A Selection of Lauren's Books
Lauren James
Type of Artist:
AuthorTalks and Workshops
Available talks and workshops for Secondary Schools:
‘My writing journey’ talk – A talk which follows my experience of writing my first book at the age of sixteen from first draft to publication, with images of my original writing. I discuss the researching, editing and cover design process, as well as talking about writing alongside my studies. Includes a Q&A session. (1 hour, any number of students)
Writing with STEM talk – A talk about my writing with a focus specifically on how I came to write science fiction after studying Chemistry and Physics at Masters level. I discuss how scientific research I’ve done inspired events in my novels. I also show a presentation including examples of spreadsheets used to accurately calculate the figures involved in my writing, such as spaceship travel times and time travel figures. Includes discussion of climate change, Einstein’s theory of relativity, extinction and evolution, all talked about in an enthusiastic, easy-to-understand way. Includes a Q&A session. (1 hour, any number of students)
‘World-building’ writing workshop – a group exercise using pictures of real world locations to write a story. Students will use their senses to create atmosphere and setting, building out a story from the location. It includes examples taken from writing I did at the age of 18, which later became part of my debut novel. (1 hour, less than 40 students, years 6-9)
Science fiction writing workshop – a group exercise about writing science fiction based on articles in the news. We will choose a recent news topic based on a scientific subject and use the ideas and concepts to create an engaging story. It will teach students how to research science online, and be creative with a typically factual subject. (1 hour, less than 40 students, year 7 and up)
Available workshops for older students (Year 12 – University level):
Writing Diversely – an explanation of the core concepts of diversity in writing, and a guided group discussion about why it is important for writers of all kinds to make their work inclusive. Students will learn how to research identities and avoid stereotypes, using case studies and examples of diverse works in Young Adult fiction. We will research a diverse identity for a piece of fiction. (1- 2 hours, less than 40 students) – read a review of this workshop by University of Nottingham here
Working professionally with agents – a breakdown of the author-agent relationship, and explanation of how to find a shortlist of agents which will suit different projects. We will work on the language used in writing short pitches, short outlines, author biographies and query letters, focusing on ways to improve your submission and draw out the commercial elements of the plot. We will also discuss how to self-edit your work, and choose an extract of your project to send out. NB: students will need a rough idea of their project for the activities, or they can use their favourite novel as an example, e.g. Harry Potter (1 – 2 hours, less than 40 students)
Working with publishers – an explanation of the process of editing with a publisher, with guided exercises in editing an chapter extract, swapping work and line-editing each other’s writing using Microsoft Word tracked changes and comments. NB: students will need to bring a scene or short story along to edit (1 – 2 hours, less than 40 students)
Details
Preferred age range:13 year olds -18 year olds
No of sessions per day:
Maximum of 3
Session Length:
Workshop (1 hour)
Talk with reading (1/2 hour)
Areas prepared to travel to:
Anywhere if travel & overnight expenses are paid Local to Midlands
Transport:
Train
Fees:
Website:
Titles include:
The Reckless Afterlife of Harriet Stoker - new for 2020
An Unauthorised Fan Treatise - an online novel available from October 13th
The Starlight Watchmaker
The Next Together
The Last Beginning
The Loneliest Girl in the Universe
The Quiet at the End of the World
Testimonials:
“Lauren speaks with humour and knowledge. I would recommend booking her for an event without hesitation.” -
Emily Tristram - Kenilworth School Literacy Coordinator
“Lauren is a talented presenter and she connected really well with the audience at the event. She also happens to be a very lovely person and quick to respond to my emails about the event details. I’d definitely recommend her for running or taking part in other events.” -
Anne Smart, Digital Communications Manager, The University of Nottingham
“Lauren talks so well and was definitely one of the best author visits that we have had at the library.” -
Sorrelle Clements, Coventry Libraries and Information Services
Published work:
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