Contact Me!
Several people have asked if I teach workshops. The answer is yes; I lead both writing and storytelling workshops. Below is a description of current offerings.
Abbreviations:B = beginning level
Adv = advanced level
C = children (grades 3 through 6)
Tw = 'tweens (grades 7 through 9)
AT = advanced teens (grades 10 through 12)
A = adult
M = mixed ages, family groups
Writing Workshops
NOTICE: I no longer offer short, one-day writing workshops. Good writing does not happen quickly. Anything I could teach in such a brief encounter is readily available to the students and their teachers in their textbooks. I teach beyond the text, assuming participants already have mastered the textual information.
"Heirloom Stories" is the exception. Contact me for more information regarding this workshop.
The Essential Five-paragraph Essay
(Tw, AT)
Fee: Depends on how long each session runs and how many sessions are requested.
This workshop is popular with home educators who want to help their students prepare for college admission tests. I strongly suggest that the parent who teaches English attend and participate with his or her students.
Prerequisites: A working knowledge of English grammar and mechanics.
Before the workshop:
- Submit a sample of the student's prose writing to skc.storyteller[at sign]ballstate.bsu.edu.
- Download and print the workbook I will send you by email. Note: This workbook is copyrighted. I grant workshop participants permission to print one copy for their use in conjunction with the workshop.
- Please note that this is not a grammar/mechanics workshop. The presenter assumes a working knowledge of these things as a prerequisite.
- The workbook
- Plenty of paper
- Pens or pencils, erasers (Come on. You know you'll need an eraser.)
- A dictionary and/or thesaurus
- A brown-bag lunch (unless the hosts are providing lunch) and something to drink
Imagine That!
A Creative Writing Workshop
(B, Adv, C, Tw, AT, A, M: This workshop can be tailored to the demographic composition of the class)
Fee: Depends on how long each session runs and how many sessions are requested.
This is a workshop in which participants sharpen their skills in writing fiction and creative non-fiction. We will address plotting, character development, setting and scene, writing conventions, snagging a good hook, and how to nudge a stubborn muse.
Prerequisites: A working knowledge of English grammar and mechanics.
See "Bring with you to the workshop" above. Bring those things.
Heirloom Stories
An Interactive Workshop for Scrappers and Family Historians
Scrappers' Fee: $25 per participant
Bring everything you need to scrap and write and a brown-bag lunch. This is a six-hour workshop.
Family historians' Fee: $20 per participant
Bring writing materials. This is a three-hour workshop and includes research information.
Storytelling Workshops
For fee information regarding the following programs, please contact the Storyteller at skc.storyteller ["at" sign] ballstate.bsu.edu.
Pack up all your "telling tools," and come along to one of these workshops. Don't think that participants will sit back in a corner listening to me chatter about the joys of storytelling. Each workshop is very interactive.
Fees vary according to number of participants and length of workshop. Contact me for details at skc.storyteller [at sign] ballstate.bsu.edu.
Tell-Tale Kids!
(B or Adv. C)
Preferred minimum length for this workshop is six hours, which includes lunch time, prep/rehearsal time for a short, short story; large group, small group, and solo activities; as well as a concluding olio. This can be a residency, also, that extends over several days or weeks and moves from beginning to advanced levels, always with the child in mind. Participants should bring plenty of paper and pens or pencils.
Tell Me a Book!
A Workshop for Those Who Work with ChildrenThe Word Alive!
The Art of Telling a Bible Account
Preparing the Historical Tale
The Process of Researching, Preparing, and Presenting the Historical Tale
Do you have an idea for a workshop that is not listed here? Let me know. Perhaps I can custom craft one for your group.
"To those who have never heard a pro teller," Sharon says, "I would say that a good raconteur works in tandem with the audience members to comprise a repertory company of two. The teller provides all the characters and supplies the vivid imagery through language, expression, vocal dynamics, gesture, movement, and any other 'telling tools' the teller deems appropriate. The audience--each one individually--uses that imagery to paint the set, supply the props, and create the special effects on the stage of his or her imagination. No two audience members will see or hear exactly the same thing. This ancient art is interactive and personal."
Please note: The Storyteller makes no attempt to be "politically correct." She seeks only to tell the truth, inasmuch as her research reveals it.
More to come. Please check back. Thanks.
