Explore strategies to stay motivated and to endure the challenges until your writing projects are completed with author Mary Ann Steinke-Moore.

Open to 7th - 12 Grade Students | Tickets $15.99 (includes a copy of Mandy's Song by Mary Ann Steinke-Moore)

When you have passion for what you're writing about, it's like a new romance. You think about it all the time and grab every chance to work on it. We'll explore the participants’ interests and ponder themes that matter to them, sparking stories readers won't be able to put down.

Using examples from author Mary Ann Steinke-Moore's works (love of musical theater in Mandy's Song; love of Brown County, IN, Tiffany stained glass, and guinea pigs in Secret of the Forgotten Chapel), Mary Ann will show how including some of her "Favorite Things" brings joy and accurate detail to her writing. Mary Ann will share the passage from Mandy's Song where Mandy expresses what singing means to her, then have the participants brainstorm examples of their own special interests, thinking back from early childhood to today.

Next, participants will move to consider themes that deeply touch them. In Mandy's Song, Mary Ann was working on understanding a romance that didn't go well and ways to help a suicidal friend. In Secret of the Forgotten Chapel, Mary Ann explores the grief of a daughter who is separated from her father, how it feels to miss someone, and how to adapt to a new environment. Participants will be invited to free write, considering issues that concern them, wounds they understand, and challenges they've faced that they might want to explore through their characters.

To finish, participants will plan a story or scene, putting a character in a situation facing one of these challenges and weaving in some of the interests they brainstormed.