Writers Conferences, Workshops and Retreats
Mayra is an experienced speaker and creative writing teacher with a passion for craft and diverse storytelling. She has served as faculty at The Author’s Guild, the Romance Writers of America national conference, The Highlights Foundation, Red Clay Writers Conference, YATLCon, Highlands Writers Conference. She has been a guest speaker at the LA Festival of Books, YALLWest, Decatur Book Festival, the Atlanta Writers Club, Six Bridges Book Festival, Los Angeles Libros Festival, and was a keynote speaker at the Tampa Teen Lit Fest. She also spoken at various high schools and colleges from coast to coast, and Puerto Rico. She loves connecting with readers and is passionate about inspiring new writers to create their best work, especially creators from historically marginalized spaces. She currently teaches in the MFA program at City University of New York, as a Dortort Visiting Professor of Creative Writing.
MOST POPULAR PRESENTATIONS
The Craft of Storytelling: The Nuts and Bolts of Writing a Novel In spite of what you’ve been led to believe, the ability to write a novel isn’t often instinctive. Novelists aren’t born, they are crafted. All the elements of story including character, plot and structure can be learned and mastered. And anyone with the patience, practice and persistence to hone their craft can write a novel and eventually get published. In this session, we will break down the elements of novel, learn how to develop an idea, review the most common mistakes by new writers, and discuss ways to fix sagging tension, lack of specificity and cliches. Whether you are new to writing a novel or are deep in revision trenches, this workshop will help you form a holistic overview of your manuscript and gain helpful editorial insights. If you are looking to pitch to a literary agent, this session will help you reflect: Is my manuscript ready?
From Idea to Outline: How to Develop your Initial Story Idea into a Cohesive Manuscript Outline Too many writers have an idea for a story, then without any preparation, set out to write a novel and inevitably get stuck. They feel frustrated and discouraged, often blaming writers block when in reality they simply have not taken the time to develop their idea before sitting down to write. This workshop dives into a step-by-step method to grow the seed of an idea into an structured outline, while still honoring the process of discovery and creative space. Writers break down their own ideas into a three act structure, thinking through the various plot and character development beats. Then, they are encouraged to draft a research plan and flesh out their outline it into something that resembles a cohesive story.
Your Book in the Publishing Marketplace: Let’s dive into the publishing industry basics: What are the industry and reader expectations? What is the difference between commercial, upmarket and literary fiction? What are genre conventions? Where does my idea/outline/manuscript fall in the marketplace? What does that mean for my publishing prospects? Writers will also gain insight into what books are selling and who is buying them, sales categories by age, genres and market type. Depending on the length of the session, writer can also gain new tools to determine if their idea can sustain the length of a book, understand the development and outlining process and find a plotting method that works for them.
The Traditional Path to Publishing, Literary Agents, Conferences and Workshops This lecture includes an overview of the various publishing houses and models, acquisitions process and the publishing timeline. Writers will also ascertain the role of the literary agent in the book sale process, learn best practices to research literary agents, craft an industry standard query letter and synopsis. Additionally, this session explores other practices of successful authors such as literary conferences, residencies, workshops, and critique groups.
Breaking into The Big Five: A Traditional Path to Publishing The U.S. book publishing business is dominated by what has been called the Big Five—Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Hachette Book Group, and Macmillan. These five houses control over 80% of the trade book market in the U.S., according to WordsRated. Breaking into the Big Five could mean access to marketing resources, publicity contacts, international distribution and competitive placement, all of which can make or break a book release. In this business-minded talk, Mayra shares her own experience breaking into the Big Five market. She will guide you on her publishing journey, from writing her debut novel to securing multiple book contracts with Big Five publishers.
Meditation, Visualization and Creative Writing in the Search for Voice and Identity Our most powerful weapon in the fight for social justice is our own voice. But how do we reclaim our own voice when it has been stifled, silenced or fractured by systematic oppression or trauma. In this workshop, Mayra leads participants on an immersive experience of writing and self-exploration. Using meditation and visualization techniques, she guides writers to reconnect with the places “where they come from.” It is a powerful contemplation meant to honor diversity, heritage and the uniqueness of each person’s experience. Participants are encouraged to access forgotten memories, open themselves to discovery, and bear witness to their own story--the story that only they can tell. The result is writing that is profoundly intimate and personal, writing that has a clear voice and power. Writing that can become the agent for change.
Healing the Artist Within: Journaling and Meditation This session was created with teen mental and emotional health in mind. We discuss how journaling and meditation can be tools for addressing the anxiety and depression. For this workshop, I use examples of my own experiences as a teen diagnosed with both anxiety and depression at age 16. Today, I am a qualified meditation teacher. We also discuss the benefits of journaling for mental and emotional health, and the relationship between journaling and writing books.
