Clay is Available to Speak to Your Group
Clay Stafford is available to present and teach at your organization’s event. These presentations can be adapted into a keynote speech, a forty-five-minute breakout, half-day workshops, or full-day workshops. They can also be mixed and matched for a multi-day hands-on retreat. Having spoken live to over one million people, ranging from the South Dakota Festival of Books to the U.S. Department of Defense, Clay would be delighted to share his time and experience with you and your group.
"As soon as we clicked off Zoom, people started talking about what you said. And several of them began applying it to the story they had started earlier. As an organizer, that was gratifying." - Jackie Flaum, Malice in Memphis
Incorporating Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Romance, and Action into Any Work
The pentalogy of an exceptional story incorporates mystery, thriller, suspense, action, and romance. One will be your focus; four will be your nuances. A successful story holds all five elements because all five engage the reader's emotions. In this interactive discussion, we'll address how to incorporate all five into your story to create a manuscript that an agent, and ultimately a reader, cannot put down.
Writing an Exciting Middle to a Story... Ways to Avoid the Dreaded Sag
Writers can conceive of great beginnings and exciting endings, but the middle becomes a dreaded chore and often the subject of that notorious writer's block or mid-story lag. In truth, the middle can be and should be one of the most engaging parts of the story; it keeps people reading. There are tricks to learning how to make the middle exciting and one of the most entertaining sections to write and read. In this interactive discussion, writers will learn how to make the middle the book's most exciting and engaging part.
A Dozen Ways to be a Bestseller
With roughly 2.2 million new books published yearly (according to UNESCO), not counting backlist titles, how is an author’s book expected to gain attention? Taught by a bestselling author, publisher, editor, and “one of the Top 40 North American publishing industry professionals to watch!” by Publishers Weekly, Frankfurter Buchmesse (Frankfurt Book Fair), and the American Booksellers Association, these twelve techniques taught in an interactive format will propel any writer to the head of the pack and help them achieve their publishing dream.
Believe in Your Story
When writers get together, they often talk about business and writing, but they often don’t talk about their story, the writer’s story. The writer’s story is the backbone of everything that can and will be achieved, and the writer’s life story arc greatly influences the happiness and satisfaction of the writer’s own journey. Using the techniques taught in this interactive session, each writer can become the hero in their own story and the ultimate hero in their own profession.
The Art of Storytelling
Have you heard about the newest writing method? There isn’t one, but there are plenty of slick players who’d like to sell you their latest spin. Avoid them. The best way to write is to write. In this interactive presentation, we will discuss the time-tested methods writers have used for hundreds of years to write the world's great fiction. There are no gimmicks, formulas, tropes, or anything to buy. The only thing you need to bring is your imagination.
Why We Love Crime Fiction
The crime and thriller genre is the second most popular book genre (following romance) sold today. Writers interested in the dark side of humanity can capitalize on this by knowing what exactly makes these genres irresistible to readers. This interactive presentation delves into the whys and hows so writers can better position their works to break from the pack and become bestsellers.
Structuring the Compelling Memoir
A memoir is a story—a story about you, your life, your thoughts, your beliefs, and your life evolution. It is not a series of events. A well-written memoir is a story with all the emotion, passion, and structure of any well-told tale. This presentation takes a deep dive into how to structure your memoir to take it to the next level, the level of a bestselling book.
Booking Clay
To book Clay for any of the following sessions, either in person or electronically remote, please contact Tricia Hedman from Ollie Media at:
tricia [at] olliemedia (dot) com.