It can happen to you.
“If we could hook Kira up to the energy grid, we would have no problems!!”
You want to learn how to write nonfiction for kids, but let’s face it, there aren’t many places to learn the ropes. Help is here. Libraries, colleges, associations and community groups are welcome to book me to teach this class.
Write non-fiction for kids and get published!
Nonfiction is all about facts, figures and nit-picky details, right? Wrong. The Canadian children’s nonfiction publishing industry is thriving because authors are finding new ways to teach, entertain and inspire. Spend this lively session with Kira Vermond, popular speaker and author of Half-Truths and Brazen Lies: An Honest Look at Lying, The Secret Life of Money, Growing Up, Inside and Out (both Red Maple nominees), and Why We Live Where We Live (2015 winner of the prestigious Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-fiction).
Kira will teach participants how to come up with kid-friendly ideas, build an outline, decide on length, find their writing voice, and even pitch a publisher. Learn the surprising truth about working with illustrators, as well as ways to juggle writing and life demands. Many topics will apply to children’s fiction too. Come prepared to learn and write.
Or kick-start a freelance writing career.
You can write for newspapers and magazines (and get paid)
You read them every day: magazine and newspaper articles that entertain, teach, and even change lives. But how does an article go from idea to finished product? This workshop is for anyone who has ever wanted to write non-fiction stories for a general audience and needs an A to Z overview of how to do the deed.
Kira will take participants through the process of pitching ideas, writing queries, and grabbing a busy editor’s attention. You’ll also learn the 1-2-3-4-5 technique for writing clear, focused articles for a consumer audience. In other words, you’ll learn how not to sound like an academic or a newbie writer, and how to give editors what they want. You’ll discover what to expect during the editing process and why “deadline + word count” is the holy grail of successful freelancing. Invoicing, payment, and taxes even get a mention. (And yes, you can make good money as a writer.)
Have a great story idea, but don’t know how to go about writing it and getting it published? This is the workshop for you.
Overheard after my sessions for adults.
“Amazing, as usual!”
“Very real and practical.”
“If we could hook Kira up to the energy grid, we would have no problems!!”
“Captivating.”
“Informative and open and knowledgeable.”
“Very entertaining, knowledgeable presenter. Loved it!”
“Really liked the range of topics on which she spoke. (Liked her humor too.)”
“She is an expert in this area and it showed. I’m glad I went!”
“Cool, fun, witty, informative, educational and fun. Did I mention it was fun?”
Umm, thanks?
“Felt like I was listening to Shoshanna’s older sister. (From HBO’s Girls.)”