Some Courses at the Irish Writers Centre

Poetry Writing with Catherine Phil MacCarthy

3rd February to 23rd March: Fridays 11am - 1pm

€220 / €200(members)

This eight-week workshop is introduces some  'ways in' to writing that stir both memory and the imagination. It offers a warm and constructive environment to read and gain feedback on recent work and the focus of the workshop is on participants' own poems and on developing a collection for publication. Participants are invited to send poems in advance of the workshop that they are keen to progress.

 

Writing the Short Story with Sean O'Reilly

17th January to 20th March, Tuesdays 6.30pm-8.30pm, €280/€260 members

A ten-week course for short story writers seeking to develop their craft in the dynamic context of a group. This is a chance to immerse yourself in the issues around the contemporary short story, to focus on producing drafts of new stories and to have your work discussed in detail by other writers.

Novel Writing with Chris Binchy

17th January to 20th March: Tuesdays 6.30-8.30pm. €280/260 members
This eight-week course is aimed at people who are in the earlystages of writing or planning a novel. The course will provide feedback on participants' submitted work and will focus on identifying their strengths, while discussing narrative structure, character development, pacing and plot.

 

Finish Your Novel with Conor Kostick 

16th January - 26th March: Monday 6.30-8.30pm. €280/260 members

This is a practical course for writers who are already part-way through the writing of a book. The goal of the course is that by the end of it, those attending will have gained sufficient impetus, clarity and enthusiasm for writing that they will go on to complete their books. 

Intermediate Creative Writing with Nessa O'Mahoney

18th January to 7th March: Weds 6.30pm-8.30pm €220/200 members

You've taken your first steps into creative writing; this eight-week course will provide you with the skills and confidence to develop your own voice and experiment with a variety of forms and genres. During the ten weeks, we'll examine poetry, poetic form and imagery, novels and short fiction, screenplays, radio plays, and scriptwriting. The emphasis will be on generating new work, and finding ways to improve existing work.

Beginners' Creative Writing with Alan Jude Moore

19th January to 22nd March: Thursdays 6.30pm to 8.30pm. €280 / €260 members

This ten-week course is aimed at people getting started as writers.  Through exercises, discussion and advice you will develop your skills as a writer and produce new work. The aim of the workshop will be for participants to go away with an improved sense of their own abilities and how best to use these to further develop their writing.

Feature Writing with Henry McDonald

19th January to 22nd March: Tuesdays 6.30-8.30pm. €280/260 members

On this ten-week course Henry McDonald, author and Ireland Correspondent of The Guardian, will cover feature writing techniques for magazines, internet and newspapers, and how these genres differ from the who, what, where, when and how of conventional straight news reporting. Hands-on research and practical writing exercises will form the basis of this dynamic course.

Crime Writing with Cormac Millar (Cormac Ó Cuilleanáin)  

24th January to 13th March: Tuesdays 6.30-8.30pm. €220/200 members
This course is suitable for anyone interested in writing crime fiction. Over eight weeks, it explores topics such as finding story ideas, developing plot and structure, genre, characterization, dialogue, description and scene writing, social and political themes, finding the narrative voice, editing and continuity, writing a pitch and a blurb, approaching agents and publishers. 

 

Poetry Workshop with Enda Wyley

4th February: 10.30am - 4.30pm. Saturday. €80/70 members  

Have you been writing poetry for a while and would like feedback on your work or are you just beginning to write and hope to be inspired and encouraged? This one-day poetry workshop run by Enda Wyley aims to inspire and encourage participants to study poetry by established poets, create new work and to share their existing work with class members.

Writing Your First Novel with June Considine

4th & 5th February: 10.30am - 4.30pm. Sat & Sun. €150/135 members

Whether you are writing your first novel or still contemplating how to begin the opening chapter, Writing your First Novel offers you an opportunity to explore the many elements involved in bringing your work through the construction stage to completion. Step-by-step, from the opening page to the all-important ending, this practical weekend workshop, facilitated by well-known novelist June Considine, will cover character development, plot, dialogue, setting the scene, time scale, building the structure of your novel and discovering the narrative voice.