Home | About Kellie | Books | Enlightenment | Workshops | Just for Fun | Site Map

  
                                                                                 
      Workshops    
           
      I currently offer multiple workshops and online courses – one on website design, another on creating an internet presence, one on blogging, one for MySpace pages and networking communities, online newsletters or eBulletins, one on creating book trailers, another on recognizing change, and one on managing your time when working from home with children.  Most of these workshops are available both as in-person sessions for conferences and retreats, and as online courses (usually one month in duration).    
           
     

~~~~~

    
           
  Website Workshop:
Everything You've Always
Wanted To Know
About Having A Website
But Were Afraid To Ask		  

Every serious writer, whether published or unpublished, needs a website.  Whether it is used to introduce a writer to an editor, an author to a reader, or a writer to other writing colleagues, it is undeniably one of the most used communication tools in the industry today.  Yet, as we gracefully move into this new millennium, many writers are still technology shy when it comes to having their own websites.  Others embrace the technology but are overwhelmed with the many decisions surrounding the creation and maintenance of a website.  And still another group is thrilled with the communication opportunities that websites provide, eager to grow in their knowledge but searching for a source of information.  This workshop is about helping each of those writers – the shy, the overwhelmed, and the eager to grow – take the next step.

By the end of this workshop you will have a high level understanding of the difference between communicating information and communicating an image.  You will know why some websites grab you and some turn you off before you even start reading what’s on the page.  You will know what you want and don’t want on your website – how you want it to look and feel and what “image” you want to project – in other words the website will be a reflection of you and your writing.

This workshop is about communicating using a website.  It covers a lot of information, but for the most part, it isn’t overly heavy or overwhelmingly technical.  It will cause you to think…to wonder…and to have opinions. At the end of it, you will be ready to move forward with your own website and the many decisions required by it.

This workshop was presented at the RWA National Conference in 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia.

    
           
     

~~~~~

    
           
  Getting to Know You:
Using Websites, Blogs,
MySpace Pages and
Newsletters to Build Your
Internet Presence		   Every serious writer needs a presence on the internet.  That's the easy part.  Knowing where, how, and how much of your time and money to spend in building and maintaining that presence is the hard part.  Every hour given to working with your internet presence is an hour taken away from your writing.  That fact alone should make you choose wisely where your time (and money) will go.  In this one hour workshop (also available in one month online course), we will take a brief look at the various options for building your internet presence, starting with your website, moving on to individual and group blogs, MySpace pages, and online newsletters.

By the end of this workshop you will have a high level understanding of the difference between each of these internet options (websites, blogs, MySpace pages, newsletters) for communicating information and communicating an image.  You will know which is best suited for your personality and your readers.  You will know what you want and don't want to include in building your internet presence -- in other words you will have a plan that will be a reflection of you and your writing.

This workshop, like its predecessor, is about communicating using the internet.  While it covers a lot of information, it is geared for the non-technical student.  At the end of it, you will be ready to move forward with your internet presence and the many decisions required by it.

    
           
     

~~~~~

    
           
 

To Blog or Not To Blog:
Is It Really Worth The Time
Involved?

   Blogs are a fast, easy, and often free way to start building an internet presence.  But there are hidden costs -- they can be very time consuming, and don't always reap the value you are searching for.  How do you know if blogging is right for you?

This workshop starts with the basics -- what is a blog and why you should consider having one -- and builds from there.  We will look at your personality and personal style, your passions and blog topics, the discipline needed to develop and maintain a blog, how it fits in with your overall professional image, the technology behind blogs and which is right for you, blogging for readers vs. blogging for other writers, individual vs. group blogs, and networking with other bloggers. We'll also talk about why some blogs have lots of regular traffic and some blogs are rarely visited.

By the end of this workshop you will have a detailed understanding of using blogs for communicating information and communicating an image.  You will know whether you are willing to commit to building, developing, and maintaining a blog or whether you should consider different internet options.  In other words you will have a plan that will be a reflection of you and your writing.

This workshop is about communicating and building name recognition using the internet, specifically blogs.  There is opportunity not only for discussion and learning, but to learn hands-on whether blogging works for you.

    
           
     

~~~~~

    
           
 

MySpace Pages:
Being the New Kid
in the Community

   Can a person ever have too many friends, too many pairs of shoes, or enough chocolate?  Ok, for now, we'll ignore the shoes and chocolate -- welcome to the world of MySpace pages and "being friends!"  Are you a little lost on what MySpace is all about?  Or maybe you've dipped your toes into the water, but didn't know where to go from there?

This workshop starts with the basics -- an introduction to the MySpace community -- and builds from there.  We will look at setting up your own page, talk about internet and MySpace safety, being and having "friends," networking and linking to others on MySpace, networking and linking to your other internet tools (websites, blogs, etc.), whether or not to blog on MySpace, whether or not to include photos, book covers, and video trailers, managing time commitments triggered by MySpace, keeping MySpace in sync with your professional image, and much more.  We'll also take a quick look at some of the other networking communities available, including Facebook, Classmates.com, Flickr, and YouTube.

By the end of this workshop you will have a detailed understanding of using MySpace for communicating information and communicating an image.  You will know whether you are willing to commit to building, developing, and maintaining a MySpace page or whether you should consider different internet options.  In other words you will have a plan that will be a reflection of you and your writing.

This workshop is about communicating and building name recognition using the internet, specifically networking communities like MySpace.  There is opportunity not only for discussion and learning, but to learn hands-on whether MySpace works for you.

