I'm happy to consider school visits or other speaking engagements to libraries or conferences. Please contact me at mwyatt@melissawyatt.com or use the form below to discuss program content, fees and scheduling.

To see my current schedule, click here.

I offer various presentations suitable for grades 6 through 12 on the following:

TALES OF A PROFESSIONAL LIAR
-What does it take to be a writer? How does someone become a writer? What's it like to be a writer? It's probably different for everyone, but I can tell you my hows, whats and whys, discuss being a creative liar, and describe how a book goes from idea to the reader's hands. Includes a Q&A segment.

LIE MASTER: EASY, FUN WRITING EXERCISES
-Short, painless exercises for smaller, classroom-based talks, centering on the concept of creative lying, creating and knowing characters and story starters. Students will be guided through writing several short, creative pieces on characterization, setting and opening paragraphs.

THE GRIFFIN'S TALE
-For groups that have read RAISING THE GRIFFIN, an indepth look at where the idea came from, historical precedents, historical context, creation of Rovenia and the Varenhoff dynasty, a look at modern royalty and open discussion of various themes in the book.

Presentations can be tailored to meet scheduling needs or elements from various programs can be combined. I will speak to as many as three large groups in one day or four smaller, classroom-based groups or a combination of the two.

I can easily travel to schools or libraries in the South-Eastern Pennsylvania and Northern Maryland areas. Engagements outside these areas may require travel expenses such as train or airfare and hotel accomodations.

For excellent information on hosting authors in your school, as well as a list of authors who do school visits by state, please visit the website of author/librarian goddess extraordinaire, Toni Buzzeo.

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For writers groups, SCBWI conferences, libraries or bookstores:

STRONGER, FASTER, DEEPER: LEARNING TO LOVE REVISION WITH A PASSION
-An organized (believe it or not) approach to revising for those who loathe the very idea, employing after-the-fact outlining, scene-by-scene analysis and focusing techniques to keep from falling into "pleasure read mode."

WRITE WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW
-How to bypass the most misunderstood rule in writing, "write what you know" and use what you really do know to inform what you love and can learn about, using the research and world-building employed in the writing of RAISING THE GRIFFIN as an example.

BREAKING OUT AND BREAKING IN
-Basics on writing and publishing young adult fiction, including knowing the genre, polishing your work, learning the market, targeting your manuscript and the importance of persistence in a mondo-buyers market.