Audiences: adult, young adult, middle grade. For information regarding author visits, please contact Michele Kophs: michele@provatomarketing.com, 360.597.3432
I teach in a Title I, grades 1-5 school in the Mukilteo School District, WA. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Dave work with our kids for several years. He has never disappointed me, other staff, and more importantly, the children we serve!
Many of our students struggle with visualizing themselves as writers and readers, but Dave gives them that dream! I’ve had students come back from past years and tell me Dave made them believe they too could be authors. Because of him, academics have taken a higher priority in their young lives!”
Martine Wayman
Mukilteo School District
(Libraries, Conferences, Classrooms, Assemblies)
Marathons and Manuscripts
We’ve all read great stories, but have you heard the stories behind the stories?
- Reading- and writing-focused
- Emphasis on the value of practice and persistence
- Overview of the elements of the fiction-writing process, its trials and rewards
- Specific look at the author’s process, with examples
- Talk includes audience interaction and time for Q&A
Looking for Connections
Researching Stories from Other Eras
- Research- and source-focused
- Extensive look at information-gathering for past and future narratives
- Emphasis on the value of accuracy
- Get real! Other eras can come to life when you give your story verisimilitude. Includes Q&A with author.
Making Personal Stories Universal
Researching the YA Historical Novel Thin Wood Walls
- Research- and source-focused
- Specific insights on using primary and secondary resources for writing a novel
- Emphasis on the need for extra diligence and expert vetting when venturing into other cultures to tell their stories
- How do you bring an eighty-year-old, pre-technology story to life and make it relevant to young readers, or anyone? Includes Q&A with author.
(Classrooms, Clubs, Libraries, Organizations)
Workshops
All are hands-on—instruction, examples, writing, feedback.
We write (something) every day, but sometimes we need encouragement, or permission, to get creative with our writing, and a focus, and a direction to take it. Author David Patneaude works with writers in small groups to encourage, instruct and inspire. Presentations can be tailored in length to conform to time constraints, but typically last 40-60 minutes, depending on the talk being given.
- “Basic Idea Development and Writing” workshop with discussion, prompts, and exercises
- “Revision” workshop with individual and group exercises
- “Haiku Writing” workshop with individual and group haiku writing
- “Historical Fiction Writing” workshop
- “Mystery Writing” workshop
- “Speculative Fiction Writing” workshop
- “Critical Reading” workshop (reading and critiquing from a writer’s point of view to gain perspective on what makes an engaging story)
Signings
Schools can pre-order David’s books from the publishers or local bookstores and make them available prior to his visit. He’s entirely flexible on when, where, and how many he signs, and is more than happy to say hello to the kids who’ve bought a book.
Lunch with young readers
Some schools choose kids to sit down with David for an order-in lunch, giving them an additional opportunity to ask questions of David.
