Here are some of the points that I will explore with your students:

• How do we capture those elusive, inspired ideas that come at unexpected moments?

• How do we keep our ideas organized and find them when we need them?

• Why is it important that we learn how to use a keyboard and word processing program?

• How do we share our written ideas and creations with others?

• Who are the editors in our lives?

• Peeling the onion: The painful, yet essential process of editing and reworking a piece of writing over and over again.

• What is the illustrator's journey?

• Where does the author’s journey go beyond the writer’s journey?

Teachers regularly express their gratefulness that their students hear writing and editing guidance identical to what they are presenting in the classroom.  They appreciate my emphasis that rewriting and editing is a normal and essential stage in the writer’s process, and not a teacher’s punishment for unsatisfactory work.

I am comfortable with large groups of children.  I have presented to assemblies of 120 children, although ideally, for the sake of question-and-answer, the groups are 30-75 students.  I can easily do multiple presentations. 

Please contact me with your questions and to set up a time for me to visit. 

As to my fees, I realize that schools usually run on tight budgets. My standard fee for a single presentation is $50. However, if that presents a hindrance, let me know, and we can work something out that serves both sides. As it is, the bulk of my income from a presentation is selling my titles to the students. I offer my books at a discount from retail.

Donald Samson

Email me at: thestartrilogy@aol.com

Tel. 720-261-0143

Support Colorado authors!

I am a registered speaker with the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. See www.scbwi.org/my-speaker-profile/