Michelle Buckman, acclaimed newspaper columnist and freelance writer with twenty years in the field, is the author of four novels, including 2008 Christy Award Finalist Maggie Come Lately and the follow-up book, My Beautiful Disaster. She has been a featured author at the South Carolina Book Festival, and a workshop instructor at numerous conferences, schools and book clubs where she is renowned for her dynamic discussions on writing and faith.
In her mission to reach teens, she has also served as Catholic Youth Organization Director and Director of Confirmation in her parish.
She was born in New York, raised in Canada, but has lived in the south for over thirty years. She currently resides in South Carolina with her husband and five children. Walking on the Carolina beaches is both her inspiration and her favorite pastime.
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Author of Four Novels
Author of Four Novels•Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer •Newspaper Columnist
Newspaper Columnist•Featured Author at numerous events
Featured Author at numerous events•Writing Instructor
Writing Instructor•Book Club Discussion Leader
Book Club Discussion Leader•Youth Group Director
Youth Group Director•Director of Teen Religious Education
Director of Teen Religious Education•Motivational Speaker for Teens
Motivational Speaker for TeensFEATURED SPEAKER at:
Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance
SC Book Festival
Catholic Writers Conference 2008
Stand up for Life Conference—Reaching Teens Through Fiction
Catholic Writers Conference 2009
For additional listings & references, please contact Michelle
CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS OFFERED
TEEN WORKSHOPS OFFERED
Book discussions on writing and/or story development, plot, and techniques.
Issue-oriented faith-based discussions as environment allows.
(Michelle's novels touch on popularity, abstinence, molestation, dating, pro-life values, and using faith, scripture and God in making life decisions.)
REACHING TEENS THROUGH FICTION
A discussion on how to speak to teens on important issues through fiction, and how fiction allows them to work through issues in their life in the safety of fiction.
WRITING TEEN FICTION
Michelle Buckman explains how to come up with believable characters that teen readers will love to follow. This workshop covers all aspects of teen fiction, from laying out plots that attract teen readers to defining what editors are looking for in this market. Register for a drawing for a free book while you're there!
THE SECRET TO GETTING PUBLISHED
Trying to break into print can take years of futile struggling if you don't have an insider's understanding of the pitfalls that could land your manuscript in the round file. Learn how to make your manuscript stand out from the crowd to capture an editor's attention. With years of experience, Michelle shares her knowledge of critical steps necessary to move a manuscript from the slush pile to contract.
THE RIGHT DETAILS
Do you have trouble deciding which details to use in your story and which should be deleted? Description can add texture to your story or bog it down, and learning the difference can be imperative to producing a manuscript worthy of publication. Come visit Michelle Buckman's workshop to pick up pointers she's learned in the writing of her four novels.
CREATION & PUBLICATION PROCESS
Whether you’re just beginning your first novel or you have a finished manuscript ready for submission, you probably have unanswered questions on how to proceed. What format does a manuscript need? How do you determine which publishers will be interested in your book? What should you include in a proposal? What happens once you’ve sent a manuscript in? What should you look for in a contract? What happens after you sign a contract? How much marketing must authors do themselves? Michelle Buckman will share her knowledge and secrets with you in this personalized question and answer session. Includes coverage of queries and proposals.
DEFINING YOUR WRITING GENRES
Not sure how to market your story to an editor? Defining your audience is imperative to perfection your proposal. Distinguishing a romance from women’s fiction is easy once you’ve studied the differences. This workshop includes an exercise that helps you write an opening to both.
POINT OF VIEW
The point of view used in a story can greatly affect the direction of the story. What would Moby Dick have been if Ahab had told the story instead of Ishmael? Michelle has studied POV in depth throughout her writing career and will help you determine how to analyze this technique in your manuscript for the best outcome.
MiCHELLE BUCKMAN
FICTION that RETHINKS Life...
Author and Speaker
