented for planning story arc by researching your character’s emotional development from the past, through the beginning, middle and end of your novel. Once you’ve detailed this emotional journey, your writing is freed to find the exciting and unique plot points you’ll need to show the character groWtll readers will identify with and keep tnrning the page to enjoy.
  • Draft Writing: Improvisation–Twelve steps to putting your planning to work and letting your creativity thrive. Draft writing requires you to trust YOU1″ training, your planning and your writing, then letting yourself let go and play. Your character and story creativity are never purer than during the rough draft stage. This workshop discusses the difficult process of writing through the end of your story, without stalling your creativity by chronically re-planning or indulging in rewriting before the draft is done.
  • Revision: Learn to Rewrite–Finishing the manuscript is just the beginning: Tools and techniques for navigating the editorial revisions necessary to sell yom” next manuscript. Publishing is a team sport. The better your personal revision process is before you submit your work, and the better you can work with an editor’s feedback and revision rewriting requests, the more likely your chances of becoming a prolific published author, Revision fear is discussed, along with self-editing and editorial revision techniques and guidelines.
  • Half-day Craft Seminar: Planning and Rewriting–Illustrating the critical connection between two writing extremes that work hand-in-hand. Stndents are encouraged to bring their works-in-progress so they can apply the principles taught and illustrated throughout the seminar. The author uses specific examples from her own planning, and rewriting documents to augment the curriculum (an interactive, intensive workshop, 3 hours).
  • All-day Craft Seminar: Your Creative Process from Beginning to End–A comprehensive course teaching the integration of character planning, improvisation and rewriting techniques into your writing process. Students are encouraged to bring their works-in-progress so they can apply the principles taught and illustrated throughout the seminar. The author uses specific examples from her own planning, drafting and rewriting documents to augment the curriculum (an interactive, intensive workshop, 5 hours).
  • Process-Oriented Writing: You Control the Writing–Focus on what you control, because results beyond submitting the work for consideration are out of your hands. A small-step approach for sticking with the writing, while the publishing world spins at full-tilt around you.
  • Speak Up: Communication Skills That Can Make Or Break Your Career–An introduction to the listening skills, assertiveness and boundary techniques essential to building lasting professional relationships in the fast-paced, team-oriented world of professional publishing.
  • She Said, She Said: Communication Skills That Can Make or Break Your Career–An introduction to the listening skills, assertiveness and boundary techniques essential to building lasting professional relationships in the fast-paced, team-oriented world of professional publishing (an interactive workshop, taught with literary agent Michelle Grajkowski, 3 Seas Literary Agency).
  • Talk To Yourself: Recognizing and Maintaining Career-Making Boundaries–An intensive presentation of the techniques used to set professional boundaries and maintain relationships with those whose communication styles differ from yours (can be presented solo, or with literary agent Michelle Grajkowski, 3 Seas Literary Agency).
  • Half-day Communication Seminar: Communication Skills, Assertiveness and Boundary-setting Techniques–A comprehensive presentation of the above material, focusing on building and maintaining relationships within publishing (can be an interactive seminar, when presented with literary agent Michelle Grajkowski, 3 hours).
  • So You Want to Sign with an Agent Before You Sell: A Discussion of the Unpublished Author/ Agent Dynamic–A myth-busting workshop that discusses how to handle your business and target your writing so you have the best chance to acquire an agent who can help secure your first publishing contract (can be presented with literary agent Michelle Grajkowski, 3 Seas Literary Agency).
  • Going to Market: Finding Your Publishing Home— Take the time to shop around before making decisions about your career. Everyone wants a great book deal, but how do know which deal is right for you? This presentation includes instruction on researching your voice, genre, and potential publishers so you know where your work fits; watching trends without chasing them; planning for market changes by evaluating where your work is most flexible; avoiding snap-decisions when an opportunity seems too good to be true; and knowing when it’s time to make a move from what’s safe, and risk taking your career to the next level.
  • Pitch Seminar: An interactive workshop covering planning, prepping for and presenting your manuscript pitch to an editor or agent–Students are encouraged to bring their story pitch, pitch to the group, modify the pitch based on seminar instruction and group feedback, then to pitch to the group again at the conclusion of the class (2-3 hours, depending on the size of the group).

Doran, Kat HenryContact Kat

  • They Ain’t All Named Bundy, Dahmer, or Gacey
    Length: 90 minutes preferably
    A nurse/victim advocate shares her years of experience working in the trenches with sexual assault victims, dispelling the myths and misconceptions about sex offenders so that authors don’t fall into the traps presented by print and electronic media.
  • Paper Not Plastic
    Length: 90 minutes preferably
    Don’t let your book be the one that’s thrown against the wall by someone who knows the scoop. Using her experience as a victim advocate and sexual assault nurse examiner, author Kat Henry Doran shows writers how not to repeat the horrendous mistakes she has seen on TV, movie screens, and read in that NYT best seller.
  • The Wit and Wisdom of Victim Advocates
    Nurse/advocate Kat Henry Doran’s goal is to educate and inform writers about a little known and under-appreciated profession. What draws people into “the life”. What keeps them there; what drives them away; what are the possible story lines.

