Education

Sara enjoys sharing her love of books and writing with students of all ages and writing levels. She offers interactive workshops and other speaking events about being a writer.

"Music to Massage the Muse"
(appropriate for 4th grade and up)

This one-hour workshop uses music to inspire even the most reluctant students to write. Sara covers:

• Creative writing jobs outside of books and magazines--"Somebody had to write what's on the back of the cereal box you were reading at breakfast this morning."
• The writer's life--"I get red ink and have to do rewrites on my work too."
• How to use different forms of music to inspire even the most reluctant students to write. From techno to classical to just plain weird, Sara has a stash of unusual music guaranteed to massage the muses of students young and old.
• Spiderwebbing--By connecting the students' music-inspired ideas, Sara helps the class form a backbone for a story.
• Flash fiction--Using the 5 W 's and an H , Sara helps students begin to flesh out the skeleton story into a full piece.

Here's what past participants had to say about "Music to Massage the Muse":

This workshop gave my students a love of writing. As a direct result of the workshop, two students began writing books, chapter by chapter. The class eagerly read their new installments, and enthusiasm spread. Now, several months later, we spend time almost every day reading aloud from someone's book. 

After this workshop, my students finally understood how to give their writing voice. The workshop gave them the tools they needed to make their writing more expressive and personal.

My students didn't want Sara Francis Fujimura to leave! 

- Sarah Green, 5th grade teacher, Meridian Elementary, Gilbert, AZ

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I saw the light of imagination shining from the eyes of my students after the workshop. Some could scarcely stop writing!

- George Self, 5th grade teacher, Mesa, AZ

 

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"Writing 101: Marketing Your Muse "
(appropriate for teens and adults)

This one-hour workshop covers basic writing skills in both fiction and nonfiction. It includes:

• You've written the next best seller. Now what do you do with it?
• How to write a query letter.
• How to format you manuscript.
• How to decipher editorial calendars and guidelines.
• How to get your foot in the door and create your own possibilities.

 

Want a brochure about the "Muse" workshops? Click here for a pdf version.

 

 

WHAT IS SARA WORKING ON NOW?

"Last month, I brought a stack of query letter/manuscript formatting example pages to the panel at Changing Hands Bookstore. I didn't have any to bring back home. In fact, we had to make extra copies that night! It made me realize how many people out there dream of being a writer and just don't know where to start.

Though THE SPOTTED CRANE SUMMER is taking up most of my time at the moment, I am working on plans for an event in honor of National 'I Love to Write Day'. I'll post more about it as plans solidify."--September 2008.

  

    National "I Love to Write Day" is November 15, 2008  

 

    http://www.ilovetowriteday.org/

     Need some ideas for what to do with your students for "I Love to Write Day"? Follow this link: http://www.ilovetowriteday.org/iltwdact.htm

     Want Sara to visit your school or writing club? Contact Sara for availability and fee schedule.

 

    Sara's Play List for Whispers from the Desert

      I really do use music to inspire me when I am writing fiction. When I am working on Whispers from the Desert, set in the 1940s, this is my playlist. A lot of      

      this music isn't from that era, but it either has that 40's sound or creates vivid pictures in mind about the characters and their situations.

      Christina Aguilera's Back to Basics

  • "Candy Man"
  • "Hurt"
  • "Ain't No Other Man"

      Rihanna's "Umbrella"

      Timbaland and One Republic's "Apologize"

      Andrew Sisters' "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"

      Glenn Miller's Greatest Hits

  • "String of Pearls"
  • "In the Mood"
  • "Little Brown Jug"

      Listening to these songs really helps me tap into the emotions of the characters and (hopefully) bring them to life.

 

    

     Sara's Play List for The Spotted Crane Summer

     The Spotted Crane Summer is contemporary YA (some have even called it Chick Lit), so I listen to today's popular music to inspire me.

     Gavin DeGraw's "I Don't Want to Be" and "I'm in Love with a Girl"

     James Blunt's "You're Beautiful"

     Gwen Stefani's Love. Angel. Music. Baby.

  • "Harajuku Girls"
  • "What You Waiting For"

     Chris Brown's "Forever"

     Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown's "No Air"

 

    Sidenotes:  Though he doesn't remotely look like him, in my mind "David" sounds like Gavin DeGraw. Not his singing voice, but that hard, slightly blustery

                                 voice wrapped around an inner softness which is usually hidden to most.

                       I wish I could imbed songs in my manuscript. If I could, I'd stick "No Air" in Chapter 20--The Big Goodbye.

 
 
Copyright 2007 by Sara Francis Fujimura..
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