I am available to read from my books and talk about writing and publishing to any group of teenagers and/or adults. Young people are often interested in hearing about a writer’s journey to publication and it is eye-opening and, hopefully, inspiring for them to hear about the perseverance and hard-work that are essential in becoming a published author.
Since I am also an English teacher, I can approach the books from a more academic angle, exploring the books’ literary elements with students and talking about how the author approaches these. Students find it interesting to hear that a writer often works on quite a sub-conscious level when it comes to the figurative aspects of a text, like symbolism and imagery.
For the aspiring young adult novelist, I can talk about the various concerns that are particular to writing for young people: voice, authenticity, language, morals and/or message (as in, does a young adult novel always need one?). I can also share my experiences with editors and publishers over language and content issues and provide tips on how to approach publishers and get involved in the children’s writing community.
For teen writers, I have developed a workshop entitled Show not Tell, which allows students to practice using concrete language that sets a tone and conveys emotions without always labeling them. Students write character descriptions, metaphors and dialogue in which they focus on showing, rather than telling, how characters are feeling. We also look at short passages from YA novels that succeed in conveying emotion through concrete language.
I am a member of the Quebec Writers-in-the-school and Writers-in-the-cegep programs and can be invited into your Quebec classroom through these programs. I am also available for readings and/or workshops at libraries in Quebec.
I am also willing to travel to areas within driving distance to Montreal, such as eastern Ontario, northern Vermont and New York states. Naturally, I would be thrilled to visit farther away places as well, circumstances permitting.
Please contact me at lorimaria.weber@gmail.com for information on fees and availability.
Lori Weber 