Paula is a born teacher. Though she retired from teaching mathematics at Burleson High School, the drive to help people understand is in her genes. You may book Paula to speak at your events, where she will happily share the knowledge about writing and publishing she has gained over the years. She knows from her 19 years of experience in the classroom that being a talking head is not effective teaching. She designs her discussions so there is plenty of student participation.
Some of her topics are listed below.
“Michael Hague’s The Hero’s Two Journeys”
Paula breaks down the information-dense online webinar by Michael Hague where he explains the Hero’s Two Journeys. She goes through the six different stages and five turning points of the Hero’s outer journey, and the six stages of the inner journey. Authors receive a document that ties all the parts and pieces together, and also a blank timeline chart to use while planning their own novels.
“So You Wanna Be A Writer?”
In So You Wanna Be a Writer, Paula addresses basic guidelines to writing well and walks students through common pitfalls in writing. This is a good beginning self-editing course.
“Promote Yourself!”
This presentation is a compilation of the different methods Paula has tried, including the success (or lack thereof) to promote her books. The ideas range from free-of-charge to $$$. She includes links to websites or services where applicable, and explains the various businesses who offer their help with promotional activities. You’ll find something that fits your niche and personality.
“How to Write a Good Scene”
Paula found it hard to decipher what her critique partners meant when they said, “This scene doesn’t move the story forward.” When she asked for an explanation, she got things like, “If the scene serves no purpose, it doesn’t move the story forward.” In her mind, since she wrote the scene, it had a purpose. So how do you decide if it’s doing its job? After reading a few books on scenes, written by such notables as Randy Ingermanson and James Scott Bell, she created a checklist of questions to ask and answer. If she can’t answer the questions, the scene is missing its purpose – mainly, to provide conflict and something for her characters to struggle with. In this presentation, Paula shares examples garnered from the craft books she read and samples from her own writing, along with the checklist she uses. Amp up your conflict by writing scenes that do actually move the story forward, and you’ll keep your readers on the edge of their seats.
“How to Get Things Done As a Writer”
Paula walks you through various tips and tricks to stay focused. Writers often work from home, and it is easy to get distracted. Learn about setting goals, coming up with a vision statement, good habits to form, and determining when you are most creative.
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