Happy April to all! Baseball has started, so all is good with the world. This is going to be a busy month for me, with five author visits scheduled. I’ll be visiting with kids at four schools as well as the regional chapter of the state librarian association.
So, what does it take to prepare for author visits? It takes time and it takes thought. I’ve been doing author visits for more than 20 years to countless schools in many states, and each time I make changes. Usually, I start with what I did previously, evaluate it critically, and make revisions. This makes my presentations always different, sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. While some of the changes I make are truly to make the presentation better, some are made so that I don’t have to repeat things. Saying the same thing time and time again can be tiresome.
A lot of authors focus on what it’s like to be an author, extolling the virtues a career in writing. This approach seems self-serving and unrealistic. After all, how many of the kids listening will become professional writers? Uhh…not very many. A better approach, I believe, is to focus on the value of writing in daily life, how writing is a valuable tool for everyone, and the power of writing to help you understand yourself better.
Today I am fine-tuning my message, revising examples, and updating the images I use along the way. Tomorrow, it’s school time…
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