School Visits and Book Clubs
In my day job, I teach writing to college students. I love teaching–I’m passionate about helping students become better writers and about sharing my love of books.
I offer free 15 minute Skype sessions for any class or book club that has read my book. Just send me a message through my contact form.
I’m also available for school visits. For more detailed information about the workshops I offer, you can find more here. Please contact me for rates.
I’m comfortable with both smaller groups and larger audiences. I like a hands-on approach to teaching, so most of my workshops incorporate some kind of hands-on application. Although my books are aimed at older readers (12 and up), I’m happy to speak to students from 4th-12th grades.
I’m available for half-day or full-day school visits, which include 45-60 minute workshops or presentations. Please contact me through my contact form or at rosalyn@rosalyneves.com
I offer the following workshops/presentations, though I’m also happy to speak to a topic of the school or teacher’s choice.
A Writer’s Journey
In this presentation, I talk to students about my own journey to publication (I started writing when I was 11, but it took many years after that to get published) and we explore some of the steps of the writing process, from drafting the initial idea of a story to revising. We look at examples of the way Blood Rose Rebellion evolved over several edits, and then I offer students some ideas on how to revise their own work (and give them time to practice). Many students believe that good writers are naturally good from the first draft–this presentation emphasizes that it’s really revision that helps make stories shine.
Writing Fantasy and World-building
One of the things that makes fantasy appealing is the rich, inventive worlds that spring up around such stories. In this workshop, we talk about some of the basic elements of creating a world, and how that world can shape the sorts of stories you write about it. As part of the workshop, the class works together to create a world that can serve as a springboard for creative writing stories.
Beyond Google: Using Research in your Writing
As both a college instructor and a writer, I rely on research all the time. In this presentation, I talk about some of the research I did for my Blood Rose Rebellion trilogy, and then we talk about effective ways to find sources (beyond Google and Wikipedia) to add detail and richness to stories.
Writing Emotion: The Objective Correlative
This workshop works better for more advanced writers. Most of us are drawn to stories because of the emotions they inspire in us–fear, joy, love, hope. But creating that emotion in stories can be hard. Most writers know that it’s better to show emotion than tell readers what the characters feel–but sometimes not even showing the emotion works to help readers feel what the characters are feeling. In this workshop, we talk about five related strategies (known in academic terms as the objective correlative) for adding emotional depth to stories.
Using Critique Groups
For teachers looking to set up writing groups with their students, I’m also happy to talk about ways to effectively critique other people’s writing. This is a topic I’m passionate about–I make my students give one another feedback every semester, and I’ve worked with (and trained) writing tutors to give feedback to other students.
As I mentioned above, I’m also open to other topics. Just ask me!
“Rosalyn Eves came to my very full class of 8th graders. She presented a well constructed talk on the writing process geared specifically toward them. Her talk was both generally about the process of writing and getting published, and specifically about her wonderful book Blood Rose Rebellion. The students found her personal stories fascinating which led to many questions about their own writing process. I believe my students benefited from her presentation because Ms. Eves made the process seem accessible to them. They understood her struggles and related to her triumphs. I would highly recommend having Ms. Eves come to your classroom to discuss the writing process and her book Blood Rose Rebellion.”
–A. Michaud 8th grade teacher
Please contact me through my contact form or at rosalyn@rosalyneves.com