Appearances
Author Talks 2021
My Books and Other Animals: Middle-Upper Primary book/author talk
Samantha has always loved animals and the outdoors, but never dreamt of becoming a writer. But when she realised the problems facing our wildlife, she knew she had to do something. Discover how Samantha went about researching and writing her younger reader novels including Smooch & Rose, Mister Cassowary, Wombat Warriors and Turtle Trackers and how she uses every day experiences to help her writing.
Area of interest: writing, animals, behind the scenes, life as an author
Audience age: Grade 2-6, Age 7-12
Talk format: Large or small audiences, approx. 45-60 mins
Talk requirements: projector, laptop to plug in a USB
Everyone Has a Voice: Upper Primary-Secondary book/author talk
Imagine being trapped inside a body that won’t walk, can’t talk and refuses to do anything you want it to do? Samantha’s book “Everything I’ve Never Said” was inspired by her youngest daughter, born with a rare genetic disorder called Rett Syndrome. She can’t communicate even the simplest things like I’m cold, I’m hungry or I love you Mum. Hear how Samantha went about capturing her voice to create a fictional story about empathy, understanding and triumph.
Area of interest: disabilities, kindness, understanding, family, empowerment, communication
Audience age: Grade 5-12, Age 10- adult
Talk format: Large or small audiences, approx. 45-60 mins
Talk requirements: projector, laptop to plug in a USB
For more information, please contact Speakers Ink
Writing Workshops 2021
1. Narrative Writing:
So, you want to write a story? But the page is blank. Where do you start? How do you finish? Let me help you plan your story so that it starts with a boom, races across the page, and comes to a satisfying end. Become the champion of storytelling in one short workshop that is sure to leave your narrative shining.
Workshop format: (Class size: up to 30 students, between 1-2 hours)
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Plan a story, ensure a great start, develop rising tension and create a well-rounded ending
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Discussion. Have you structured your story? Have you planned a satisfying ending?
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Brainstorm the use of language and sentence structure to create tension, description, and dialogue.
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Draft a short narrative piece.
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2. Persuasive Writing:
You have something to say, and you’re not afraid to say it? Join us as we cover persuasive language, effective
paragraphs, and never-fail transition words. Your argument will grab the attention of anyone who dares to read it.
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Workshop format: (Class size: up to 30 students, between 1-2 hours)
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Group discussion. What techniques make an argument strong?
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Brainstorming using visual stimulus
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Planning the argument
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Drafting (using the plan and a template) the argument
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Review. What did you do well? What can you do better?
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3. Dialogue:
You’re writing a heart racing adventure story and your pencil is nearly flying off the page. Your hero is about to tackle an alien/save the day/win the prize when he says …Oh no! It looks like you could do with some help with that dialogue. Let me show you how to make your dialogue add rather than detract from your nail-biting story.
Workshop format: (Class size: up to 30 students, 1 hour)
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Brainstorm what dialogue is for.
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How do we write dialogue? What do we need? How can we make it realistic? How do we punctuate it?
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A piece of dialogue is created, edited and work-shopped.
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4. Character:
For some, story starts with the hero, rather than the problem. But how do you create believable characters, ones that readers will really fall for, empathise with, and cheer for the whole story through?
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Workshop format: (Class size: up to 30 students, 1 hour)
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Brainstorm the characters you’ve enjoyed in the past.
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Run through a series of exercises to get to know your main characters – how do they react in certain situations, what are their habits, problems, likes and dislikes?
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A unique character is created and work shopped into a story.
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