Elizabeth Kitchens, author of over a dozen novels and a professional copyeditor, once thought writing was the family curse (that’s what her dad called it) and was terrified of speaking in public. Now, she considers writing her calling and passion and public speaking and teaching a part of that dream. Years of teaching college microbiology labs and being able to choose her topics and organize and write her own presentations on things she’s passionate about have made her eager to speak rather than seek to avoid it. She’s spoken at her local writers club several times, earned a Competent Communicator Certificate from Toastmasters International, Inc. (2017), taught a workshop at the Southern Christian Writers Conference in Birmingham, AL (2022), and developed her own online writing course (I. W.R.I.T.E.: How to Write a Novel). She was also chosen to be a mentor at the 2024 Realm Makers Conference. She’d love to help authors grow in their craft and succeed in publishing by sharing what she’s learned in her fifteen years of writing.
Speaking engagements
- “Writing Fantasy,” a workshop for the Southern Christian Writers Conference in Birmingham, Alabama, June 2022
- “A Brief History of English,” a presentation to the Tuscaloosa Christian Writers Club (TCWC), March 2019
- “Self-Publishing: Uploading Your Book to CreateSpace,” a presentation to TCWC, February 2017
- “Introduction to Copyediting,” a presentation to TCWC, May 2016
- “The Mysterious Book: How to Format Your Book for the CreateSpace Printing Platform,” a presentation to TCWC, April 2015
Topics
Writing in Layers
Ms. Kitchens helps authors reduce stress, develop more cohesive scenes, and finish their novels by learning to write layer by layer.
Story World Wonder
Ms. Kitchens helps authors create story worlds readers will love and learn to use their story worlds to enhance conflicts, avoid overused conflicts, and create better characters.
Making It to The End
Ms. Kitchens discusses common causes authors fail to finish their books and how to overcome them.
Math for Authors: Setting a price for your books and calculating profit, taxes, and break-even point for in-person events and selling direct
Ms. Kitchens gives practical advice on her experience indie publishing and selling direct in-person and online. She discusses the math that makes you–or loses you–money, including sales taxes, payment processing fees, setting prices to make a certain profit, and more in this practical workshop.
Elixir or Poison?: Gaining and evaluating feedback from critique partners, contests, editors, and beta-readers
Smart authors get feedback–and know what to take and what to leave. Ms. Kitchens uses her ten plus years of experience getting and getting feedback as an author and four years experience as a professional editor to give advice on gaining and evaluating feedback to improve your writing.
Indie Publishing: From manuscript to a book that sells
A practical and honest guide to indie publishing given in a conversational manner.
I W.R.I.T.E.: An introduction to writing a novel
Ms. Kitchens provides an introduction to writing a novel, particularly the big picture of it, by working through the acronym I. W.R.I.T.E.: “I” for Introduction and Ideas, “W” for Story World, “R” for Readers (understanding reader expectations and genre, and understanding how marketing basics such as a killer blurb can help authors craft better novels), “I” for Characters, “T” for Trouble, Tension, and Ticking Clock, and “E” for Events or Plot.
This content is drawn from her online 30-hour lecture course of the same name. She can adapt this material to create an hour-long introduction or a longer continuing series. For content-packed intensives, she can also include the second portion of the course, a repeat of I. W.R.I.T.E.: focused more on the words and editing than the big picture: “I” for Introduction to Great Writing: Description, Style, and Voice”; “W” for Words or Not? Show/don’t tell; “R” for Rhythm, Pacing, and Repetition; “I” for Interest: Capturing and Holding Reader Interest; “T” for Talk: Dialogue and Action Beats; “E” for Editing: Self-editing and the Different Types of Editing.
For inquiries about having Ms. Kitchens as a speaker, please fill out the form below. If there is a topic not listed here you would like her to speak on, please let her know.