Creative Writing – Thursday Afternoon Class Option

Tanya Farrelly is the author of four books. Her debut short fiction collection When Black Dogs Sing (Arlen House, 2016) was longlisted for the Edge Hill Short Story Prize and named winner of the Kate O’ Brien Award 2017. Two novels: The Girl Behind the Lens and When Your Eyes Close were published by Harper Collins, London. (2016/2018) She curated and edited The Music of What Happens, an anthology of poems, stories and essays by over fifty Irish writers published in aid of Purple House Cancer Support Centre. (New Island, 2020) Her latest book: Nobody Needs to Know, a short fiction collection, was published in November 2021 by Arlen House. She holds a PhD in Creative and Critical Writing from Bangor University, Wales, and teaches at numerous institutions, including the Irish Writers Centre, Dublin, and the People’s College. She was appointed Arts Council Writer-in-Residence at NUI Galway 2021, and is the founder and director of Bray Literary Festival.

In the first term attendees will look at the key aspects of fiction writing. We will explore how to create intriguing characters, the importance of point of view, and how to write believable dialogue, as well as considering the importance of conflict, and how to effectively use setting. With the aid of writing prompts, and through analysing the work of many leading short story writers, participants will have the chance to put into practise what they have learned, and will receive feedback on their work in a fun and supportive environment.

In term two we will explore the world of creative non-fiction and how writers use the skills of the fiction writer to draw the reader into their true stories. Participants will try their hand at writing personal essays/memoir, travel writing and factual essays. We will also return to fiction writing: exploring the subtle differences between writing for print and writing for radio. We will read and discuss previous winning entries to the RTE Short Story competition in honour of Francis MacManus with the aim of writing and editing stories to get competition ready!

*Term two can be done as a follow-up or independently of term one*