Anna DeStefano Workshop Summary

ANNA DESTEFANO Bestselling, Award-winning Author Nationally Bestselling Author Anna DeStefano is the Past President Advisor of Georgia Romance Writers (GRW), a group of over 300 published authors and aspiring writers that meets monthly in Atlanta, Georgia. Anna has successfully channeled her skills as a Senior Tech Writer into the more creative field of writing contemporary fiction. A GA Tech honors graduate with 10 years of experience working in Corporate IT, Anna applies the more analytical side of her personality to studying the craft of storytelling. But her imagination rules when it's time to let the planning go and write. The result--eleven award-winning novels published since 2004, three more scheduled for released in 2009 and 2010, and nearly half a million copies of her books in print in over 5 different languages.

Her interactive workshops on the writing process--plotting through character, improvisation (drafting), and rewriting--regularly attract standingroom-only crowds wherever she speaks. Her series of communication workshops (taught independently or with her literary agent, Michelle Grajkowski, 3 Seas Literary Agency) are the latest addition to her teaching resume, and they're quickly becoming the most requested of her programs.

Anna has taught for years in adult education both professionally, as a technical trainer, and in the fields of grief recovery and crisis care, teaching team coordinators and volunteers. She's presented her writing workshops to over 60 groups and conference, including: the Harriette Austin Writer's Conference at the University of Georgia; the Romance Writers of America National Conference; the Romantic Times Reader Convention; the Pacific Northwest Writers Conference in Seattle; and the Surrey International Writers Conference in British Columbia. She also teaches half-day and oneday seminars to smaller groups interested in a more intensive, interactive experience.

For more information, see www.annawrites.com, or contact Anna at annawrites@mindspring.com for detailed outlines and workshop handouts.

Anna DeStefano

www.annawrites.com Page 1

annawrites@mindspring.com

Craft Workshops and Seminars (1 Hour Presentations, unless otherwise noted)

Planning Through Character: Meet Your Characters First--They're your story. Plan your next novel by researching and plotting character growth--BEFORE you write the first word. An effective process is presented for planning story arc by researching your character's emotional development from the past, through the beginning, middle and end of your novel. Once you've detailed this emotional journey, your writing is freed to find the exciting and unique plot points you'll need to show the character growth readers will identify with and keep turning the page to enjoy.

Draft Writing: Improvisation--Twelve steps to putting your planning to work and letting your creativity thrive. Draft writing requires you to trust your training, your planning and your writing, then letting yourself let go and play. Your character and story creativity are never purer than during the rough draft stage. This workshop discusses the difficult process of writing through the end of your story, without stalling your creativity by chronically re-planning or indulging in rewriting before the draft is done.

Revision: Learn to Rewrite--Finishing the manuscript is just the beginning: Tools and techniques for navigating the editorial revisions necessary to sell your next manuscript.

Publishing is a team sport. The better your personal revision process is before you submit your work, and the better you can work with an editor's feedback and revision rewriting requests, the more likely your chances of becoming a prolific published author.

Revision fear is discussed, along with self-editing and editorial revision techniques and guidelines.

Half-day Craft Seminar: Planning and Rewriting--Illustrating the critical connection between two writing extremes that work hand-in-hand. Students are encouraged to bring their works-in-progress so they can apply the principles taught and illustrated throughout the seminar. The author uses specific examples from her own planning, and rewriting documents to augment the curriculum (an interactive, intensive workshop, 3 hours).

All-day Craft Seminar: Your Creative Process from Beginning to End--A comprehensive course teaching the integration of character planning, improvisation and rewriting techniques into your writing process. Students are encouraged to bring their works-in-progress so they can apply the principles taught and illustrated throughout the seminar. The author uses specific examples from her own planning, drafting and rewriting documents to augment the curriculum (an interactive, intensive workshop, 5 hours).

Process-Oriented Writing: You Control the Writing--Focus on what you control, because results beyond submitting the work for consideration are out of your hands. A small-step approach for sticking with the writing, while the publishing world spins at fulltilt around you.

Anna DeStefano

www.annawrites.com Page 2

annawrites@mindspring.com

Communication Workshops and Seminars (1 Hour Presentations, unless otherwise noted)

Speak Up: Communication Skills That Can Make Or Break Your Career--An introduction to the listening skills, assertiveness and boundary techniques essential to building lasting professional relationships in the fast-paced, team-oriented world of professional publishing She Said, She Said: Communication Skills That Can Make or Break Your Career-An introduction to the listening skills, assertiveness and boundary techniques essential to building lasting professional relationships in the fast-paced, team-oriented world of professional publishing (an interactive workshop, taught with literary agent Michelle Grajkowski, 3 Seas Literary Agency).

Talk To Yourself: Recognizing and Maintaining Career-Making Boundaries--An intensive presentation of the techniques used to set professional boundaries and maintain relationships with those whose communication styles differ from yours (can be presented solo, or with literary agent Michelle Grajkowski, 3 Seas Literary Agency).

Half-day Communication Seminar: Communication Skills, Assertiveness and Boundary-setting Techniques--A comprehensive presentation of the above material, focusing on building and maintaining relationships within publishing (can be an interactive seminar, when presented with literary agent Michelle Grajkowski, 3 hours).

Anna DeStefano

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annawrites@mindspring.com

General Career Workshops and Seminars (1 Hour Presentations, unless otherwise noted)

So You Want to Sign with an Agent Before You Sell: A Discussion of the Unpublished Author/Agent Dynamic--A myth-busting workshop that discusses how to handle your business and target your writing so you have the best chance to acquire an agent who can help secure your first publishing contract (can be presented with literary agent Michelle Grajkowski, 3 Seas Literary Agency).

Going to Market: Finding Your Publishing Home--Take the time to shop around before making decisions about your career. Everyone wants a great book deal, but how do know which deal is right for you? This presentation includes instruction on researching your voice, genre, and potential publishers so you know where your work fits; watching trends without chasing them; planning for market changes by evaluating where your work is most flexible; avoiding snap-decisions when an opportunity seems too good to be true; and knowing when it's time to make a move from what's safe, and risk taking your career to the next level.

Breaking into Romance... Um... What exactly does that mean?—Learn about the exciting evolution of the modern romance novel, key breakdowns of the various segments of the romance market, and the importance of networking with professional writing organizations as you launch your publishing journey. Romance is the leading genre in North American publishing, with 1.375 billion in sales generated in 2007, and romance authors are some of the smartest minds in the business. What a great place to begin your publishing career.

Pitch Seminar: An interactive workshop covering planning, prepping for and presenting your manuscript pitch to an editor or agent--Students are encouraged to bring their story pitch, pitch to the group, modify the pitch based on seminar instruction and group feedback, then to pitch to the group again at the conclusion of the class (2-3 hours, depending on the size of the group).

Anna DeStefano

www.annawrites.com Page 4

annawrites@mindspring.com