My goal for school visits is to demystify the writing process and make writing fun for kids.

"From Idea to Published Book" is my most popular offering.  It's a lively one hour session for individual classes or for groups of up to about 100 kids.  I tailor my presentation to the age of the group.

I talk about where I get my ideas and about the writing process.  Hands-on materials such as a rough draft (or "sloppy copy"), revisions, book contract, editor's comments, uncut press sheet, color separation sheets, and my rejections (very popular with all kids!) are always included.  I reinforce what teachers are already teaching their students about the writing process.  Plus, I customize my presentations to include any additional material the teachers want covered.  I always read at least one of my books to the group.

For individual classes, I offer a variety of one hour group writing experiences such as "Making Your Writing Come Alive," "Mystery Animal Group Story," "Revision Made Visible," "Group Poetry," and writing games such as a "Sensory Detail Game" and "Show not Tell Game."  I customize these writing workshops to meet the needs of the teachers and the classes.

For educators, I offer one hour inservice presentations about the writing process and about how to make writing fun for kids.  In these workshops I involve educators in fun and engaging writing activities which they can bring back to their classrooms..

In my Writing Workshops, I create an atmosphere where people feel safe and motivated to express, explore, and discover more about themselves.

I offer Memoir Writing Workshops and/or Journal Writing Workshops for high schoool students and for adults.  Writing is a powerful tool.  In Journal Writing, participants gain both journaling techniques and profound insights about themselves.  All journal writing is private.  

In Memoir Writing, participants recall and capture rich and valuable stories.  And by sharing these stories with others, they discover and experience a deep sense of commonality.

I also offer customized Writing Retreats for women's groups, church and temple groups, libriaries, and many other organizations.  These may include Memoir Writing, Journal Writing, Writing Children's Literature.