How to co-author (and sell!) a novel Georgia Authors of the Year, Mayra Cuevas and Marie Marquardt share the secrets of their multi-book contract collaboration We’re often told writing is a solitary business, but it doesn’t have to be! Co-writing a book can create a story with rich layers and diverse perspectives. Sharing the publishing journey can also be a gratifying experience, especially if it's with someone whose artistic values align with yours. In this hour-long workshop, you will learn what it takes to co-write and publish a book. We will explore how to select an idea and structure a story that lends itself to co-writing, taking into account things like workflow, expectations and communication styles, creating a co-author contract, and the importance of checking ego at the door. Mayra and Marie started their co-writing journey as critique partners and today they are the co-authors of the YA novel Does My Body Offend You? long-listed for the prestigious PEN/Faulkner Award, named a 2023 Book All Young Georgians Should Read, a New York Public Library Best Books for Teens 2022 and a Target YA Book Club selection. In 2023, they were named Georgia Authors of the Year in the Young Adult category. They currently have another young adult novel in development with Penguin Random House and a debut co-authored adult novel with Alloy Entertainment, a division of Warner Media Discovery.
FACULTY AND SPEAKER RATES Vary depending on event length, attendance and location. There are no travel reimbursement fees for events within the Atlanta metro area or when special arrangements have been made in advance. Locations that are more than two hours from Atlanta will be charged an additional 48 cents per mile. Transportation and lodging fees may apply.
“…an author with a genuine flair for narrative driven storytelling.”
— Midwest Book Review
Resources for Writers and FAQs
I have an idea for a book, how can I get started?
Every wonderful book every written started with an idea! And if you write one page a day, you will have a 365-page manuscript in a year!
In order to travel from idea to publication I recommend:
Read books on craft (recommendations below)
Attend a writing conference in your area. Writing conferences are organized by local and national writers organizations and clubs. They can be for writers in general, or specific to a genre, for example: romance, sci-fi, fantasy etc.
Join a critique group either in person or online. Here is a good list!
How do I get a literary agent? Can you refer me to your agent?
There are multiple ways to pitch your work to a literary agent:
Unfortunately, I am unable to make referrals to my agent.
how do i get a publishing contract? Can you refer me to your editor?
There are as many paths to publication as there are books. It took me eight years and three manuscripts to sell my book to a publisher. In that time, I wrote and edited, attended writing conferences, read books on craft, met with my critique partner, attended writing retreats and much, much more. In 2019, my agent sent my latest manuscript to an imprint of Harper Collins and they fell in love with the book right away! My debut novel, Salty, Bitter, Sweet was published in March of 2020. Does My Body Offend You? co-written with Marie Marquardt, will be published by Penguin Random House in April 2022.
Unfortunately, I am unable to make referrals to my editors.
What books on writing do you recommend?
The Artists Way by Julia Cameron
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book On Novel Writing You'll Ever Need by Jessica Brody
Plot & Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot That Grips Readers from Start to Finish by James Scott Bell
No Plot? No Problem! Revised and Expanded Edition: A Low-stress, High-velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days by Chris Baty
Story Engineering by Larry Brooks
Writing the Romantic Comedy: From "Cute Meet" to "Joyous Defeat": How To Write Screenplays That Sell by Billy Mernit
The Breakout Novelist: How to Craft Novels That Stand Out and Sell Paperback by Donald Maass
Writing Irresistible Kidlit: The Ultimate Guide to Crafting Fiction for Young Adult and Middle Grade Readers Paperback by Mary Kole
Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel by Lisa Cron
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print by Renni Browne and Dave King
On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
what webinars on writing do you recommend?
There are both great paid and free webinars on writing. Las Musas Books and The Author’s Guild has a YouTube channel full of amazing free webinars. For paid classes, visit The Highlights Foundation and The Writer’s Digest.
IS THERE A WRITING RETREAT YOU CAN RECOMMEND?
I have had the pleasure of attending a writing retreat at the Highlights Foundation and highly recommend it. I also recommend the Andrea Brown Literary Agency Big Sur and Cape Cod workshops.
can you give me advice about self-publishing?
I don’t know anything about self-publishing, but a good place to start maybe the self-publishing threads on Absolute Write Water Cooler forums.
How long will it take me to write a book? Get an agent? Get published?
Everyone’s publishing journey is different. Some people write a full book in less than a month, for others it could take decades. The same goes for getting an agent and getting published.
can you read my manuscript?
I’m so sorry but due to other commitments, I cannot read manuscripts at the moment. If you need a critique partner, CritiqueMatch, Absolute Write and this super long list are great places to start.
If you’re able to pay, you can also find really wonderful freelance editors to help with your manuscript. I highly recommend Deborah Halverson and Laura Silverman.
CAN YOU BLURB MY BOOK?
Thank you for the giant compliment! Due to my own deadlines and prior commitments, it is almost impossible for me to blurb a book on short notice. Please send your blurb request to my agent, Saritza Hernandez saritza@andreabrownlit.com.