Nancy Viau

I love to visit schools, libraries, and conferences, in person or via Skype! Below is an overview of my most popular presentations, but I can work with you to create a fun, interactive program suited to your needs. EMAIL me for more information, including fees and availability.

"I loved your presentation—the timing, the slides, the information. The kids especially enjoyed how you made them a part of it. I'm telling everyone!"
~Charlotte Ryan, Head of Children and Youth Services, Sellers Library, Upper Darby, PA

"What fun! What energy! I liked your idea of a SEEDS file. I'm sure many teachers will incorporate that into their writing lessons."
~Helene Duckett, Reading Specialist, Loomis Elementary School, Broomall, PA

"Thank you for spending the day with the students, and participating in our evening program. One of the 4th graders said they wrote about your book on the NJ ASK test! You were definitely a hit and made an impact. We can't wait to have you come back!"
~Linda Downing, Principal, East Dover Elementary School, Toms River, NJ

"There has been such a great response to the creative writing club. Twenty-five kids come in excited and ready to go and don’t want to leave when the hour is up. Nancy does a wonderful job engaging them in the weekly topics and encouraging them to foster their creativity. I could not be happier with the results of this program. We’re going to keep the writing going by starting a club that meets monthly."
~Kellie J Large, Head Children's Librarian, Cape May County Library

Suggested audiences for schools: Grades 1-2, 3-4, 5-6
Bring on the kindergarteners, too! I have a special presentation just for them.

What is it like to be an author? How difficult is it to get a book published? Who edits my work? Do I ever revise my stories? How do I turn ideas into books? In this fun, interactive PowerPoint presentation, I'll talk about my journey to publication and the "ups" and "downs" of the writing business. By the end of an hour, everyone will understand why it takes hard work, patience, and humor to be an author.

Writing workshop for up to 30 participants

Hands up! Get ready to catch the Write Away beach ball! I toss a large, soft ball and one child catches it. He/she digs into a bag and finds a picture—a character for a story. Once again, I let the ball fly, and it's picked from the air. This child reaches into a new bag to find another picture—a setting. The ball is tossed and caught a third time, and a child reaches into the last bag to pull out a picture that becomes the plot. As a group, the children create silly stories on the spot by combining unusual characters, settings, and plots. We talk about the importance of these three basic elements of story, and how an engaging first sentence and an interesting hook can make all the difference. We do several more rounds of Write Away, and participants learn how to outline and expand their ideas independently.

Writing workshop for up to 25 participants

A rebus story has visual clues to help the reader decipher the simple text. But there’s a trick to creating a good rebus. Young children will learn all about this clever type of writing and will write and illustrate their own rebuses.

Writing workshop for up to 25 participants

Can a unicorn dance on the moon? Can a teacher snowboard in Hawaii? We’ll explore the importance of fun characters and interesting settings, and find out how to think “outside the box” when it comes time to write a story. The giggles never end as kids create and play a game based on these story elements.

For up to 30 participants

This club is excellent for those kids who love to write and wish to become better writers. No red pens marking up papers here! Save the grammar, punctuation, and spelling lessons for school. We play games, create in-depth lists of character traits, act out scenes, talk about plots/subplots, and chat up voice and focus. Most importantly, we write! This program is perfect for libraries, summer camps, and community groups.

Have you ever thought about writing for children? Learn the Who, What, Where, When, and How of getting work accepted by electronic, local, regional, and national publications. Aspiring authors will find out how to define and refine their work, how to target the appropriate market, and how to contact a publisher. Helpful online and in print resources will be shared. Each participant receives a verbal critique of a query letter, free! A written critique of a manuscript fifteen pages or less is available for a fee.