Pineiro, CaridadContact Caridad

  • BRAINY, BEAUTIFUL AND KICK-BUTT
    Length of Workshop: 1 hour
    Caridad explains how to create kick-butt heroines using the Diana archetype. The workshop will also explain some of the other female archetypes so that you can create realistic female characters.
  • HE SAID, SHE SAID AND OTHER ELEMENTS OF EFFECTIVE DIALOGUE
    Length of Workshop: 1 hour
    Caridad discusses how to create effective dialogue and how to understand the subtext in communications between men and women in order to create conflict and compelling dialogue.
  • PERILS AND PITFALLS OF PUBLISHING CONTRACTS
    Length of Workshop: 1 hour
    Caridad explains the basic terms authors can expect to see in a publishing contract and which perils to avoid in order to avoid future problems with your publisher.
  • LOST IN CYBERSPACE: HOW TO CREATE AN EFFECTIVE WEB PRESENCE
    Length of Workshop: 1 hour
    Caridad and Rayna Vause discuss the basics of building a website and how to make it an effective presence on the Internet. Caridad and Rayna will explain the use of metatags, search engines, blogs and social networks in order to increase your presence on the web.
  • WRITE FOR FRIGHT
    Length of Workshop: 1 hour
    Caridad discusses how to write for fright, including a discussion of various fright genres, such as horror and paranormals. Caridad explains the basics of world building and how to use those basics to write for fright.

Vause, RaynaContact Rayna

  • LOST IN CYBERSPACE: HOW TO CREATE AN EFFECTIVE WEB PRESENCE
    Length of Workshop: 1 hour
    Rayna and Caridad Pineiro discuss the basics of building a website and how to make it an effective presence on the Internet. Caridad and Rayna will explain the use of metatags, search engines, blogs and social networks in order to increase your presence on the web.

Winston, LoisContact Lois

  • TOP 10 REASONS A MANUSCRIPT IS REJECTED
    Length of workshop: This is a 1 week long, online workshop that can be tailored to fit a 1 or 2 hour presentation.
    Most manuscripts get rejected by agents and editors for one or more of 10 basic reasons. Writers have control over some of these reasons but not all of them. Award-winning author and agency associate Lois Winston will discuss these 10 reasons and how writers can control more of their destiny by not falling prey to them.
  • THE CONTEST DIVA’S GUIDE TO THE INS AND OUTS AND UPS AND DOWNS OF WRITING CONTESTS
    Length of workshop: This is a 2 week long, online workshop that can be tailored to fit a 1 or 2 hour presentation.
    Drawing from her experiences as a multi-contest winner, contest judge, contest coordinator, and someone who sold as a result of a contest, award-winning author Lois will cover the pros and cons of entering contests, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages for the beginning writer, the intermediate writer, and those writers on the verge of publication. Lois will discuss the various types of writing contests and how to determine which contests are best to enter, based on the writer’s goals and expectations. She will cover everything from the financial to the emotional. From the need for a dynamic opening sentence to the chapter ending hook. From scores and feedback (or lack of it) to staying organized. From contest complaints to contest etiquette.
  • PREPARING YOUR MANUSCRIPT FOR THE EDITOR OR AGENT OF YOUR DREAMS
    Length of workshop: 1 or 2 hr. presentation
    Even though there are people who will tell you there are no “rules” to writing genre fiction, the truth is, there are rules. Not the kind of rules that say a hero and heroine must meet by a certain page but rules to good writing. In this workshop award-winning author Lois Winston will cover these rules, touching on all the basics. The workshop gives a broad overview of everything from how to format a manuscript to self-editing tips. From understanding passive voice vs. passive verbs to showing vs. telling. From hooks to synopsis. From point of view to common grammar and punctuation errors. Knowing, understanding, and using these rules can work to a writer’s advantage.
  • HELP! I’VE LOST MY MUSE!
    Length of workshop: 1 or 2 hr. presentation
    What do you do when your muse takes off for parts unknown and leaves you staring at a blank computer screen? In this hands-on workshop award-winning author Lois Winston offers some unorthodox tips for recapturing that AWOL muse, banishing writer’s block and stimulating creativity.
  • JUDGE TRAINING FOR CHAPTER CONTESTS
    Length of workshop: 1 or 2 hours live workshop or online for 2 weeks if lectures are given every day, one month if given every other day with alternate days open for Q and A Some optional homework
    Award-winning author Lois Winston, a multi-contest winner and former contest coordinator, has presented judge training workshops to both local and online chapters who run writing contests. The Judge Training is designed to:

    • Help identify and understand personal biases
    • Help identify strengths and weaknesses
    • Teach the difference between “judging” and “critiquing”
    • Give a better understanding of the romance “rules,” whether or not
      they really do exist, and how they apply to the contest submission
    • Give a working knowledge of the “nuts and bolts” of writing
    • Help determine whether an individual can be an effective judge
  • WHAT EVERY WRITER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT QUERY LETTERS
    Length of workshop: 1 or two hours (with hands-on participation)
    A query letter is your foot in the editor’s or agent’s door. A good query letter will open that door wide for you. A bad query letter will slam that door in your face. Learn what to include in a query letter as well as what not to include to optimize your chances of getting your manuscript requested.

A Multi-Genre Fiction Writers Organization