    
           
     

~~~~~

    
           
 

Extra, Extra! 
Do They Still Want To
Read All About It?

   Once upon a time, newspapers were one of the main sources of information available to us.  The business world being what it is and knowing a good thing when it sees it, the company newsletter quickly became a prominent and necessary communication tool of the business world.  Even in today's technology focused world, newspapers and newsletters still are a main source of information sharing and communication.  But do you, as a writer need one?

This workshop starts with the basics -- what is a newsletter and why you should consider having one -- and builds from there.  We will look at newsletter content, newsletter formats (paper, online/web pages, email/ebulletins/ezines), reader expectations, and developing mailing lists.  We'll talk about guest interviews, marketing your work, sharing the workload with others, and hiring it done.  Time permitting, we'll explore some of the tools available to create your own newsletter.

 By the end of this workshop you will have a detailed understanding of using newsletters for communicating information and communicating an image.  You will know whether you are willing to commit to building, developing, and maintaining a newsletter or whether you should consider different marketing options.  In other words you will have a plan that will be a reflection of you and your writing.

This workshop is about communicating and building name recognition using the internet, specifically newsletters.  It covers a lot of information, but for the most part, it isn’t overly heavy or overwhelmingly technical. 

   
           
     

~~~~~

    
           
  Lights, Camera, Action!
Smile, Your Book Is Making A Commercial!		  

Book trailers are starting to show up all over the place -- on websites, on YouTube, even on TV.  But do you really need one?  And if so, how do you go about getting one, after all, writing the book was hard enough, wasn't it?!

This workshop will look at the basics of book trailers starting with determining if you need one, who looks at them, what to include in one, whether to build one yourself or hire someone to do it, copyright guidelines around photos and sound/music you might use, and what to do with one once you've got it.  We'll talk about different software tools that can be used to create book trailers and where the various pictures, sound, and music used in them can be obtained.  We'll even take a quick look at how your book trailer can play into your overall image as a writer.  Time permitting, we'll chat a bit about the world of YouTube.

By the end of this workshop, you will have a better understanding of book trailers in general, and how they fit into your specific marketing plans for you the writer, and for your specific book.  You will know whether you are willing to commit to building a trailer yourself, hiring to have one built, or whether you would be better off pursuing other marketing options.  And you'll know a bit more about the world of YouTube.  

While any course looking at technology has the potential to get overly heavy or become overwhelm quickly, this course is designed for the non-technical at heart.  At the core of the course is communication, and as writers, this is an area we are all more gifted in than most.  And it's something we've all been doing that for years!

    
           
     

~~~~~

    
           
  Change Workshop:
Recognizing Change --
In Yourself and
In Your Characters		  

Change is often a difficult and confusing process – for us as individual writers and certainly for the characters we create in our stories.  Better understanding of the characteristics of change – knowing what to expect and what it actually feels like – will not only help you survive the multiple moments of change we all experience in our careers, but will also improve your writing by making your characters more real.

This workshop is loosely based on the works of Ken Blanchard in his early study of organizational change.  It has been modified to focus on the writer – what he/she experiences in his/her career, and what he/she needs to push his/her characters through as the story unfolds.  The workshop begins with a simple exercise in change – taking less than 15 minutes – yet through this exercise you experience many if not all of the characteristics of change.  The pursuing discussion will look closely at the emotions triggered by those characteristics, specifically how different writers work through these characteristics in their careers and how to encompass this knowledge into your writing.

By the end of this workshop, you will have experienced change in a safe, protected environment, have a better understanding of the characteristics of change and how they impact you, have ideas of ways to incorporate this understanding into your own writing, and have shared a fun, sometimes laughable, exchange with your colleagues.

This workshop was presented at the RWA National Conference in 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia. 

    
           
     

~~~~~

    
           
 

Writing with Children Workshop:
Mommy writer Basics -- 101:
Working Around the Kids
and Loving It!

  

Writing is a challenging career choice, but when you add children to the picture – especially young children – it can often seem impossible.  This workshop consists of two parts.  First we will look at setting simple, realistic goals for balancing the unending demands of being a writer and a busy parent.  Then we will talk about how to actually achieve those goals, despite all the “help” you often get from your children.

Using the SMART (Simple, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely) principle for setting goals, we will start the session with a brief exercise, establishing one to three writing goals for the next year.  Looking at these goals, we will discuss the importance of not only starting off “SMART,” but doing regular reviews to determine if your goals are still “SMART” as the year progresses.

Next we will talk about various ways to balance the achievement of these goals with the demands of family life, ranging from naptimes to carpools, from playgroups to homework, laundry and more.  We will discuss the varying needs of different age groups of children as well as sharing numerous ideas for both distracting and interacting with them.  Discussions will include (but not limited to):

~ the "red, yellow, green" stoplight system for interrupting
          writing time
~ the "just one more minute" kitchen timer
~ the "bribery" drawer
~ the "help me with this scene" role play

Lastly, we'll chat about ideas for making your work portable for working away from home, in stolen moments at play-dates or while waiting for the carpool..

    
           
     

~~~~~

    
           
      if you are interested in any of these sessions, please contact me here.    
           
     

   
           
     
 


Content of website
copyrighted © 2006-2009 by Kellie Finley.
All rights reserved.
 

Last website updates ~~~ June 2009

  
   
 

Home | About Kellie | Books | Enlightenment | Workshops | Just for Fun | Site Map