Diana often posts about writer's issues on her blog, Diana's Diversions.

Diana Peterfreund often visits writing groups and conferences to give craft and industry workshops. Below is a list of some of her more popular topics.

CAREER PLANNING BEFORE AND AFTER THE SALE
In many ways, it’s beyond your control, and yet career planning should be an essential part of your strategy every time you make a sale. It is possible to chase specific goals while keeping a fluid and flexible career plan. This workshop, suitable for both the soon-to-be-published as well as the multi-published author at a crossroads, talks about concerns and philosophies to keep in mind while evaluating your options, and different strategies for dealing with setbacks, wrong turns, surprises, and—yay!—windfalls. In this workshop, Diana analyzes real examples of career planning strategies and discuses what worked, and what didn’t. (Worksheets.)

NETWORKING 101 (With Marley Gibson)
Did you ever hear the writing urban legend of the writer who pitched her critique partner’s book that ended up selling at auction? Well, the players of the very real tale, Diana Peterfreund and Marley Gibson, are here to share their knowledge, experience and success in the field of networking. Skillful networking not only resulted in Diana’s first sale, but also in Marley Gibson’s debut, a four book series for Puffin. You’ll learn what to say after introducing yourself, how to talk freely about your writing, your interests and yourself. You’ll also learn to look at yourself and your writing as a “product” and how to market that product to your “consumers” (editors, agents and readers.) You’ll see that communication isn’t simply limited to talking to someone, but reading body language and reaching out through non-verbal means, blogs, websites and loops. You’ll learn fun techniques for remembering names, opening up to fellow writers and fan readers, working a room and how to approach those elusive agents and editors who lurk at writers’ conferences. (Interactive exercises, worksheets.)

PITCHING DISASTERS AND HOW TO PULL OUT OF THE TAILSPIN
Imagine this: you’re sitting in a conference room across the table from the editor or agent of your dreams. You’ve spent a long time preparing for this moment – you practiced your pitch with your critique partner, picked out a few choice phrases to describe your hero and heroine, winnowed down your complex and original plot to a two-sentence high concept overview, and written the whole thing down on a handful of index cards in case you freak out and forget what it is that your book about. You’re all ready... aren’t you? Sure, as long as the industry pro 1) still acquires what you write (job descriptions and line needs change at the speed of light in this biz), and doesn’t blindside you with a pet peeve that bears an uncanny resemblance ot your latest project. Unfortunately, things don’t always go as planned, but if you keep your head and your sense of humor, you can survive and even benefit from pitch scenarios gone wild. Let Diana show you how. (Interactive.)

WHAT’S ALL THIS TALK ABOUT HIGH CONCEPT?
It’s the phrase du jour in the industry. High concept stories are in demand in today’s market. You can definitely sell books without it, but it might be that extra little something that defines the “breakout book.” But very few people understand what it means, including a few of the industry pros requesting it! Discover the origins and development of “high concept” and its current definition. Figure out if your story is high concept and how to craft your story pitch to bring out the most high concept elements. Learn how to avoid false “high concept” pitfalls and explode misconceptions about the term. Come away from the workshop with your own high concept pitch sure to pique industry interest. (Interactive.)

Interested in having Diana do a workshop for your writer’s group on these or any other topics? Contact her.